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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 90 - aNuh.

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champakam • May 5, 2003 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam – Slokam 90 - aNuh.

aNur_bRhat_kRSas_sthUlo guNa-bhRn_nir-guNo mahAn    |
adhRtah sva-dhRtah svAsyah prAg-vamSo vamSa-vardhanah  ||

om aNAve namah. 
Om bRhate namah.
Om kRSAya namah.
Om sthUlAya namah
Om guNa-bhRte namah
Om nir-guNAya namah
Om mahate namah
Om adhRtAya namah
Om svadhRtAya namah
Om svAsyAya namah
Om prAg-vamSAya namah
Om vamSa-vardhanAya namah.

The next few nAma-s are interpreted by SrI BhaTTar in terms of the 
grandeur of bhagavAn, consisting of His superhuman powers such as 
becoming smaller than an atom etc.  SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya notes that 
the powers that are being described here are the ashTa aiSvarya-s 
(might or power).  The ashTa aiSvarya-s are declared by the 
following: 

aNimA, mahimA, laghimA, garimA, prApatih, prAkAmyam, ISitA, vaSitvam, 
ceti aiSvaryashTakam ucyate   |

839. aNuh – a) He Who has the power of being smaller than anything 
small that is known to us.
	b) He Who is the cause of the sound that permeates everywhere 
and is in everything (aNa – Sabde).
	c) He Who is in the form of the veda-s, or He Who reveals the 
veda-s, the SAstra-s etc.  (aNa – Sabde).

Om aNave namah.

This is the first of the ashTa aiSvarya-s  mentioned above – aNimA.  
The word aNuh is formed from the root aNa – to sound, through the 
application of the uNAdi sUtra – aNaSca (1.8), which states that the 
affix u comes after the root aNa.  The term aNu refers to an atom, 
and here it is used to refer to bhagavAn's power of becoming smaller 
than the smallest object that is known.    

a) SrI BhaTTar comments that the nAma signifies His ability to enter  
into the infinitesimally small void space known as dahara AkASam in 
the hearts of beings, into prakRti, and also into the subtle jIva.  
aNu here means that He is extremely subtle.  SrI BhaTTar refers us to 
the taittirIya Upanishad – aNor-aNIyAn – He is subtler than whatever 
we perceive as subtle.

These aISvarya-s or powers are natural to Him.  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan 
points out that some of these powers are also given to those who have 
His anugraham or blessing.   He gives the example of hanuman, who had 
the ability to alternate between a very large form and a very small 
form at will in an instant, in dealing with surasA (sundara kANDam).  

SrI Sa'nkara gives the support from muNDAkopanishad – esha aNur_AtmA 
cetasA veditavyah – This Self (paramAtman) is inscrutable, and is to 
be known through the mind.   

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that the ability of the eye to see 
something is limited by a lower limit and an upper limit with respect 
to size.  BhagavAn is outside of this limit on either end (we will 
see this in the next nAma also).  He is beyond all the sensory 
perceptions.  Sri SAstri gives several references to the Sruti in 
support:

-	aNor-aNIyAn (kaTha. 2.20, tait. AraN. 10.1)
-	na hi su-j~neyam aNur-esha dharmah (kaTha. 1.21) – The truth 
is very subtle and not easily comprehensible.
-	yad-aNubhyo'Nu ca (muNDa. 2.2.2) – That which is subtler than 
the subtle. 
-	aNIyAn hyatarkayam anU paramANAt (kaTha. 2.8) – It is subtler 
than the subtle and beyond realization through reasoning alone.
-	esha sa AtmA antar-hRdaye aNIyAn vrIher-vA yavAd-vA sarshapAd-
vA SyAmAkAd-vA SyAmAka-taNDulAd-vA… (chAndog. 3.14.3) – This 
paramAtman who is residing in my heart is smaller than a grain of 
rice, a barley corn, a mustard seed, the grain a millet, etc.  
-	Sa ya esho aNimA (chAndog. 6.8.7) – This (sat) is of the 
nature of being subtle.

SrI cinmayAnanda gives the support from the gItA – sarvasya cAham 
hRdi sannivishTah – "I am seated in the hearts of all".

b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha notes that it is by His aNutvam that He is 
present everywhere, and permeates everything, including the subtle 
jIva.  He also gives an interpretation based on the root aNa – Sabde –
 to sound, and indicates that the nAma suggests that He is in the 
form of the sound that pervades the ether everywhere, and is also the 
cause of the sound that emanates from the different life-forms etc.  

c) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives his interpretation based on the 
meaning aNati – Sabdayati – makes known, reveals – aNati Sabdayati 
vedAdi SAstram iti aNuh – He Who reveals the SAstra-s such as the 
veda-s etc.   We will note that SrI bhAradvAj does not follow the 
approach of interpreting this nAma and the following ones in terms of 
the ashTa aiSvarya-s, but gives interpretations that are not linked 
to each other. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan




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