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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - Part 4.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • November 7, 2002 


     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 78 - kim, yat.

735. kim – a) He about Whom all questions are asked by seekers of Truth
(such as – Where is He, What is He, Who is He, etc.) 
	b) He Whose praise is sung by His devotees 
	c) He Who is fit to be enquired about or sought after.

Om kime namah (om kasmai namah in Samkara pATham –see explanation under
ekAya namah, nAma 730).

The common usage of the word kim  is to represent the question “What?”.
   The word kim is derived from the root praccha – j~nIpsAyAm – to ask,
to seek.  Here it is used as a noun, and means “He about Whom all
questions are asked by seekers of Truth”.  SrI sataydevo vAsishTha
comments:  pRcchati iti kim | pRcchyata iti vA kim |” – He who asks is
kim, or He about whom questions are asked is also kim.  Here bhagavAn
is called kim in the context of the latter of the two.  In other words,
all questions that are asked by those who want to realize Him, are
questions about Him, since they all lead to Him in the end.  SrI
vAsishTha gives an alternate derivation as well, starting from the root
kai – Sabde – to sound, leading to “kAyati iti kim” – He about Whom
questions are asked, such as “Who is He, What is He, Where is He”,
etc., is kim.  Those who seek Him start with the enquiry of “What”, and
end up with Him after they realize that He is the ultimate answer to
every enquiry.   

SrI BhaTTarÂ’s vyAkhyAnam is: tat tat sarvepsituh buphutsUnAm
nirupAdhika prashTavyatvAt kim – He is enquired into by all those who
are desirous of knowing the ultimate objects of their desirewithout any
other motive, and so He is called kim.  SrI BhaTTar gives the support
from the Sruti - sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah – ChAndogya.
8.7.1 – He is to be sought after, He is to be known with eagerness.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to tiruvAimozhi 5.6.2, where
nammAzhvAr declares about perumAL:  “kaRkum kalvic cAramum yAnE”.  In
fact, every line of each pASuram,  starting with 5.6.1 (kaDal j~nAlam
SeidEnum yAnE ennumÂ…), all the way up to 5.6.10 (kOlam koL Suvarkkamum
yAnE ennum Â…Â….), are beautiful singing of His being everything, line
after line.   

SrI Samkara’s interpretation is: “sarva purushArtha rUpatvAt Brahmaiva
vicAryam iti Brahma kim” – As Brahman is the supreme goal among all
aims of life, He is to be inquired after, and so is called kim.  He 
refers us to the first Slokam of chapter 8 of Bhagavad gItA, where
arjuna precisely starts with this question:

	kim tad brahma kim adhyAtmam kim karma purushottama   |
	adhibhUtam ca kim proktam adhidaivam kim ucyate    ||    (gItA 8.1)

“What is that Brahman?  What is adhyAtma? What is karma? What is said
to be adhibhUta? O Supreme Person, who is said to be adhidaiva?”

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives similar passages from the Rg veda, which
ask similar rhetorical questions about Brahman:

-	ambhah kim AsIt gahanam gabhIram (10-129-1) – Was water there,
unfathomed and deep?
-	kutah AjAtA kuta iyam visRshTih (10-129-6) – Whence was it born, and
whence comes this creation?
-	yo’syAdhyakshah parame vyoman (10-129-7) – (He) whose eye controls
this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows
not.

Thus, He is called “kim- What” because He is the Ultimate answer to all
the questions.  

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root ku~ng – Sabde – to sound,
and the uNAdi sutra kAyater dimih (siddhAnta kaumudi, uNAdi sutra 600)
to derive the word kim, and gives the definition – kUyate – AhUyate
svajanaih bhajamAnaih iti kim – He Whose praise is sung by His devotees
is kim.  

c) SrI aNNaÂ’ngarAcArya gives the interpretation that this nAma means
that He is One who is worth being sought after; One Who is described as
anveshTavyah in the Upanishads (sa anveshTavyah, sa viji~njAsitavyah –
ChAndogya. 8.7.1) – He is to be sought after, and He is to be known
with eagerness.

The dharma cakram writer elaborates that bhagavAn is called kim – He
Whose Nature is contemplated on by those who seek the Truth, because it
is by knowing this Truth that everything there is to be known is known.
 That which is beyond time, space, etc., that which never changes and
is eternal, that which is beyond the reach of the senses and is only
reached by true devotion and meditation, that which is in everything
and everywhere, is the Ultimate answer to all questions asked by those
who seek the Truth.

736. yat – a) He Who takes efforts.
	b) That Which already exists.
	c) That from Which everything in this Universe came about.	

om yate namah (om yasmai namah in Samkara pATham, when yat is
interpreted as a sarvanAma or pronoun).

SrI BhaTTar derives the interpretation from the root yat – prayatne –
to attempt. to strive after, etc.  His vyAkhyAnam is “teshAm rakshAyai
yatate iti yat” – He Who takes all efforts for the protection of His
devotees.  SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj elaborates further on the same
concept:  yatate prayatate sva-samkalpa mAtreNa svajana Apat nivAraNAya
iti yat.  SrI BhaTTar quotes the following words of bhagavAn:

	 -  kRshNa kRshNeti kRshNeti yo mAm smarati nityaSah   |
	     jalam bhitvA yathA padmam narakAt uddharAmyaham    || 

“Whoever remembers Me always repeating the name “kRshNa, kRshNa,
kRshNa”, I lift him up from naraka just as one takes a lotus free from
water by brushing aside the water”.  

	- aham smarAmi mad bhaktam nayAmi paramAm gatim   | (varAha caram
Slokam) - “I remember My devotee and take him to the Supreme abode”.  
Even if the devotee in his final state is unable to think of bhagavAn,
bhagavAn thinks of the devotee, and takes him to His abode. 

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives reference to nammAzhvAr’s tiruvAimozhi 5.8.9 –
“iSaivittu ennai un tAL iNaik kIzh iruttum ammAnE” – nammAzhvAr says
that bhagavAn took the effort to impart Atma j~nAna to even him who was
unrelenting, sensually disposed, haughty enough to be an incorrigible
soul-thief, etc.  (nammAzhvArÂ’s naicya bhaAvam is what is reflected
here). 

b) SrI Samkara interprets the nAma using the conventional meaning
“Which” for the word yat.  His interpretation is:  :yat Sabdena svatah
siddha vastu uddeSa vAcinA brahma nirdiSyata iti brahma yat – The word
yat indicates a self-sustaining entity, can only denote Brahman, who is
by nature always existing.  He quotes the taittirIya Upanishad in
support – yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante (3.1) – From which all these
beings come outÂ….    

c) SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri uses the above Sruti vAkyam and gives the
interpretation that yat refers to “That from Which all the other things
in the Universe came into existence”.  

SrI cinmayAnanda quotes another similar usage:  yato vAco nivartante
aprApya manasA sah (tiatt. Up. 2.9.1) – That from which words retire,
along with the mind, unable to reach. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan 


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