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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - Part 1.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • November 25, 2002 


 

	   SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 79 - suvarNa-varNah.

		suvarNa-varNo hemAÂ’ngo varAÂ’ngah candanAÂ’ngadI      |
		vIra-hA vishamah Sunyo ghRtASir_acalaS_calah          ||

om suvarNa-varNAya namah
om hemAÂ’ngAya namah
om varAÂ’ngAya namah
om candanAÂ’ngadine namah
om vIraghne namah
om vishamAya namah
om SunyAya namah
om ghRtASishe namah
om acalAya namah
om calAya namah

743. suvarNa-varNah – The golden-hued.

Om suvarNa-varNAya namah

Sobhana varNa su-varNa, suvarNamiva varNam yasya sa su-varNah – “He Who
has a hue that is attractive like gold”.  Thus, the literal meaning of
the nAma is “He Who is golden-hued”.  Gold is known for its purity and
its untarnished nature, its effulgence, its being highly desired by
people, etc.  All these aspects of bhagavAn are brought out by this
nAma, namely His Effulgence, His blemishless nature, His Illuminating
Power, His Purifying Nature, His being desired and coveted by all His
devotees, etc.  The term suvarNa here stands for “that which is
extremely desired and longed for, that which is flawless and pure”,
etc.   SrI aNNan’ngarAcArya gives the explanation “He Who has the divya
svarUpam which is blemishless like gold”.

nAma-s similar to the current one are used in the outpourings of
AzhvArs who grope for words to describe the aunbhavam that they have
had of the indescribable emperumAn.   SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several
examples from prabandham.

-	tirumaÂ’ngai AzhvAr describes Him in tiruk kuRum tANDakam (6) as sweet
song, fresh honey, shining gold, the flower that the nitya sUri-s wear
on their head, etc.  – “inbap-pAvinai, paccait tEnai, paim-ponnai,
amarar Sennit pUvinai”.
-	nammAzhvAr describes Him in tiruviruttam (85) as “ualgu aLanda
mANikkamE! En maradagamE! MaRRu oppArai illA Anip ponnE!” – The Gem
that measured the three worlds! My favorite Emerald! The Incomparable
Pure Gold!
-	TirumÂ’ngai AzhvAr describes the beautiful golden hue of perumAL in
peria tirumozhi 4.9.8 as follows: “ponnin vaNNam maNiyin vaNNam
puraiyum tirumEni” – (in tretAyugam), Your hue is golden, and (in
dvApara yugam), Your hue is blueÂ…Â…

SrI bhaTTar gives supports from the Sruti and smRti-s, where
paramAtmanÂ’s suvarNa varNam is referenced:

  - yadA paSyah paSyate rukma varNam kartAram ISam purusham brahma
yonim (muNDakopanishad 3.3)   - “When the seer sees the purusha, the
golden-hued, creator, lord...”.

     -  praSasitAram sarveshAm aNIyAmsam aNorapi    |
     rukmAbham svapanadhIgamyam vidyAttam purusham param || (manu 
                                                           smRti -
12.122)

“Let him know the Supreme Purusha, the Sovereign Ruler of them all,
smaller than the smallest, bright like gold, and perceptible by the
intellect only when in a state of abstraction”.

-	Aditya varNam (purusha sUktam 20) – He Who has the luster of the sun.

-  Â…ya eshontarAdiye hiraNmayah purusho dRSyate hiraNya smaSruh hiraNya
keSa ApraNakAt sarva eva suvarNah | (chAndog. 1.6.6) – “That golden
Person who is seen within the sun, with golden beard and golden hair,
golden altogether to the very tip of His nails”.  SrI cinmayAnanda
explains the significance of this Sruti vAkhya:  Upon witnessing the
Self-Effulgent (Golden) Being, the seerÂ’s realization is completely
transformed, and “then, the wise one, shaking off all deeds of merits
and demerits, becomes stainless, and attains the supreme State of
Equipois”.

PirATTi is also described along the same lines in the veda-s:  “hiraNya
varNAm hariNIm…..” (SrI sUktam).  

SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives additional support from SrImad
rAmAyaNam, where sItA pirATTi describes rAma as “One Who has golden
hue”:  kaccin-na tad-hema samAna varNam…..” (sundara. 36.28).

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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