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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - Part 5.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • April 3, 2002 


672. brAhmaNah - The Instructor of the veda-s.

om brAhamNAya namah.

The etymologists give the derivation - brahma nayati, aNati iti
brAhmaNah - He Who guides or recites the veda is a brAhamNa (SrI
BhaTTar).  (The relevant roots for aNati are aN - Sabde to sound, or
prANane - to live).  SrI BhaTTar refers to bhagavAn's taking birth in
the atri gotra as dattAtreya, and other such births as brAhamaNa in
order to establish the teachings of the veda in this world.   

In the amarakoSa vyAkhyAnam, a brAhmaNa is described as one who engages
in the six-acts -
yajana yAjana adhyayana adhyApana dAna pratigraha lakshNAni  - the act
of sacrificing, the act of helping in conducting a sacrifice, learning
the veda-s, teaching or instructing of the veda-s, giving dAnam to
others, and receiving or accepting alms from others.   

The dharma cakram writer summarizes the qualifications for a brAhamaNa:
 He knows the true nature of Brahman, and devotes his entire life in
the service of Brahman; he has no attachment to his body or to material
things in this world; he has absolute trust in bhagavAn's kalyANa
guNa-s; he dedicates himself through thought, word, and deed to
bhagavAn; every act of his is dedicated to His service and to the
service of His devotees; by nature he has control of his mind and
indriya-s; he is not interested in worldly enjoyment; he devotes his
life in the pursuit of eternal service to Him; he has naturally purity
in thought, word, and deed;  he accepts whatever difficulties confront
him without question, and does not cause harm to others in return;  he
is straightforward in thought, word, and deed; he will have full trust
and faith in veda-s, SAstra-s, and bhagavAn; he will learn the veda-s,
and teach the veda-s to others; he will get enormous delight in
learning the veda-s and SAstra-s from the learned, and in living a life
based on these teachings; he will be dominating in sattva guNa; his
dharma will be to live for the veda-s, to learn the veda-s and to
impart the knowledge of the veda-s to others;  he will dedicate himself
to live in such a way that by his example he will teach others what it
is to live a life of righteousness and love towards others.

673. brahmI - a) He who possesses all that goes by the term brahma -
prakRti, purusha, ISvara, veda, etc.
	b) He Who has the four-faced brahmA in His nAbhI-kamalam.

om brahmiNe namah.

The etymology for the nAma is given by SrI satyadevo vAsishTha based on
the pANini sUtra "vrIhyAdibhyaSca" (5.2.116) and "nastaddhite"
(6.4.l44), whereby the addition of the affix ini to the word brahma
gives the meaning "having or bearing brahma".

a) SrI BhaTTar gives the interpretation that He is called brahmI
because He possesses all that is in the form of pramANa (the means of
knowledge), and prameya (the objects of knowledge). SrI
SrInivAsarAghavan notes that this includes the veda-s (pramANa), and
prakRti, purusha,  ISvara, etc. (the prameya-s - those that are to be
known from the veda-s).  SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri observes that the
veda-s, the four-faced brahmA, the braAmaNa-s (vipra-s), tapas, etc.,
are all there to reveal His true nature, and since they are all His
possessions, He is called brahmI. 
     SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - brAhmaNah, brahmI. 

b) SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that because He
has the four-faced brahmA in His nAbhI-kamalam (in the lotus in His
navel), He has the nAma brahmI - sa nAbhIkamale vishNoh sthito brahmA
prajApatih - mArkaNDeya purA. 78.51).    

The dharma cakram writer observes that the significance of this nAma is
to realize that just as the body which is made of the pa'nca bhUta-s
needs their support for its survival, the realization of the paramAtmA
who resides within us requires the support of His possessions, namely
the veda-s, the brAhMaNa-s (vipra-s), and tapas.    One should learn
the veda-s, live the life revealed by the veda-s, and live the life of
a brAhmaNa as described in the previous nAma, and this yogic way of
life will lead to His realization. 

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan 


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