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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - Part 6.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • April 4, 2002 


    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 71 - brahma~jnah,
brAhmaNa-priyah.

674. brahma~njah - The Knower of the inner meaning of the veda-s.

om brahma~jnAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar distinguishes between this nAma and the earlier nAma
brahma-vit (671), as follows: 

"brahma-vit - anatA vai vedAh; tAn avadhinA vetti iti brahma vit"  -
veda-s are limitless; He knows the  the veda-s to completion or to the
ultimate limit, and so He is called brahma-vit.

"brahma~jnah - vedAn artha-paryantam sAkshAtkaroti iti brahm~jnah" - He
perceives, apprehends, and knows the veda-s inclusive of their
significance or meanings, and therefore He is called brahma~jnah.

The nirukti author gives the corresponding summary for veda-vit as "yo
vedAn antato vetti sa brahma-vit udIritah" - He Who knows the veda-s to
their full extent is brahma-vit is called brahma-vit, and for
brahma~jnah as "yo vedAn arthato vetti so'yam brahma~jnah Iritah" - He
Who knows the veda-s with their true inner meanings is veda~jnah. 

Based on the above, one can say that in the first nAma, SrI BhaTTar
emphasizes the breadth of knowledge of the veda-s, and in the second
one the depth of knowledge is indicated. 

SrI Samkara differentiates the two nAma-s as follows: brahma-vit -
vedam vedArtham ca yathAvat vetti iti brahma-vit; brahma vedAn
svAtmabhUtAn jAnAti it brahma~jah.  Thus, in this case, the first
interpretation includes the knowledge of the meanings of the veda-s,
and the second one states that He knows the veda-s which are born of
Himself.  SrI cinmayAnanda comments for the first one as "One who has
intuited the veda-s and their full commentaries", and for the second
one, "One Who knows the nature of Brahman as no one else can; He being
the very Brahman, no one else knows His nature as He Himself can". 

Other interpreters have used other ways to distinguish between the two
nAma-s.  SrI kRshNa datta bhaAradvAj uses the meaning "to find, to
get", to the word "vid", in the nAma brahma-vit - "brahma vedah; tad
vindati matsyAvatAre iti brahma-vit", and uses the meaning "One who
knows" for "j~nah" in  "brahma~jnah". - brahma SrI vishNor vibhUtih;
tad sva vibhUti rUpam jAnAti iti brahma~jnah (brahma refers to all His
manifestations; He who knows this brahma in truth is brahm~jnah).   

The best way to view the interpretation of the two nAma-s seems to be
to consider them as complimentary to each other, the two nAma-s
together signifying His perfect knowledge of all there is to know of
the veda-s, in completion and with the complete understanding of the
significance of the veda-s.

675. brAhmaNa-priyah - a) He for Whom the brAhamaNa-s are of special
liking.
		b) He Who is specially liked by the brAhamaNa-s.

a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is that the brAhamNa-s are extremely
dear to Him, and so He is called brAhmaNa-priyah.  He gives the example
of how bhagavAn treated bRgu maharshi when the latter kicked Him in His
vaksha sthalam (chest).  SrI BhaTTar quotes several supports:

	ghnantam Sapantam parusham vadantam 
	yo brAhmaNam na praNayet yathA'hamÂ….."  (itihAsa samuccaya 30.100)

"Though a brAhmin beats a person, curses him, or utters harsh words to
him, one should bow to the brAhmin as I did to bRgu.  One who does not
respect the brAhmin this way will be consumed by the wild fire of the
brAhmin's anger, and he deserves to be killed and punished.  He is not
Mine".

This extreme respect for brAhmins from bhagavAn is because "they are
the ones who follow the virtuous conduct of karma yoga as instructed by
Me, who are full of faith, and who hold Me as the Highest Deity, and so
they are dear to Me" -

	ye tu dharmyAmRtamidam yathoktam paryupAsate    |
	SraddhAnA mat-paramA bhaktAste atIva me priyAh   || (gItA 12.20)

"I am victorious over the asura-s because of the blessings of the
brAhmins" - vipra prasAdAt asurAn jayAmi (vishNu dharma 52.23).

Buried in this vyAkhyAnam is also a summary of how a brAhmaNa should
conduct himself, that justifies  the great respect that bhagavAn holds
for them.  SrI rAdhA kRshNa SAstri gives the following explanation:
"The brAhmins are very dear to Him because they live for the sole
purpose of chanting the veda-s as well as teaching the veda-s.  Sinve
the veda-s are the Lord Himself, the love of a brAhmin in the veda-s as
He chants them transforms into a love to Him; and since the brAhmin
gives the place for Him in them in the form of the veda-s, the brAhmin
is dear to Him".  The dharma cakram writer adds that those who live for
Him are brAhmins, and those who live for themselves are the rest.

b) SrI Samkara gives the first interpretation as well as the second one
- brAhmaNAnAm priyah brAhmaNa-priyah | brAhamNAh priyaA asya iti vA| He
also gives the support given under a) from itihAsa samuccayam. 

c) SrI bala deva vidyA bhUshaN, who gives all his interpretations based
on Lord kRshNa's life in this world, gives the example of His pleasing
sAndIpani by bringing back his child alive, as the explanation for this
nAma.

d) SrI cinmayAnanda observes that the term brAhmaNa here refers to the
class of people who have the supreme experience-divine, those men of
complete realization, and not to the brAhmins by caste.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
	


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