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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - Part 6.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Narasimhan Krishnamachari • April 25, 2002 


      SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 72 - mahA-yajvA.

681. mahA-yajvA - a) He Who performs great sacrifices.
b) He Who has the special class of devotees (mahA-yajvA-s) of a
superior nature.

According to pANini sUtra 3.2.103 (suyajor'ngvanip), the word yajvA is
derived from the root yaj - to sacrifice, with the addition of the
affix 'ngvanip.  When the affix 'ngvanip is added to the root yaj, the
result is yajvA with a past signification, and thus means "one who has
sacrificed".   SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the etymological
derviation "mahAntam ya~jnam kRtavAn iti mahA-yajvA" - He Who has
performed great sacrifices.

a) SrI Samkara gives the interpretation that He is called mahA-yajvA
because He has performed great sacrifices.  SrI cinmayAnanda gives the
example of the aSvamedha yAga in His incarnation as Lord rAma.  He is
also the yajAmana of all sacrifices performed by all devotees, since He
ensures their successful completion, and in this sense also He is
mahA-yajvA, the Great Sacrificer.  

b) SrI BhaTTar interprets the term "mahA-yajvA" as a reference to the
superior class of devotees who worship vishNu with single-minded
devotion, without worshiping any other devatA for any reason.  In this
derivation of the interpretation, a yajvA is one who offers worship, a
mahA-yajvA is one who offers the superior form of worship whereby he
worships only Lord vishNu without worshiping anya devatA-s, and
bhagavAn is Himself referred to as mahA-yajvA because He has this
superior class of devotees, or because He is the Leader of these
devotees.   He is also a mahA-yajvA because He worships (values) these
mahA-yajvA-s as His AtmA, and uplifts the devotees who worship Him
specially in comparison to those who worship anya-devatA-s (sva-yAjinAm
anya-yAjimyo'pi atyutkarshatvAt mahA-yajvA - SrI BhaTTar).  SrI v.v.
rAmAnujan has given the meaning in tamizh for SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam
(tannai ArAdhippavargaLaic ciRappUTTubavan).   SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya
svAmi's interpretation is "tannai ArAdhippavargaLaic ciRandavargaLAgac
ceibavar" - "He Who especially elevates those who worship Him
exclusively".  

The superiority of His exclusive devotees derives from the fact that
these are the ones who seek the best of all blessings - moksham, to the
exclusion of all other worldly benefits.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

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