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SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 66 - Part 1.

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Narasimhan Krishnamachari • February 8, 2001 


			SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 66 - Part 1.

	svakshah sva'ngah SatAnando nandir_jyotir_gaNeSvarah    |
	vijitAtmA vidheyAtmA sat-kIrtih chinna-samSayah            ||

om svakshAya namah
om sva'ngAya namah
om SatAnandAya namah
om nandaye namah
om jyotir-gaNeSvarAya namah
om vijitAtmane namah
om vidheyAtmane namah
om satkIrtaye namah
om chinna-samSayAya namah

621. svakshah - The Beautiful-Eyed.

Om svakshAya namah.

The nAma can be understood by looking at the two parts which constitute
the word - su + akshah.  SrI Samkara's vyAkhyAnam is su - sobhane
puNDarIkAbhe akshiNi asya iti svakshah - He whose eyes resemble the
lotus-petals.  

SrI BhaTTar continues his anubhavam of seeing pirATTi and bhagavAn
together - his interpretation is that bhagavAn has these beautiful eyes
which are thoroughly proficient in the art of the enjoyment of the
nectarine ocean of Her beauty.  We may recall that the hue of
bhagavAn's kaDaik-kaN is described as reddish, and pirATTi's eyes are
dark-hued.  The anubhavam of this by our elders is that His kaDaik-kaN
(corner of the eye) is  reddish in color because He is always looking
at the beautiful reddish complexion of pirATTi through His side
glances, and Her eyes are dark because She is always enjoying the
beautiful dark complexion of bhagavAn.   She is "nArINAm uttamA vadhU"
(SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).   tiruppANAzhvAr describes the beauty of His eyes
- kariya Agip puDai parandu miLirndu Sevvari ODi ap-periavAya kaNgaL
ennaip pEdaimai SeidanavE". 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that bhagavAn is
svakshah because He views the whole universe seated in the Sun chariot,
and He is the eye of everything that exists.

622. sva'ngah - The Lovely-bodied.

Om sva'ngAya namah.

The interpretation is similar to the previous nAma - su + a'ngah =
sva'ngah.  Su - SobhanAni a'ngAni asya iti sva'nah - One whose limbs
are beautiful (SrI Samkara).  He has a beautiful form that captivates
all His devotees.  See the anubhavam of tiruppANAzhvAr, svAmi deSikan,
hanumAn, etc., referenced below.  

SrI BhaTTar'as anubhavam is that He has a celestial body that is worthy
of being admired by even lakshmi.  SrI Baladeva vidhyAbhUshaN echoes
the same anubhavam - lakshmI spRhaNIya divya SarIra dhArI.  BhagavAn's
soundaryam leads Her to declare "agalagillEn" (SrI v.v. rAmAnujan).  
In sundara kANDam, vAlmIki  gives a very detailed description of every
aspect of Lord rAma's beauty through 16 Sloka-s in hanumAn's words (35,
7-22).   We also have tiruppANazhvAr's beautiful description of Lord
ra'nganAtha's beauty in his amalanAdi pirAn.   His beauty just makes
AzhvAr just conclude his praise of the Lord with the declaration "en
amudianik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE".  svAmi deSikan describes
Lord ra'nganAtha's beauty in bhagavad dhyAna sopAnam and many other
stotra-s. 

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha derives his interpretation using the root agi -
gatau - to go, to move around, and gives the explanation - SobhanAni
a'ngAni - gamanAni yasya sa sva'ngah - He who has beautiful paths or
gaits is sva'ngah.  He gives the quote from Rg veda to support his
interpretation:

	agre bRhannushsAmUrdhvo asthAnnirjaganvAn tamaso jyotishAgAt    |
	agnirbhAnunA rushatA sva'nga A jAto viSvA sadmAnyaprAh   ||   (10.1.1)

"High hath the Mighty risen before the dawning, and come to us with
light from out of the darkness.  Fair-shapen agni with white-shining
splendor hath filled at birth all human beings" (translation from Ralph
Griffith).

Alternatively, since bhagavAn has created this Universe with beings
which all have the capability to move around and perform their
functions, He is called sva'ngah. 

623. SatAnandah -  He of infinite Bliss.

Om SatAnandAya namah.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is that He has boundless Bliss which is ever
flowing on account of the mutual love of pirATTi and bhagavAn.   SrI
v.v. rAmAnujan comments that the number "hundred" here does not mean
the number "100", but stands for the greatness of the extent of the
Bliss.  

SrI Samkara interprets the nAma in terms of  His being of the form of
Infinite Bliss, and quotes from the bRhadAraNya upanishad - etasyaiva
Anandasya anyAni bhUtAni mAtrAm upajIvanti  (4.3.32) - "Compared to His
Bliss, the bliss of all other beings is a but a minute fraction".

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains that Anandam is of different kinds at
the level of the different beings; man gets one type of Anandam, the
animal enjoys a different kind of Anandam, the deva-s yet a different
type, the Rshi-s a different type, etc.  Thus, the Anandam varies
depending on the enjoyer of Anandam.  The j~nAni who is disinterested
in worldly affairs derives the great Anandam that those who are
interested in worldly pleasures get only in bits and pieces.  All these
bits and pieces of Anandam that every creature derives is what flows
from Him who is the Supreme Bliss, SatAnandah.   SrI SAstri gives the
support from taittirIya upanishad 2.8 - te ye Satam mAnushAh, devAnAm,
indrasya, prajApateh AnandAh sa eko brahmaNa Anandah  |   Srotriyasya
cAkAmahatasya  |  

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives yet another view of the Infinite Bliss of
bhagavAn.  Other than Him, each creature feels pleasure when it is in
some particular environment, and feels pain when it is in a different
environment.  Thus, a fish feels pleasure when in water, and feels pain
when outside water.  For human beings, it is exactly the reverse.  For
birds, it is a different kind of medium.  But for Him, His Bliss in
independent of any constraint, and thus He is of Infinite Bliss.  The
Anandam of everything else flows from the One and Only source of true
Anandam - SatAnandah.

The dharma cakram writer explains the concept of pErAnandam starting
with the little Anandam of tge immobile (sthAvara) beings such as
plants, which derive their pleasure through the sense of touch alone. 
The worms derive their pleasure through the sense of touch and taste. 
Slightly more evolved beings such as the ants derive their pleasure
from the sense of touch, taste, and smell.   Beings such as the bees
derive their pleasure from the sense of touch, taste, smell, and sight.
 The animals derive their pleasure from the additional sense of
hearing.  Man derives his pleasure from the mind in addition.  Yet
ordinary people seek cheap material pleasures with all these gifts, and
end up enjoying the impermanent pleasures, just as  the fish enjoys its
sense of taste and falls prey to the fisherman's hook.  Only a true
yogi reaches the next level, that of AtmAnandam.  This nAma should
teach us to meditate of on the "SatAnanda" mantra on Him, and derive
the permanent Anandam.

624. nandih - He who is ever delighted.

Om nandaye namah.

nandati iti nandih - He who is delighted is nandih.

SrI BhaTTar:  He is nandi because He is ever prosperous by virtue of
His being with SrI at all times, at all places, and in all ways.  His
constant and inseparable association with SrI is the reason for His
constant delight.  

SrI Samkara:  paramAnanda vigraho nandih - One who is the embodiment of
Supreme Bliss.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri:  His Anandam is such that the humans and the
deva-s can look to Him to derive the true Anandam - He is the Bestower
of their true Anandam.   

625. jyotir-gaNeSvarah - a) The Lord of the host of lustrous deities
(nitya sUri-s).
		b) The Lord of the luminaries (the stars, sun, moon, etc.).

Om jyotir-gaNeSvarAya namah.

The simple meaning of the nAma is - He who is the leader of the
luminaries.  The difference in the vyAkhyAna-s centers around who the
luminaries are that is being referred to in the nAma.

a) SrI BhaTTar refers to the host of nitya-sUri-s like AdiSesha,
vishvaksena, etc.,  who are constantly at the service of bhagavAn and
pirATTi, and who are themselves lustrous.  He refers us to purusha
sUktam - marIcInAm padamicchanti vedhasah - "Wise men desire to attain
the world of the radiant souls", referring the world of nitya sUri-s as
the world of radiant souls.   MarIci here refers to those who are
radiant.  SrI v.v. rAmAnujan nicely translates "jyotir-gaNeSvarah" to
"ayarvaRum amarargaL adhipati" of nammAzhvAr.  The nitya sUri-s are
shining with the kaimkarya SrI to bhagavAn and pirATTi.  

b) SrI Samkara gives the same meaning, but interprets the term
"jyotir-gaNa" to the luminaries, namely the stars, the Sun, etc.  SrI
kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the derivation of the meaning - jyotishAm
- nakshatrANAm, gaNA iti jyotir-gaNAh; teshAm ISvara iti
jyotir-gaNeSvarah.  SrI Samkara gives the support from kaThopanishad - 

tameva bhAntam anubhAti sarvam tasya bhAsA sarvamidam vibhAti (2.2.14)
- When He shines, all the others shine after Him.  Everything here
shines by His effulgence";

and from the gItA - yadAtiya gatam tejah (15.12) - referring to the
brilliance which is in the sun.

The dharma cakram writer gives the analogy that just as a person who
does not have eyesight cannot see the light around him, one who does
not have j~nAnam will not be able to see the jyoti-gaNeSvarah residing
in him.  One has to first rid oneself of the darkness of kAma, krodha,
etc. in him, before one can see the light inside.  This is the lesson
to take form this mantra.

-To be continued.

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
   





 


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