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Sri VishNu sahasranAmam - nAma 4 to 9.

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Krishnamachari, N. • July 1, 1997 


>----------
>From: 	Krishnamachari, N.
>Sent: 	Tuesday, July 01, 1997 9:47 AM
>To: 	'bhati list'
>Cc: 	'ihgpkrish'
>
>Dear Friends:
>
>I had tried to post the following message a few days back, but I did not see
>it appear in the bhakti mail.  I assume there has been some mail problem, and
>so am re-submitting it.  I hope it is not duplicated.
>
>-Dasan Krishnamacharyan.
>============.		
>
>	Sri VishNu SahasranAmam - nama 4 - 9.   .
>
>4.  bhUta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhu: - The Master of all things past, future, and
>present.
>
>	Nirukti - trikAla vartinAm seshi - The Lord of all things that exist in the
>past, present, and future.
>
>	From the srutis, we have  "bhUta-bhavya-bhavan-nAtha: kesava: kesi sUdhana:
>" - Kesava, the slayer of Kesi, the asura, is the Lord of past, future, and
>present.
>
>	The idea that BhagavAn is beyond the physical laws as we know them, such as
>the laws and constraints of time, can be inferred from this nAma.   In order
>for Him to be the Lord of all things past, future, and present, He existed
>before anything existed,  exists now, and will exist forever into the future.
>..
>Thus the well-known and established physical law that all living things come
>to an end does not apply to Him.  He is beginningless  and endless.  
>
>.	Sri Bhattar has explained that the nAmas 2, 3, and 4 elaborate the first
>nAma by indicating how the All-pervading vAsudeva is in everything living and
>non-living,  controls everything, and  is the Master of everything past,
>future, and present.  He now proceeds to explain the next 5 nAmas as further
>expanding  on this last aspect -  how He is the Master of all things past,
>future, and present.  We will see that this is so because he is the creator
>of all beings (nama 5), the supporter of all beings  (this nAma 6 seems to be
>  further elaborated by nAmas 8 and  9),   has existence independent of any
>other being and as the Lord or Director of all that exist (7), supports all
>that He has created by being their antaryAmi or inner soul (8), and supports
>by nourishing them and growing them (9).
>
>5. bhUta-krit - The creator of all beings.
>
>Sri Bhattar points out that this act of creation of is done by Him without
>dependence on anything external.
>
>	"sarvANi bhUtAni svatantra: srjati" - note the word svatantrata:
>
>	bhutAni karoti iti bhUtakrt - One who creates all the beings.
>
>	In BrhadAraNya upanishad - "sa visvakrt sa hi sarvasya kartA -  He is the
>creator of the Universe and all the beings in the Universe. 
>
>	"tvam kartA sarva bhUtAnAm" - You are the Creator of everything that exists
>- VishNu PurANa  1-4-15.
>.
>6.  bhUta-bhrt - The supporter of all things.
>
>	BhUtAni Bibharti iti bhUta-bhrt - One who supports all. (seems to be further
>elaborated by nAmas 8 and 9)
>
>	Sri Bhattar explains that this support is like that of the support at the
>center for a wheel and its spokes.   If this central support does not exist,
>the rest of the spokes and the wheel collapse.  Thus, one can think of this
>support as the responsibility for the existence of all the things that He
>creates.  This support is in the form of being the inner soul or atman of all
>beings (nAma 8 below), and as the One who nourishes and protects all beings
>(nAma 9 below).
>
>	Sri Radhakrishna Sastri in his work on Sri VishNu sahasranAma explains this
>support as that provided by Adi Kurma to support this universe, or by Sri
>VisNu as varAha mUrti when he retrieved and bore the world.
>
>	Sri Sankara interprets nAma 6 above as referring to the acts of creation or
>destruction ("bhUtani krtanti krNoti hinsti iti bhUta krt), and nAma 7 as
>referring to the act of sustenance, in the context of the three functions of
>creation, sustenance, and destruction.
>
>7.  bhAva: - He who exists with all the splendor 
>He who exists always, independent of anything else.
>
>	This nAma is derived from the root bhU  (bhavati - exists).  
>
>	Sri ChinmayAnanda gives the following derivation  "bhavati iti bhAva:"
>
>8.  bhUtAtma - The AtmA or soul of all beings - sarveshAm bhUtAnAm AtmA
>
>	All things are His body, and He is the soul of all things.  The soul enters
>the bodies, and directly controls and directs all their activities.
>
>	Sri Sankara gives the following reference from BrhadAraNya Upanishad:  esha
>ta AtmA antaryamyamrtah  (3.7.3) - The Lord is the soul, the antarYamI or
>inner ruler of all beings, and amrta or never ceasing to exist.    
>
>	Sri Chinmayananda gives the following reference from Kathopanishad:  "eko
>vasI sarva bhUtAntarArmA rUpam rUpam pratirUpo bahisca" -  The One Lord
>manifesting Himself as the souls of all beings who have different external
>forms.
>
>9.  bhUta-bhAvana: - One who nourishes and nurtures all beings that He
>created.
>
>	The key word that both Sri Bhattar and Sri Sankara use in their vyAkhyAnas
>for this nAma is vardhayati - makes them grow - the act of nourishing is
>emphasized.  
>
>Sri Bhattar's words are:  tAni dhAraka poshaka bhogyapradAnena vardhayati iti
>bhUta-bhAvanah - He is bhUta-bhAvana because He makes all things grow by
>bestowing on them things that sustain them, nourish them, and contribute to
>their enjoyment.  Sri Sankara bhAshya says:  bhUtAni bhAvayati janayati
>vardhayati iti vA bhUta-bhAvanah - He makes them shine (bhA - to shine),
>generates or invigorates, and makes them grow.
>
>	With this, we have concluded the first sloka out of the 107 slokas.  We
>notice that Sri Bhattar has beautifully brought out the continuity in the
>description between the 9 nAmas covered in this first sloka. 
>
>We will continue from nAma 10 in the next  write-up.
>
>-Dasan Krishnamacharyan
>
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