Search:
Bhakti List Archives

FW: Sri VishNu sahasranAmam - nama 2.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Krishnamachari, N. • June 24, 1997 


>			Sri VishNu  SahasranAmam - Nama 2.                              				
>2.  VishNu:  - a) One who is all-pervading 
>b) One who has entered all sentient and non-sentient things and resides in
>them
>
>	This name can be derived from the root vish - to pervade, or from the root
>vis - to enter.   The first of the two meanings above can be understood based
>on the first  root, and the second one derives from the second root.  The
>latter is the same as the root from which the first name - visvam - was
>derived.  However,  the interpretation is different. The interpretation  here
>is that BhagavAn has entered  all beings - sentient and non-sentient, that He
>has created.
>  
>	For the first meaning above, the following supports are quoted from the
>srutis:
>
>	In Sri KrshNa's own words from ShAnti Parva in MahAbhArata, 							
>vyApte me rodasI pArtha kAntiscApadhikA sthitA | 
>kramaNaccApyaham pArtha! VishNuritabhisamgjnita:  ||
>
>	"As I have pervaded the horizons, my glory stands foremost, and as I have
>measured by my steps the three worlds, O Arjuna!  I am named VishNu".
>
>"vyApya sarvAn imAn lokAn sthitah sarvatra kesava:  |
> tatasca vishNu nAmAsi viserdhAto:  pravesanAt     ||
>
>	"Kesava exists everywhere having pervaded all these worlds.  Therefore His
>name is VishNu...".
>
>	The following corroborative segments are quoted in support of the second
>meaning above:
>
>vivesa bhUtAni carAcarANi - He entered all beings, movable and immovable
>
>tat srshtvA |  tadevAnuprAvisat - Having created it, He entered into the
>same.
>
>	Sri Sankara interprets the name as meaning that BhagavAn is unlimited by
>space, time, and substance, having pervaded the whole world externally and
>internally.
>
>	Nirukti gives the following summarization of Sri Bhattar's interpretation:
>
>"carAcareshu bhUteshu vesanAt vishNurucyate"  - 
>
>	Because He enters - permeates - everything sentient and non-sentient,
>movable and immovable, He is named VishNu".
>
>	Sri Surin, in his commentary on Amara Kosa, has given the following
>derivation for the word VishNu:
>
>	veveshti iti vishNu: - One who surrounds and envelop.
>This is dervied from the root word vesht - to srround (recall the word veshti
>in Tamil for dhoti, which surrounds!).
>
>	Between the first two nAmas, visvam and vishNu, the guNas of the Lord that
>have been described are that He is present everywhere and He is present in
>.everything.  Sri Bhattar has interpreted the first name as meaning that the
>Lord is present everywhere with His shAdguNya paripUrNatva, ans Sri Sankara
>has interpreted the second name as meaning that the Lord is present in
>everything unlimited by time, space, and substance.    Surely these are guNas
>of the para vAsudeva form of the Lord.  The first two names are among the
>most discussed names from the point of view of interpretation, and Sri
>Sankara in particular has given several other interpretations to these names,
>in particular to the first one.  
>
>	One interesting rhetorical question that has been raised is:  Given that the
>stotram is  called visNu sahasranAmam, why did Sri VyAsa not start the
>stotram as vishNur visvam vashatkAro, and instead chose to start it as visvam
>vishNur vashatkAro...?   It is to be inferred that visvam is the name that
>symbolizes the primary attribute of the para form as one of shAdguNya
>paripUrNatva, and vishnu and the following names then elaborate on the name
>or the guNa represented by the name visvam.	
>
>	For me, these first two names have been very difficult to grasp.  I am sure
>there is mention of some of these names in some of our AlvAr's pAsurams,
>where they have sung these names and described how they have enjoyed the Lord
>in the context of these names.  It will be extremely gratifying to hear these
>instances in parallel as we go along.  I invite our Bhakti group members to
>share their insights into these.
>
>-Dasan Krishnamachari
>
>
>
>