Search:
Bhakti List Archives

SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 27.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Krishnamachari, N (Krish) • March 5, 1998 


		SrI vishNu sahasranAmam - Slokam 27.

	asankhyeyo'prameyAymA viSishTah SishTa-kric-chucih        |
	siddhArthah siddha-sankalpah siddhi-dah siddhi-sAdhanah    ||

Om asankhyeyAya namah
Om aprameyAtmane namah
Om viSisTAya namah
Om SishTa-kr*te namah
Om Sucaye namah
Om sidhdhArtAya namah
Om siddha-sankalpAya namah
Om siddhi-dAya namah
Om siddhi-sAdhanAya namah

248.  asankhyeyah - (One whose attributes, names, forms, etc. are)
Innumerable.

Om asankhyeyAya namah.

	sankhyA is number.  asankhyeya is One who cannot be quantified.  In
gItA, arjuna describes Lord kr*shNa as such - 

	aneka-bAhUdara vaktra netram paSyAmi tvAm sarvato'nanta rUpam       |
	nAntam na madhyam punas-tavAdim paSyAmi viSveSvara viSvarUpa    ||
(gItA 11.16)

	"O Lord of the Universe!  I see you with numberless arms, stomachs,
mouths, and eyes, of boundless forms on every side, and I do not see the
end or the middle or the beginning".  He is of infinite knowledge,
infinite bliss, infinite manifestations, immeasurable strength, etc.  

249.  aprameyAtmA - One who cannot be known through knowledge, direct or
indirect.

Om aprameyAya namah.

	SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation "pramANaih pramAtum
aSakyah aprameyah".  prameya is anything that can be known through
intellect.  aprameya is one whose nature cannot be grasped by any of the
existing means of knowledge.  We get an impression of an object by
seeing it with our eyes, and it is this vision of the color, shape, or
other attributes, or the smell etc., that gives us a feel for an object.
   BhagavAn is beyond our senses.   SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the
quote from yajurveda - na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahad-yaSah -
yajur. 31.3.  SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri points out the similarity between
this nAma and the nAma-s aprameyah (46) and  ameyAtmA (103, 181).

250.  viSishTah - He who is Superior.

Om viSishTAya namah.

	SrI Bhattar interprets this nAma as signifying that He is Superior
because He does not have to depend on anything else and He excels in
everything.  SrI Sankara gives the meaning that He transcends
everything.  The dharma cakram writer points out that superiority in
life is not achieved by just wealth, power and fame, but true
superiority results only when we develop bhakti to the Lord.  The other
superiorities do not give us the purity of mind.

251.  SishTa-kr*t - He who makes His devotees eminent.

Om SishTa-kr*te namah.

	Because of association with Him, He makes His devotees also superior.  

	An alternate interpretation given is that SishTa means discipline, good
manners.  In this sense, the previous nAma would mean that He is
viSishTa because He is of Supreme discipline, and the current nAma would
mean that He helps His devotees acquire this discipline through the
mental strength etc. needed for this.  SishTa also means Law, rules, or
commands.   The interpretation then becomes He is One who makes the Law,
One who commands, or One who protects (though the laws).  The greatest
and most significant of these commands is Love, through which
mahA-vishNu rules over us all, and this is the lesson to be derived from
this nAma (dharma cakram).

252.  Sucih - Pure.

Om Sucaye namah.

	This nAma occurred earlier (157).  His purity is such that association
with Him makes these devotees pure also.  He is pure by body, mind,
action, and all, and this is what makes Him viSishTa and SishTa-kr*t.
One commentator points out that He makes us shine consistent with our
devotion.  

	(dharma cakram) - Just as we clean our body to avoid diseases of the
body, we can develop cleanliness in our words through the chanting of
bhagavan-nAma, and we can develop and improve the cleanliness of our
thoughts through the control of the five senses, which are the means by
which we get our input to our thoughts from the external world.
Worshipping the Lord in the temple, listening to the sound of the bell
during the worship, observing the karpUra Arati, listening to the nAma
sankIrtana, listening to the bhajans, offering fragrant flowers to the
Lord, observing the beauty of His decorated mUrti, smelling the divine
fragrance of His presence in the temple, etc., are the different ways
that the five indriya-s are exposed to opportunities for cleansing
ourselves through these indriya-s.  Simultaneously, we should do
everything to constantly divert the mind from thoughts that are not
conducive to the service of SrIman nArAyaNa.  Deep meditation on the
Lord is one way to train our mind. The constant training of our body,
mind, word, and deed towards Him is the lesson we should take from this
nAma.

253.  siddhArthah - One who is in possession of all desirable things.

Om siddhArthAya namah.

	He already possesses all that is desirable in Him naturally and
effortlessly.  SrI Sankara gives the passage  "satyakAmah
satya-sankalpah" in chAdogya upanishad (8.1) in support of this and the
next nAma.  SrI cinmayAnanda points out that this name signifies that
bhagavAn has already the four purushArtha-s (dharma, artha, kAma, and
moksha) that are the object of attainment for mortals.  He has attained
(siddha) all that is to be attained (artha).

254.  siddha-sankalpah - One whose wishes are always fulfilled.

Om siddha-sankalpAya namah.

	One whose wishes are fulfilled at the very instance He wishes.
Sankalpa means intellectual willing and wishing.  One who gains all that
He wishes for, or One who immediately gains what He wills is called
siddha-sankalpah.  The reference in chAndogya upanishad (see previous
nAma) conveys the same idea.  Examples in dharma cakram for His being a
siddha sankalpah are the decision to make sugrIva and vibhIshaNa the
kings of their respective kingdoms, the destruction of vAli, the
sankalpam to fulfill daSaratha's promise to kaikeyi, etc.  The devotion
to mahA-vishNu makes the devotees equally capable of fulfilling their
sankalpa-s with His help.  Thus, bhIshma made Lord kr*shNa carry arms in
the battle of mahA-bhArata (thereby Lord kr*shNa proved that He is the
servant of His devotee, and will fulfill whatever they wish, even if it
involved His breaking His vow not to carry arms),and hanumAn fulfilled
his  sankalpa to find sItA pirAtti.  The way we become siddha sankalpa-s
is to entrust ourselves completely in His care, and He takes care of the
rest for us, since whatever we wish will then be for the cause of
dharma.

255.  siddhi-dah - The bestower of siddhi-s or super-human powers.

Om siddhi-dAya namah.

	There are eight siddhi-s or powers that can be acquired by yogi-s who
meditate on Him.  These are aNimA (the ability to assume the size of an
atom), mahimA (the ability to assume a very huge size), laghimA (to make
the body weightless like a cotton ball), garimA (to assume heavy weight
like an iron mass), prApti (to obtain anything desired), prAkAmyam (to
attain any desired bhoga), ISitvam (to be able to assume rulership or
Lordship over anything or anyone), and vaSitvam (to get anyone to be
under one's control).

SrI Sankara interprets the nAma to mean that He provides benefits or
fulfillment according to our action.  

256.  siddhi-sAdhanah - One who makes the means for siddhi as pleasant
as the fruit itself.

  Om siddhi-sAdhanAya namah.

	siddheh sAdhakatvAt siddhi-sAdhanah.  He is the promoter of
achievements.  He is the very secret force which enables the seeker to
diligently continue all efforts of his seeking.  He is the sAdhana or
means for all siddhi or fulfillment, in particular the moksha siddhi,
which no one else can help achieve except Sriman nArAyaNa.

	SrI rAdhAkr*shNa SAstri points out that the sequence "siddhArtah
siddha-sankalpah siddhi-dah siddhi-sAdhanah" is a great mantra by
itself, and chanting it will be very beneficial for fulfillment of our
endeavors without interruption when we undertake a good deed and work
towards attaining the desired goal.  The dharma cakram writer points out
that the goal that is attained  by chanting this mantra is the cleansing
of our minds from worldly thoughts, lust, etc., and concentrating the
mind towards thoughts about Him.  By chanting this mantra, He ensures
that we attain our goal.  

-dAsan kr*shNamAcAryan 


	



	 i