~~VISHNU SAHASRANAMA WITH ITS MEANING~~

[Ramesh Ramnani]

09.01.2006

(66) Praanah -That which sustains is Praana and that which has got Praana functioning in it is called a Praanee. Since the Lord is termed as this very same Praana, it means by its suggestion that He is One who ever lives. The Immortal and the Eternal is Praanah.

The term can also mean that which gives Life-impulse even to the air; the capacity to sustain life in the atmosphere flows from Him alone.  

In the Kenopanishad we read the Supreme ‘Defined’ as the “Praana of Praanas” (Praanasya Praanah).

(67) Jyeshthah -Older than all. The Infinite is That which was even before the very concept of space (Aakaasa) came into existence. The term is the superlative degree of the Aged. In short, the import of this term is the same as the more familiar term used in our sastras, the Ancient (Sanaatanah).

(68) Sreshthah -The most Glorious One: Here again it is the superlative degree of glorious, Sreyah.

(69) Prajaapatih -The Lord (Pati) of all living creatures (Prajaah) .The term Prajas means ‘Children’. Therefore Prajaapati means the Great Father, to whom all beings in the living kingdom are His own children, In this sense, the term connotes One, who, as the Creator, creates all creatures.

(70) Hiranyagarbhah -One who dwells in the womb (garbha) of the world (Hiranya). The Upanishad declares: “All these are in-dwelt by the Lord.” The “Golden Universe” is an idiom in Sanskrit where ‘gold’ means “objects of fulfilment and joy”. One who dwells in them all is Hiranyagarbhah. The term can also mean as He who, having become first the Creator, has come to he considered as the womb of all objects.

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71) Bhoogarbhah - One who is the very womb of the world (Bhooh) The One from whom the world has emerged out. In the Cosmic Form of the Lord, this world occupies an insignificant though sacred portion, just as the foetus in the womb, constantly and lovingly nurtured and nourished by the very Essence in the mother. Or, Bhooh = the earth: the divine consort of Hari: Garbha = Protector.  

(72) Maadhavah - The Lord of Maayaa, Spouse of Mahaalakshmee. Or, the term can signify the One who is ultimately experienced through a diligent practice of “Madhu technique”: the very famous Madhu Vidyaa of the Chandogya Upanishad. The term Maadhavah can also mean One who is the Silent (Mauni); who is ever the Non-interfering Observer, the Silent Witness of the physical, mental and intellectual activities in the realm of change. To put it in one word, He is the One whom the seeker experiences when he has stilled his mind which has been purified by Yoga practices.
   

(73) Madhusoodanah  - One who destroyed the great demon Madhu. The story of Vishnu destroying these two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, is a story of secret suggestions in Mahabharata. Madhu also means in Veda (Madhu=honey) as the fruits of actions (Karma-phala). Actions leave impressions and these sensuous Vaasanaas are destroyed by meditations on the Reality and so the Supreme gathers to Itself the name Madhusoodanah: “the Destroyer of Vaasanaas.”


(74) Eesvarah - One who is Omnipotent, and so has all powers in Him to the full. The manifested powers of Life express themselves in every intelligent man as the power of action in the body (Kriyaa Sakti), the power of desire in the mind (Icchaa Sakti) and the power of knowledge in the intellect (Jnaana Sakti). All these three powers are manifestations of Him, and since He is the One everywhere, He is the total mighty power-the Great Vishnu.


(75) Vikramee - One full of prowess (Vikrama), courage, daring. Or, it can be One who has “Special foot steps”. This term commemorates how the Lord, as Vamana, measured with His tiny three steps all the three worlds.





                                                 to be contd.....

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

10.01.2006

(76) Dhanvee -Lord Vishnu’s Divine Bow is called ‘Saarnga’ and it is described as the mightiest among the weapons. One who is having this Mighty Bow at all times is Dhanvee. It can also remind us of His incarnation as Sree Ramachandraji, when, in order to protect the world from the mighty Raakshasas of Lanka, He had to dedicate a substantial part of His life almost constantly wielding his bow: hence Sri Rama came to be known as Dhanushpaani; in His attitude of protection He is known as Kodandaraama. Thus, the term Dhanvee, the Wielder of the bow, is quite appropriate for Vishnu. “I am Sri Rama among the Wielders of the bow” –Geeta Ch.l0, St. 31.

(77) Medhaavee -Supremely intelligent; One who is capable of understanding everything. One who has the capacity to comprehend intellectually all that is happening around is called Medhaavee. Since Consciousness is the One Light in all living creatures, which illumines all intellects, and since Vishnu is this Infinite Consciousness, He is the One Knower, knowing all things, at all times, at once. Hence Sarasvati, the Goddess of Learning and Knowledge is described as the very tongue of Vishnu.

(78) Vikramah -While describing the term Vikramee (75) we had already explained the meaning contents of Vikrama, and thus Vikrama is an appellation that had come to Vishnu as a result of His Supernatural Act of measuring the universe with three steps.

Also, Vi means the “king-of-birds”, the white-necked eagle; Krama means steps and, therefore, ‘movement or travel’. In this sense Vikrama can mean: “One who rides on the white- eagle (mind) is Vishnu”-who is described as having Garuda for His vehicle (Vaahanam).

(79) Kramah -He who is All-Pervading is Kramah. Because of His All-Pervasiveness, the Infinite is called as Vishnu. That which goes beyond the frontiers of the known is the Supreme, and, therefore, in the description of Him, who has manifested as the Cosmos, we have in Purushasookta an indication that He not only pervades all that is known but “extends even beyond by ten digits” (Atyatishthat Dasaangulam).

(80) Anuttamah -One who is ‘incomparably Great’ in glory-Anuttamah. In the Sanskrit construction of the word, it means something more than what we have said; it means: ‘He is one, beyond whom there exists none who is greater than He (unexcelled). The Upanishad itself describes Him: In Geeta (XI-43) we read: “For Thy equal exists not, whence another superior to Thee?” In Sri Narayana Upanishad (12) we again read, “There is nothing above or below, equal to Him”.

[SS91]

81) Duraadharshah - One who cannot be attacked, stormed or beleaguered successfully. In short, He is All-Powerful. In the Puranas, we find Daityas and Asuras and others, mighty and powerful ones, become themselves helpless victims of His Power and come under His sway. To one who has realized the Infinite, the lower nature of the mind (Daityas) and the enchantments of the senses (Raakshasas) , are all helpless to overwhelm Him. “Rasopyasya Param Drishtvaa Nivartate” -Geeta Ch. 2, St. 59.


(82) Kritajnah -He who knows all that is done by all: the One Knower who knows all physical activities, all emotional feelings, and all intellectual thoughts and motives. He illumines them all, in all, at all times. Hence He is called Kritajna. Vishnu is the One who knows clearly the exact depth of sincerity, the true ardency of devotion, the real amount of purity in the bosom of all his devotees, and, accordingly, brings joy and bliss to their hearts.

(83) Kritih - The One, who is the very dynamism behind all activities. He is the Inevitability behind the result of actions. He is called Kritih because it is He who visits to bless the good and to punish the evil; in short; He is the One who rewards all our actions.

(84) Aatmavaan  -One who is the Self in all beings. In the Chandogya Upanishad (7.24.1) when the disciple asks, “Where does the Lord, the Infinite, stand established?” the Sruti answers, “In Its own glory established ever is the Self”-(Sve Mahimni Pratishthitah).

85) Suresah -The denizens of the Heavens are called in the Puranas as Suras. Eesa means the Lord; Suresa, therefore, indicates the God of gods, the Lord of the Suras. The gods are called as Suras because they are capable of blessing their devotees with a fulfilment of their desires. Therefore, Suresah means One who is the best among those who fulfil all the demands of their devotees (Suras). In short, He is the One who gives the Supreme State of Beatitude and the consequent total liberation from all desires of the ego.


 



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

11.01.2006

(86) Saranam -The Refuge for all who are suffering from the thraldom of imperfection in life. According to the Sanskrit Lexicon (Amarakosa), the term Saranam means ‘Protector’ and also ‘home’. Since the Lord is the Ultimate Goal, Saranam, He is also the “Destination”, the ‘Harbour’. The One Who realizes Him comes to live in Him.

He is the home to which the prodigal son (jeeva) ultimately returns. Not only for the men of Realization is He the Home, but for all creatures, movables and immovables, He is the Home, to which they all disappear to rest and to revive during Pralaya (Sleep).

(87) Sarma -One who is Himself the Infinite Bliss. Transcending the mind lie the shores of Bliss, beyond the waters of agitations. The Infinite is described in our Upanishads as the “Sacchidaananda”, ever of the same nature-“Saantam Sivam Sundaram”.

(88) Visvaretaah -Retas means ‘seed’; the term connotes that He is the seed from which the tree of life has sprung forth. He who is the very cause for the entire play of experience in the world of pluralistic objects (Sarva- Prapancha-Kaaranabhootah) is called Visvaretaah.

(89) Prajaabhavah -He from whom all living creatures (Prajaa) spring forth (Bhava) is known as Prajaabhavah.

(90) Ahah -Ahan has got two meanings: the 24-hour-day or the 12-hour day-time. He is of the nature of ‘day-time’ means “He is the One, ever effulgent and bright”; as bright as the daylight that illumines all objects around. In case we accept the other meaning, “the 24-hour-day”, then, a day being a unit of time, the term Ahan can also mean, “One who is of the nature of Time itself”. Also He is one who does not (a) ever destroy (han) the devotees who have surrendered themselves to Him.

 

[SS91]

(91) Samvatsarah - One who is of the nature of year-meaning One who is the Lord of Time; He, from whom the very ‘concept of Time’ rises.

(92) Vyaalah - One who is unapproachable. Vyaala also means ‘Serpent’; to those who have no devotion or understanding, God or Truth is as horrible and terrible as a ‘serpent’. Moreover, it is so difficult to grasp in our understanding that It is like a serpent: ever eluding, always slippery.

(93) Pratyayah  -One whose very nature is Knowledge. That the Supreme is Knowledge Absolute is very well known. It is in the light of Consciousness that all ‘know- ledges’ are possible. ‘Knowledge of a thing’ is the Awareness of its nature. Awareness is Knowledge. Since the Supreme is the One Awareness everywhere, all ‘Knowledges’ spring from the Self. Hence, He is called “the Pure Knowledge”. “Consciousness is Brahman” is one of the Mahaavaakyas.

(94) Sarvadarsanah -This term, “All-seeing” is very appropriate in as much as the Supreme Consciousness has been defined and indicated in the Kenopanishad as, “That which the eyes cannot see, but because of which the eyes see”. It is the Seer in the eyes, the Hearer in the ears, the Speaker, the Feeler and the Thinker”. And since this Principle of Consciousness is One everywhere, as expressed through the equipments, It is indeed the One Seer in all ‘seeing’, by everyone, everywhere. The Upanishad says:  and the Geeta indicates Him as “One who has eyes and heads everywhere”.

(95) Ajah -Unborn. Birth implies a modification; birth cannot be without the death of its previous condition. Since the Eternal and the Infinite, is ever Changeless there can be in It neither birth nor death. That which is born must necessarily die: -(Geeta Ch. 2, St. 27) and so, that which is unborn should be deathless (Amritah).

Rig Veda (1-81-5): “He was neither born nor is He going to be born.”

                                                  to be continued....


subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

12.01.2006

(96) Sarvesvarah -God of all gods or the Supreme Controller of all. In a sense it means the Almighty, the All-powerful. “He is the Lord of all,” says Brihad Upanishad (6-4-2).

(97) Siddhah  -One who has achieved all that has to be achieved, as He Himself is the Final Goal for all. Or the term can also mean “the most famous”.

(98) Siddhih -He who is available for recognition (Siddha) everywhere at all points in His nature as Pure Consciousness. Again, Siddhi also means the ‘fruit of action’, and in the context here this would-mean, “He who gives the Infinite fruit of Kaivalya, Moksha.” All other karmas can acquire for us only relative joys of the heavens, but in realizing the Self the seeker gains an ‘Infinite State from which there is no return’, so describes Geeta.

(99) Sarvaadih -One who is the very beginning (Aadi) of all; one who was in existence earlier than everything else. Even before effects arise, the Cause. The Infinite which was before creation and from which the created beings had emerged out, as an effect, is naturally the Primary Cause (Moola-Kaarana).

(100) Achyutah -Chyutah= Fallen; Achy utah: One who has never fallen: the Ever-Pure Reality which is never fallen into the misconceptions of Samsar: the Pure Knowledge in which ignorance has never come to pollute Its purity. Lord Himself says in Bhagavata, “I have never ever before fallen from my Real Nature; therefore, I am Achyutah”.

To be contd....

[SS91]

(101) Vrishaakapih - There is a lot of controversy among pundits upon the exact meaning of this term. But all controversies become meaningless when we read Bhagavan’s own words, “Since Kapi has a meaning the ‘boar’, and since vrisha has the meaning of ‘Dharma’ the great Kasyapa Prajapati says I am Vrishaakapih”.

In Sanskrit the term Kapi has a meaning: ‘that which saves one from drowning’. Lord in the form of the Great Boar, (Varaaha) in that incarnation, had lifted the world from the waters at the end of the deluge; the term vrisha means ‘Dharma’. One who thus lifts the world drowned in Adharma to the sunny fields of Dharma is vrishaakapih


(102) Ameyaatmaa - One who has His manifestations (Aatmaa) in Infinite varieties, almost unaccountable (Ameya), The Viraat Purusha of the Form of All-Lord of the Cosmic Form is suggested here. As all forms have risen from Him, exist in Him, and dissolve into Him alone, all forms are His own different forms.

(103) Sarva-yoga-vinissritah - Yoga is from Yuj ‘to join’; ‘to attach’, One who is totally free (vinissritah) from all contacts or attachments. Attachment to a thing is possible only when the object-of-attachment is other than the subject, In the One Infinite Reality there cannot be any attachment with anything, mainly because there is nothing here that is not the Infinite Itself. The Infinite is a Mass of Love; there is no attachment in It; for, attachment is Love with possessiveness and desire for gratification, “This Purusha is, indeed, unattached”, roars Brihad Upanishad (6-3-15), Lastly, the term, Sarva- Yoga- Vinissritah can also mean that He is beyond the reach of the various systems of Yogas taught in the Sastras. These systems are to quieten the mind, to end the misapprehensions-of- Truth, to annihilate the Maayaa, What is there left over in the seeker’s bosom is the Self-the Great Vishnu,

(104) Vasuh -The One who is the very support of all elements, and the One who Himself is the very Essence of the elements, This is something like the dream made up of our own mind; and the very same dream-world plays itself out, all the time sustained in the very same mind. Similarly, the Self indwells all and all dwell in the Self. In the Geeta we are told by the Lord, “I am among the Vasus the Paavakah”-(Geeta. Ch. 10, St. 23). Therefore, the Self exists like air-allowing everything to remain in it and sustaining everything by it.



(105) Vasumanaah - One who has a mind which is Supremely Pure; meaning a mind that has none of the sins of passions and pains; none of the storms of desires and jealousies; none of the quakes of likes and dislikes.  

                                    to be contd.....



 



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

13.01.2006

(106) Satyah - He is the Real. The term Satyam used in philosophy has a special connotation. That which remains the same in all the three periods of time is called Satyam. That which seemingly exists, but which never was nor shall ever be, is considered as a false delusion, A-satya. He who remains the same, before the creation, during the existence and even after the dissolution, is the Infinite Truth, Satyah. The Taittireeya Upanishad thunders that the Eternal Truth is “Truth, Knowledge, Bliss”: “Satyam, Jnaanam, Anantam Brahma” - Taittireeya Upanishad: 2-1.

We may here mention a couple of other meanings that are generally given to this term “The best among good people is Satyam. Again, the word Satyam is made up of three sounds -Sat-ti-yam -and, herein, according to the Upanishad itself, “Sat means praana, ti means food, Yam means sun;” therefore, Sat yam is the Law which orders the food to sustain the praana when both are blessed by the sources of all gross energies in the cosmos, the Sun.

(107) Samaatmaa - He wbo is equally in all. In Kathopanishad we read the declaration of Lord Death to Nachiketas how the same Truth has come to express itself differently from form to form. To visualize the Paramesvara who revels equally ill all, among the perishables and imperishables, is the Vision Divine. Kauseshika Upanishad (3-9) says, “One should understand that the Self is the same-in-all”. In the Geeta also is the declaration “I am the Seer in all the fields-of-experiences everywhere” -Geeta Ch. 13, St. 3).
(108) Sammitah - The term Sammatam means ‘acceptable’. The One. Truth, which has been proved and accepted by the Rishis In the Upanishads through subtle logic and philosophical reasoning, is called Sammatah. This is the most direct and very appealing meaning. But there are some who would interpret this portion of the Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu by combining Samaatmaa (107) and Sammitah (108) to form together a single ‘Name’, wherein the compound word would read Samaatma-asammitah. Here the term Asammitah then would come to mean “One who is incomparable, Inimitable (Atulya) who has none to equal Him”.

(109) Samah - Equal; the same. Truth remains the same. One Infinite Reality plays the game of plurality. As has been said in the Kathopanishad, “The One Principle of Fire having entered this world burns itself out differently according to the equipments upon which it is manifested”, so the One Truth manifests as the many Jeevas. Hence He is called the Samah. Also it can mean as One who is ever united, with (Sa) Lakshmi (Maa).

(110) Amoghah - Moghah means “useless fellow” (Nishphalah), “a disappointing power”. Amogha is the opposite of it: “Ever Useful”, “Ever the Fulfiller” of all the wishes and demands of His devotees. Chandogya Upanishad (8-1-5) declares: “Truthful is His wish, and Truth is His resolve”.

To be contd....

[SS91]

(111) Pundareekaakshah - One who can be contacted and fully experienced in the Heart Space (Pundareekam). In the Narayana Upanishad (10) we find the same term employed: “In the core of the body, in the Heart Space, dwells the Supreme.” In the ‘Heart’, the meditator can experience the Reality more readily and very clearly, and so the All- Pervading Reality is described as “dwelling in the Heart-cave”.

(112) Vrishakarmaa - Vrisha means Dharma. One whose every activity is righteous and who acts only to establish righteousness. “For the sake of establishing Dharma, I am born in every age”, says Lord -(Geeta Ch. 4, St. .

(113) Vrishaakritih -One who is of the form (Aakriti) of Dharma (Vrisha). It is not only that His actions are righteous but He is Himself Righteousness. It can also mean as One who takes different forms during His Divine Incarnations-all for maintaining the Rule of Dharma in the world.

(114) Rudrah - One who makes all people weep, At the time of death or during the total dissolution, the One who makes all weep is Rudrah. From a devotee’s standpoint the same term is interpreted as the One who liquidated all sorrows is Rudrah. Bhagavan declares Himself to be “Among the Rudras, I am Sankara –(Geeta Ch. 10, St. 23). According to the Vedic terminology there are 11 Rudras; this eleventh “Rudra” is called as Sankara: Sam-karoti-iti = Sankarah - “One who blesses all with Auspiciousness (Sam).”

(115) Bahusiraah - One who has many heads. The Purushasooktam of the Rig Veda describes the Cosmic Form of the Lord with a narration, “The Purusha of thousand heads, thousand eyes and thousand feet…….”  In Geeta a similar description of the Universal Form of the Lord is found in Chapter XI. Again in the Geeta Chapter XIII when the Lord was describing the Infinite Goal to be known (Jneyam), He describes It as “Everywhere legs, everywhere hands, every- where eyes, everywhere His face”.

Thus, He whose personal manifestations constitute the universe is known as “One who has many heads.”



                                                 to be contd.....

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

14.01.2006

(116) Babhruh -One who rules over the worlds. “Like a King” -Atmabodham gives this analogy .He in whose presence all the instruments of perception, feeling and knowing continue their coordinated activity is the Self, the Atman, who is Great Lord Vishnu.

(117) Visvayonih -One who is the Total Cause from which alone the entire world of experiences (visvam) has emerged out. The womb (yoni) from which thoughts and actions had risen is called Visvayonih.

(118) Suchisravaah  -One who has beautiful and efficient ears (Sravas): “Everywhere are His ears”-(Geeta Ch. 13, St. 13) meaning thereby He is the Hearer in all ears. The term Sravas not only means ears, but it also means “names” -so Suchisravas can mean ‘One who has Divine and Sacred names’. Thus, the devotee can invoke Him with thousands of His names when He can readily listen in and rightly understand the exact purity and the real depth of devotion in the devotee. Also the term can be used to indicate the One whose “names” are worthy of being heard by seekers.

(119) Amritah -One who is Immortal and Immutable. Mritam = dead. The Infinite is Ajarah, Amarah and Avyayah. It can also mean as One who is of the nature of Nectar (Amritam) -a sure cure for those who are suffering from malady of ignorance. Amritah also means Moksha; and thus it is indicated, He is the ever-liberated-the Pure State of Being.

(120) Saasvata-sthaanuh -One who is both permanent (Saasvatah) and irremovable (Sthaanuh). He is the One who remains Changeless, because Immortal; who remains the same in all periods of time, because permanent (Saasvatah); and who remains changeless in His nature or Consciousness (Sthaanuh). This is a single term (Saasvata-sthaanuh) and, therefore, we must add the meanings together- Permanent and Changeless; Permanently Changeless Factor in lire is Vishnu.

To be Contd....

[SS91]

(121) Vararohah - He who is the most Glorious (Vara) Destination (Aaroha). The Seat of the Self is the most Glorious because the imperfections of the world-of-matter (Prakriti) are not there in the Spirit (Purusha). Liberation from the thraldom of matter is the arrival of the Infinitude of the Self. “He never returns”, thunders the Chandogya Upanishad (8-15-1) three times in one and the same breath, assuring us that one who has reached the Seat of Vishnu, beyond the frontiers of the intellect, there is for him no more any return ever into the ego-centric life of tensions of sorrows.



(122) Mahaatapaah - One of great Tapas. The term tapas in Sanskrit has three meanings: ‘Knowledge’ (Jnaana), ‘Prosperity’ (Aisvarya) and also ‘Might’ (Prataapa). It is in the presence of Consciousness that we come to know all our experiences. ‘Conscious of’ a thing or an idea is the ‘Knowledge of’ the thing or the idea. That about which I am not conscious of, I have really no knowledge of it. All knowledges, of all bosoms, in all living creatures, everywhere, at all times, cannot be without the play of Consciousness upon the respective objects of knowledge, and hence this Consciousness is indicated in the Upanishads as Pure Knowledge, in the light of which alone all knowledges are possible. All achievements and prosperity (Aisvarya), all might and power of the living creatures can express themselves through them only when they are alive. This great truth is Maha Vishnu. “Whose Tapas is of the nature of Knowledge” (Mundaka- Upanishad. 1-1-9).

(123) Sarvagah – “He who has gone everywhere”, meaning “One who pervades everything”. The cause pervades its effect: gold in all ornaments; ocean in all waves; cotton in all cloth. The Infinite Consciousness Itself expresses as both world-of-matter (Kshetra) and the Knower-of-the-field (Kshetrajna). Vishnu, the Infinite is beyond these two (Uttamah Purushah) in whom there is no expression of matter and, there- fore, no ‘Knower’-hood. He is the All-Pervading Self, Maha Vishnu.
 

(124) Sarvavid-bhaanuh - One who is All- Knowing (Sarvavit) and Effulgent (Bhaanuh) .The Light of Consciousness is the “Light that illumines all lights” and it is again Consciousness that “illumines even darkness” -Geeta Ch.13, St.17. In the Mundaka Upanishad (4.10) also we read:  “By its Light alone it illumines all other experiences.” Sarvavit-Bhaanuh is one term: meaning that all Knowing Effulgent Consciousness.

(125) Vishvaksenah - He, while facing whom, even the mighty army of the gods retreat and scatter away, is called as Vishvaksenah. He is the Almighty and All-Powerful, and no army can stand against Him.


to be contd......



subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

15.01.2006

(126) Janaardanah -The term Ardayati is a verb meaning both ‘giving sorrow’ or ‘giving joy’. Thus, One who gives sorrow and disaster to the vicious, and who blesses with joy and peace to the good people is called Janaardanah.

(127) Vedah –The term Veda comes from the root vid: ‘to know’. Since Veda gives knowledge, the Lord is termed as Vedah, in the sense, that He is the One who gives the Knowledge of the Reality, because He is the very Reality. In Mahabharata, Vyasa says: “Krishna alone is All-vedas, All-sciences, All-techniques and All-dedicated Actions”. In the Bhagavad Geeta (Ch. 10, St.2) Lord says: “Out of mere compassion for them, I, abiding in their Self, destroy the darkness born of ignorance, by the luminous lamp of wisdom”.

(128) Vedavit –‘One who knows the veda’. The Lord alone is the One Experience without which the Vedas cannot be fully realized. The surest and the most exhaustive commentary of the Vedas is to be found only in a stilled mind, which is in communion with Vishnu, the Supreme Reality. Geeta (Ch. 15, St. 15) says, “I am the author of the Vedanta, as well as the Knower of the Vedas.”

(129) Avyangah -He who has no imperfections (Vyanga) anywhere in him- The All-Perfect. The term Vyanga also means person, and so A vyanga means One who cannot be known by anyone in any ‘personal-form’. Geeta plainly says “This great Reality is Imperceptible, Unthinkable, without any modifications”. -Geeta. Ch. 2, St. 25

(130) Vedaangah –One whose very limbs are the vedas. In Kenopanishad in the closing stanzas, the teacher insists that all knowledges are Its limbs.

To be contd...

[SS91]

(131) Vedavit – ‘One who contemplates upon the Veda is Vedavit’: (Vedam Vichaarayati=Vedavit). Mere word meaning cannot give us the true concept of the subtle theme discussed in the Vedas. Continuous reflection upon their declarations alone can reach us to the peaks of their imports. In the Geeta, Bhagavan Himself declares that He is not only the very Revealer of Vedas but He is at once the Knower of the Veda -Geeta Ch. 15, St. 15.

It is absolutely necessary that the student of the Vedas should try to understand the meaning of their declaration. To repeat the mantras parrot-like is not of any consequence: ‘He who has studied the Vedas but has not understood the meaning, but carries a load, as the ‘road-rest’ on the roadside.’ Thus He who constantly reflects upon the Veda, and naturally lives up to it, is the Great Lord.

(132) Kavih - The term Kavi in the Vedas means the ‘Seer’. One who experiences something more than the ordinary is called a Kavi. In the Isavasyopanishad ( we read: -“The Seer, the Intelligent....”  In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (5-7-23) we read: “There is no Seer except Him.”

In the Glory of the Lord, He confesses, in the Geeta, “among the Poets, I am Usanas, Sukra-Aachaarya”.

(133) Lokaadhyakshah – One who presides over all fields of experiences -all lokas. President is one who is responsible for the conduct of the assembly; he guides the discussion in a disciplined manner, and ultimately at the end of it all, he dissolves the meeting. All through the discussions he never interferes with the freedom of speech and action of the members, if they act within the agenda of the day. Similarly, the Lord presides over all the fields of activities, never interfering with the freedom of the individuals to act. “The Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the spectator, the permitter, the supporter, the enjoyer, the great Lord, and the Supreme Self.” From the Puranic standpoint the Lord in His Vaamana manifestation was installed as the king of the three worlds and, therefore, this name, say the Pauraanikas.

(134) Suraadhyakshah - The President of the Heavens to whom the Devas run for protection when they are threatened by their constant enemies -the Daityas and the Asuras. When in the Heaven of our bosom, the thought-angels are threatened by the negative tendencies and criminal purposes, He to whom the good in us surrender totally for sure protection and safety is Vishnu, the President within the bosom.

(135) Dharmaadhyakshah - Presiding over the activities of the living organisms, Consciousness revels, illumining both the good and the evil therein. The One Sacred factor that constantly thus illumines all the nature and functions (Dharma) of the body, mind and intellect is the Dharmaa- dhyakshah, Lord Vishnu.

TO BE CONTD...........

subhasrini
OM SAI SRI SAI JAYA JAYA SAI!!!
Let us pray at the feet of Sai Baba who is the incarnation of all gods and protector of all, to show mercy on us, and increase our devotion towards him.

[Ramesh Ramnani]

16.01.2006

(135) Dharmaadhyakshah -Presiding over the activities of the living organisms, Consciousness revels, illumining both the good and the evil therein. The One Sacred factor that constantly thus illumines all the nature and functions (Dharma) of the body, mind and intellect is the Dharmaa- dhyakshah, Lord Vishnu.

(136) Kritaakritah -Kritam = that which is done = that which is manifested or created Akritam, therefore, is that which has not manifested or become. The former (Kritam) indicates all the “effects” manifested out of the Creator’s activities, and the latter (Akritam) is the “cause” from which no manifestation has yet emerged -it is still unmanifest. The Self, the Atman, is the ‘Post’ -in the ghost-in-the-post example -upon which the cause and the effect, the unmanifest and the manifest, like the “ghost” apparently come to play (Kritam = Vyaktam, A-Kritam = A-Vyaktam).

(137) Chaturaatmaa -The Self is described as four-fold when we consider the Atman as the Glory (Vibhooti) of the Self. Thus, the Essential factors, with which alone the endless play of creation, sustenance and destruction can continue, are the glories of the Self (Aatma-Vibhooti). In Vishnu Purana, four distinct vibhooties of the Lord -when He functions as the creator, sustainer and destroyer -are found enumerated. From the standpoint of a Vedantic student, since in the Non-dual Reality there cannot be anything other than It- self, all the plays of the gross, the subtle and causal bodies, in the microcosm and in the macrocosm, are the glories (vibhooties) of the One Self. In the Absolute, in the Eternal, all these are transcended; these- the water, dreamer, deep-sleeper, the Tureeya -are all Its Glories. The Possessor of these Glories is the One that transcends even “Tureeya”; He is called as the Tureeyaateetah.

(138) Chaturvyoohah  -One who manifests into the four mighty powers (Vyooha). The Truth, that plays thus Himself in these four levels having apparently created the world of experiences, is Vishnu, the All-Pervading. According to the Vaishnava literature, for the purpose of creation, Maha Vishnu Himself became four mighty powers (Vyooha) and they were called Vaasudeva, Samkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. One who has Himself these four mighty powers, necessary for the conduct of plurality, is the Great Self, Maha Vishnu.

(139) Chatur-Damshtrah -The canine teeth fully developed in the upper and the lower rows, as in the case of carnivorous animals, are called in Sanskrit as Damshtraa. This is reminiscent of the Powerful Damshtraa of the Lord when He took the form of Nara-Simha to protect Prahlaada.

Also in the Puranas we find that the Great white Elephant of Indra, “ Airaavata,” has four tusks -He whose glory is the four-tusked Airaavata is Maha- Vishnu. To the student of the Upanishad, it is indeed very clear that these four ‘tusks’ or ‘teeth’ are nothing other than the four paadas which Mandukya thunders -”Chatushpaada”. The manifestation of the Might and Glory of the Supreme are the play of the waking, dream and deep-sleep conditions. With reference to these three, transcending them all, is the fourth plane-of-consciousness the Springboard for all these three. He, whose Glory are all these four grinding, crushing, fearful experiences of duality, is the One Non-dual Self, the Great Maha Vishnu.

(140) Chaturbhujah –“One who has four hands”. It is famous that Maha Vishnu has four hands and they carry the Conch, the Discus, the Mace, and the Lotus. According to the Puranas, these four are used by the Lord in maintaining Dharma among mankind. The ‘Conch’ calls man to the righteous path that directly leads to Peace and Perfection, the Divine Vishnupada. Very many of us in the enchantment of the immediate sense-joys refuse to listen to the small inner voice of conscience, the sound of the Paanchajanya-conch, and so He wields the ‘Mace’ and we come to suffer small calamities and tragic jerks in our smooth existence -communal, social or national. If still the individual is not listening to the call of the ‘Conch’, the wheel-of-time, Chakra annihilates the entire. The call and the punishment are all only to take man towards his Ultimate Goal, represented by the “Lotus” in His hand.

Subjectively Vishnu is the Self within, who manifests as the four-armed ‘subtle-body’ to serve as the Eesa of the gross physical structure, in all its actions and protect it with existence. The “Subtle-body” as the inner-equipment (Antah-Karana) functions as four mighty powers -mind, intellect, chit and ego. Chit is the ‘Lotus’, intellect is the ‘Conch’, ego is the ‘Mace’, and mind is the ‘Discus’. All these four are wielded by the One Infinite Blue-bodied Narayana, clothed in His ‘yellow garb’, manifesting to maintain and sustain the world of good and evil. Since the Self functions thus in a four-fold pattern, Vishnu has the appellation, “the four-armed Lord.”

To be Contd...