VISHNU SAHASRANAAM

243. Saadhuh -One, who functions strictly according to the righteous code of living is a Saadhuh Atman, the Self, is the Mighty Presence, which apparently lends intelligence and capacity to inert matter. The Supreme Saadhu is Vishnu Himself.

244. Jahnuh -leader of men; the One who leads all creatures along the path of an inexorable law-the law of action and reaction, the rhythm of Karma. Irresistibly, the good is led, by his own subjective disharmony, dashes to reach a hell made by himself for himself.

245. Naaraayanah -This simple sacred word has an endless number of direct and indirect meanings, imports and suggestions, and Vyasa seems to have explored almost all its possibilities.

1. The Shelter (Ayanam) for man (Nara) is Naaraayana.

2. The term Nara implies the ego-centric individuality and a large collection of them is called Naara and the One who is the sole refuge for the entire living creatures is called Naaraayanah.

3. Nara also means Eesvara and the elements (Tattvas) born out of Him are called Naara; and One who is the controller, the regulator, the very source of all Existence. in these very Tattvas is called Naaraayanah.

4. Naaraah also mean “waters”. According to the picture painted in the Puranas of the Deluge, wherein the names, and forms devolve themselves into their elemental waters, the Lord is objectively described as lying alone upon the waters, the Eternal baby, floating upon a banyan leaf. “Holding in His Lotus-hand His own Lotus-feet, and sucking His own toe with His Lotus-lips, the Lotus child resting playfully upon a banyan leaf, floating up on the waters of the Deluge-I meditate.”

It is in this sense, we find Manu interpreting the word “Naaraayana”. In the great devotional classic, Bhaagavatam, we find very many suggestions digged out of this sacred name; such as the ‘Self of all bodies’, “the Dynamic Force behind matter”, “the Witness of all good and bad”. All these indicate that Sri Narayana is nothing other than the Glory (Ayanam) of the Self.

246. Narah  -The Guide: One-who guides all creatures strictly according to their actions is none other than the Ancient (Sanaatana) Self.

Stanza 27

asankhyeyo-aprameyaatmaa
visishtah sishta-krit-suchih
siddhaarthah siddhasankalpah
siddhidah siddhisaadhanah.

247. Asankhyeyah -Sankhyaa means number; Asankhya=numberless. Asankhyeyah is one who has numberless names and forms. The infinite variety of things and beings that constitute the manifested Universe are all His Own Form, and hence He is indeed numberless, whom He expresses Himself as the Universe. In the 11th Chapter of Geeta, we see through Arjuna’s eyes the Cosmic Form of the Lord. Of boundless forms on every side with numberless arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes-neither end nor middle, nor beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe.

248. Aprameya-Atmaa -Prameya=Pramaana Vishaya-anything that can be known through any of the “Sources-of-knowledge”-direct or indirect. Atman, the Self, cannot be apprehended by the intellect through any of the known “Sources-of-Knowledge” (Pramaana) and so He is called as Aprameya. One who has this nature is the Self, Aprameya-Atmaa, Sri Narayana.

249. Visishtah -The One who transcends every- thing, in His Glory is the Supreme (Visishtah). Something that is other than the three bodies, something other than the five kosas, something definitely different from the finite world of perishable things is the Infinite Self-which cannot be defined in terms of either the waking or the dream or the sleep conditions. The Self is something other than all these:

 This Supreme-most Troth is Maha Vishnu.

250. Sishtakrit -One who governs; One who is the Law Maker and the Law that governs the universe. The goal of His administration is the protection of the good (Sishtah). Maha Vishnu is the Governor of all, and the Protector of the good.

251. Suchih -One who is Pure. The immaculate Reality which is never contaminated by the Maayaa and its by- products is Maha Vishnu. When dirt (Mala) exists upon anything, it becomes unclean. In the Absolute Oneness there can be nothing other than itself and therefore the Fourth-plane-of- Consciousness (Tureeyam) is indicated in our Scriptures as the Transcendental Ever-Pure Self, Sri Hari.

252. Siddhaarthah  -One who has gained all that has to be gained and achieved all that has to be achieved. That which has to be achieved in life during an individual’s existence have all been classified under four heads and they are called as the four “aims of life” (Purushaartha). Theyare Righteousness in conduct, (Dharma), Wealth and Possession (Artha), desires and ambitions (Kaama), liberation from imperfections (Moksha). One who has gained all these “four” have nothing more to gain as there cannot be any sense of imperfection in Him. One who has gained (Siddhah) all that has to be gained (Arthah) is Siddhaartha, Lord Vishnu.

253. Siddhasankalpah -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. Ordinarily we fail to gain what we demand because of the disintegration within ourselves. The Lord, the Perfect, is One who instantaneously gains all that He wishes; hence the Upanishads define Him as the Satya Sankalpavaan. This great Paramesvara of the Upanishads is the Maha Vishnu, the theme of the “Thousand Chants’ (Sahasranaama).

254. Siddhiddah -One who is the Giver of the appropriate reward for all actions, for those who are doing spiritual practices. Lord Narayana is the great Universal Power that brings about the reward for all actions.

255. Siddhi-Saadhanah -One who is the very secret force which enables the seeker to diligently continue all efforts of his seeking. Siddhi ordinarily means “fulfilment”, here it means all efforts at a given fulfilment. It is also interpreted by some as the One Mighty Reality, to worship at whose altar is the very means (Saadhana) for all achievements (Siddhi), and this is Sri Narayana.

vrishaahee vrishabho vishnur-vrishaparvaa vrishodarah
vardhano vardhamaanascha viviktah sruti-saagarah.

256. Vrishaahee -The term Vrishah is very familiar with the ritualistic portion of the Vedas and it connotes objectively the sacred “Left over” after the Yajna functions. Subjectively, Vrisha means the residual ‘results’ gathered in the personality after each devoted and dedicated act of offering, during all Self-less services (Yajnas). Therefore, Vrishaahee means “One who is a controller of all actions and the dispenser of all results”, in all individual, conscious, intelligent creatures.

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