VISHNU SAHASRANAAM

312. Nahushah -The term “Nahanmn” means bondage, therefore, the term stands for “One who is familiar with bondages,” ln Vedanta, the word ‘Isvarah’ is the Supreme Consciousness conditioned by the total- Causal-Body (Maayaa); at the same time, Isvara is One who has the Maayaa under His control, It can also be understood as “One who bind, all creatures of the world with the cord of Maayaa.” Those who are students of the Puranas interpret this word as One whose glory was expressed in the spectacular magnificence in Nahushah, who gained the Office of Indra.

313. Vrishah -There is a famous statement in the Hindu tradition from which we can gather that the Lord is of the nature of Dharma. Dharma means the essential Law of Being, that because of which an individual is an individual, without which the individual cannot exist, is the Dharma of the individual. In this sense, the essential Dharma of one is the Self. Thus, Vrishah is but another name to suggest that the Lord Vishnu is none other than the Self in us. It can also mean “One who showers the fulfilment of all desires in all devotees.” Desires arise when the existing Vaasanaas get impatient and explode into manifestation. As the desire arises, the mind plans out and the body acts towards its fulfilment. All these activities are possible only when the vehicles are thrilled by the Self in us. Thus, ultimately, one who fulfils all desires is the Lord of our heart, the Atman.

314. Krodhahaa -One who destroys anger in all sincere seekers. We have already found earlier that anger manifests when fulfilment of a deep desire is obstructed. On realising the Lord, all desires end and, therefore, there cannot be any anger on any occasion. Also, anger can come only when we recognise the world of plurality around us. For one who is experiencing the Self, there is nothing but the One Self everywhere and, therefore, there is no occasion to entertain this emotion of anger.

315. Krodha-krit-kartaa –One who generates in a sincere and serious seeker anger against the lower tendencies when they manifest-”Krodha-krit”. Also He is the very creative impulse ‘Kartaa’ behind the lower tendencies; because all things come out from Him alone. Some commentators consider this term as two different words, but the majority consider them as an integrated one.

316. Visvabaahuh -One who has number of hands; whose hands are everywhere doing all activities in the universe. The life in the bosom as long as it exists, so long alone the hands and the legs function. The hands can lift and do its job only when it is in contact with life. Life expressing through the hand is its function. All hands that are doing variegater activities all over the world are all His hands in-as- much as, where He is not, that lifeless hand can perform no more any activity. Since He is thus the dynamic One Principle that functions through all hands at work, He is called a Visvabaahuh.

317. Maheedharah -One who is the Substratum and support for the Earth. The Lord is the very material cause for the universe and as such, He supports the world-just as cotton supports the cloth, mud supports the pot, gold supports the ornament. Since the term Mahee also means “the adorations sent up by the devotees,” it can also mean ‘One who receives all the worship of devoted hearts.’

Stanza 35

achyutuh prathitah praanah praanado vaasavaanujah
apaam nidhiradhishthaanam apramattah pratishthitah

318. Achyutah -One who has not got any modifications (Chyutam) such as birth, growth, decay, disease, death etc. The Eternal and Immutable cannot have any change and the Self being the Eternal, it cannot have any of the changes that are natural to all mortal and finite things, Upanishads themselves thunder this Truth-“Eternal, Auspicious and Changeless”.

319. Prathitah  -One who exists pervading all; spreading Himself everywhere. It can also mean “One whose glory, as described in the Upanishads, has spread round the world everywhere.”

320. Praanah -All manifested expressions of life are called as the Praana. He is the Praana in all-living creatures; meaning, it is His manifestations that we recognise as the endless activities in all living creatures in this dynamic world. Also it can mean that “He is the One who in the form of vital-air, sustains life in all creatures.”

321 Praanadah –One who gives strength (Praana) to everywhere The root ‘da’ has a meaning of destruction and, therefore, the term comprehends also the power of destruction everywhere According to the Puranas, therefore, He is the One who gives the strength and glory for Devas, and again, He is the One who supplies special strength to them to win over the brutal forces of the diabolically wicked, the Asuras Subjectively, it is the Self that supplies the mental strength for cultivating the higher values of life, and it is the same Source Divine that floods the seekers heart with the courage to annihilate the lower impulses that come to destroy his peace and tranquillity within

322. Vaasavaanujah -the brother of the Indra. This name has been acquired by lord Vishnu because of  his incarnation as the Adorable Dwarf-(Vaamana). At that time, the Lord had to take birth in the womb of Aditi and manifest as the younger brother of Indra. In the subjective science of Vedanta, the king of the gods (Indra) is the Lord of the sense organs and so he is the Mind. The spiritual urge that dawns in us as a younger brother of the Mind, ultimately comes to measure away and win over the three worlds of waking, dream and deep-sleep, and thus comes to conquer over the entire kingdom of Indra in more sense than one.

323. Apaam-nidhih  -Treasure of waters, meaning the ocean. The very glory and might of the oceans are all but a reflection of Sri Narayana’s own glory divine. In the Geeta, Bhagavan Himself says, “among the collections of waters, I am the Ocean.”

324. Adhishthaanam - the substratum for the entire universe. The delusory misconceptions can be projected only upon something that is real and this permanent ‘post’ is called the ‘substratum’ for the desulory ‘Gost’-Vision.

325. Apramattah -One who has no Pramaada, meaning, ‘One who never commits a mistake in judgement.” The Lord is the Law behind all happenings in the universe. The results of the actions are always strictly according to the quality of the actions. In administering this Law of Karma, One who never makes any mistake is Apramattah. We are full of Pramaada -we make the mistake of misunderstanding ourselves to be the matter equipment around us and due to this Pramaada, we project in ourselves the false concept of an Ego The Supreme is ever the Pure Consciousness and, therefore, He is without such wrong self-judgement.

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30-40      Rituals Home