VISHNU SAHASRANAAM

Stanza 39

atulah sarabhah bheemah samayajno havirharih
sarvalakshanalakshanyah lakshmeevaan samitinjayah.

355. Atulah –“Incomparable.” For him whose name is the glory of the universe, there is no licence.” Again, Bhagavat Geeta says, “For Thy equal exists not, where is another superior to Thee in the three worlds ?” In short, there is nothing like Him, since He does not fall under the categories of the things perceived by the body or the emotions felt by the mind or the thoughts entertained by the intellect: nothing that we know of can be comparable with Him.

356. Sarabhah –“One who dwells and shines forth through the bodies.” Bodies are called Sara because they are perishable. The life that presides over the perishable body, whose glory is the individuality, is the Self, the Lord. It can also mean, “Lord, who is of the nature of Paramesvara,” for, Lord Siva had once taken the incarnation of Sarabha, a creature with eight legs, capable of killing even the lions.

357. Bheemah –“The All-inspiring, the Terrible,” meaning, One who is a mighty and terrible phenomena to those who are cruel and sensuous in the world. To the bad, the Lord is always a frightful power of vengeance, to follow them relentlessly as their doom.

Some commentators, due to the position of this word in the stanza, read it as a-bheemah, meaning thereby, “He who is the shelter” to those who are good.

358. Samayajnah –“Knower of all six systems of philosophy,” or it can mean “One who knows the exact time (samaya) for creation, preservation and destruction.” Or, it can also mean “One whose worship (Yajna) is nothing more than keeping an equal vision of the mind by the devotee” The great devotee Prahalada says, “to be equal in all conditions, is the worship of Achyuta.”

359. Havir-harih –“The receiver of all oblation.” He is the Lord of all Yajnas and as such, He is the One to whom the devotee offers his oblations, and He is the One who receives them in all dedicated activities. Bhagavat Geeta says, “I am indeed the enjoyer and also the Lord of all sacrifices.” The Lord is called Havis as He is worshipped through oblation.

Some commentators recognise in this term two different names of the Lord: ‘Havih’ and ‘Harih’. In this case, the former term, ‘Havih’ means “He who is invoked by everyone who performs the Yajnas.” The term Harih means “One who loots away all Vaasanaas (Paapa),” and consequently, “One who wipes away all expressions of Vaasanaas.”

360. Sarva-lakshana-lakshanyah –“Known through all methods of proofs,” meaning “He is the One Self that is ultimately proved by all scientific investigations and philosophical enquiries.” Whether it be through dualistic (dvaita) or through non-dualistic (advaita) philosophy, the Ultimate Truth experienced by the realised seeker, is this Great Vishnu.

361. Lakshmeevan –“The consort of Lakshmi.” He is the Spirit (Purusha) that thrills the entire world- of-matter (Prakriti). Matter thrilled with the spirit is the dynamic world that we see around. Thus, the manifested Lord is ever wedded to Lakshmi. Lakshmi also means Effulgent, and therefore, the Lord who is Ever-effulgent, meaning the Pure Consciousness, that illumines everything, is indeed Lakshmeevan.

362. Samitinjayah –“Ever-Victorious.” In the Puranas, we find the Lord ultimately wins in His battle with the unrighteous forces. He is the destroyer of all pains in the individuality of the devotees. Samiti as a word, has got the meaning-“Battle”.

Stanza 40

viksharo rohito maargo hetur daamodarah sahah
maheedharo mahaabhaago vegavaan-amitaasanah.

363. Viksharah -Ksharah means “decaying,” “that which is perishing”, and so Viksharah means “Imperishable”. Those who are meditating upon the Lord in His un-manifested State of Glory, this term is very often used. All material things are conditioned by time and all objects are, therefore, perishable. The Lord, the Self, is the Subject and is, therefore, ever Unchanging and always Imperishable.

364. Rohitah -The term ‘Rohita’ means fish, and this name has come to indicate Lord Vishnu because of His first incarnation as the Fish. When the entire world was submerged in the waters of the deluge, the only living creatures that were available at that time could only be fishes. Lord could incarnate at that time only in the form of the Fish. Therefore, here the term means “One who had manifested to serve the living creatures as the Fish among the fishes.”

365. Maargah –“The Path.” In order to realise the Highest which is the Nameless and Formless, human mind will have to first hold on to a divine form, and that is Lord Vishnu. He is the Way and the Goal. In short, “He is the One whom seekers of the Highest meditate upon in order to reach the Supreme.”

366. Hetuh –“The Cause”. One who is the cause for the whole universe. He is at once the material-cause (Upaadaana Kaarana), the instrumental-cause (Nimitta Kaarana) and He who alone is also the efficient-cause in the creation of this universe. Hence, He is called The Cause.

367. Daamodarah –This term has come to indicate the Lord because, He is One who is known through a mind which is purified (Udara) by means of self-control (dama) and such other qualities. According to Mahabharata, “We call Him as Daamodara as He is known by means of Dama.”

Brahmapurana re-capitulates the incident in the early childhood of the Lord when He was tied with a cord (daama) round His waste (udara). This term can also mean “One in whose bosom rests the whole universe.”

368. Sahah –“All enduring”. The Lord is One who has patience at everything, and is One who readily forgives all the defaults of His sincere devotees.

369. Maheedharah –“The Supporter or the Bearer of the Earth”. Since He is the very essence in the universe as its material-cause, He is the One who supports all forms in the universe. The Lord supports the world, just as gold ‘supports’ the ornaments, the cotton ‘supports’ the cloth, the ocean ‘supports’ the waves.

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