"Lord Hari, the Only object of eternal enjoyment" -- Sri Parasara Bhattar

Lord Hari, the paramAtmA

Thus far, we have seen the glories of the great Lord Hari-Vishnu-Narayana thus: According to the Eternal Vedic Religion, He is the eternal Lord of the Universe, who is also very generous and accessible to His devotees, and He is the Supreme Lord of the eternal Vedic Scriptures.

One may now ask "What is the use of knowing all this? How am I going to be benefited? Let your Lord grace you folks as he pleases. Why should I care at all?" Acharya Sri Parasara Bhattar exactly addresses these questions in the introductory portion of the bhagavad-guNa-darpaNa commentary to the shrI viSNu sahasranAma stotra. In this post, I will simply transcribe the English translation of this portion written by the late Sri Uttamur Viraraghavacharya Swami. Before that, let us fill our eyes with the divine image of Sri Parasara Bhattar, and also fill our minds with the contemplation of the verse in praise of this Acharya, and then next to that Sri Bhattar's own answer, in English --

Sri Parasara Bhattar

shrI parAshara bhaTTAryaH shri ra"ngesha purohitaH      | 

shrIvatsA"nka sutaH shrImAn shreyase me-astu bhUyase   ||

[May Sri Parasara Bhattar, the son of shrI shrIvatsA"nka (a.k.a. kUresha or kUrattAlvAn), who has superior wealth of knowledge, and serving as the PurOhithar for Lord RanganAtha bless me with all auspiciousness!]

We see in this world that any intelligent person, after having gained some knowledge of the objects of human pursuit through the sources of knowledge (such as perception, inference etc.), desires to enjoy the good things of life like flowers, sandal, gold, etc., to eschew things like knife, thorns, etc., which are unpleasant, and is indifferent to neutral things like a log of wood or stone or mud. Of these, the two puruSArthas (objects desired by men) known as artha and kAma (wealth and pleasures) are experienced by means of actual direct perception and inference. They are to be given up, because they are associated with innumerable imperfections like the following: They (1) are petty, (2) lead to harmful consequences, (3) are disgusting, (4) are evanescent, (5) are mixed with distressful things, and (6) are not even easily obtainable. On the other hand, (the other two primary objects of human pursuit) dharma (virtue) and paratattva (salvation) can be learnt only from scriptures. They are opposed to the other two puruSArthas (i.e., artha and kAma) and are full of beneficent qualities. Therefore, the shAstras (scriptures and works of religious authority) and their teachings are to be preferred. As is proclaimed with one voice by those learned in the itihAsa-s (epic history) and the purANa-s: 

satyaM satyaM punaH satyam-uddhRtya bhujamucyate  |
vedashAstrAt-paraM nAsti  na daivaM keshavAt-param  ||  

(mahAbhArata:harivaMsha-parva:sheshadharma-parva, 2-15)

[Truth, this is the Truth, and again this is the Truth. This is proclaimed with hands uplifted-- "No shAstra (authority) is higher than the Vedas, no God higher than keshava"]

- Sri Parasara Bhattar in the introductory portion of bhagavad-guNa-darpaNa

  

  

 Sri Bhattar recounts here a famous statement of Bhagavan Veda Vyasa in the Mahabharata that Lord Narayana, who is known by the appellation keshava, is the Highest of all Lords, and is the greatest object of pursuit. All other material pursuits are to be given up, as they lead to results that are impermanent (ephemeral) and mixed with pain, and even the process of obtaining these material desires involve huge pain. Let us then bow down to the lotus feet of Sri Parasara Bhattar and other great Acharyas so that we may ever be involved in contemplating on the Lord alone, who is the only eternal object of enjoyment.

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The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana: Part 3 -- From the Narayaneeyam

In a previous post, we have learned a little bit about the Narayaneeyam, a devotional work by Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, a 16th Century Keralite scholar. The following verses firmly establish Sri Bhattathiri's conviction that Lord Narayana is the Supreme One:

Narayaneeyam, 82-9:

muhustAvacchakraM varuNamajayo nandaharaNe

yamaM bAlAnItau davadahana pAne(a)nila sakham |
vidhiM vatsasteye girishamiha bANasya samare
vibho vishvotkarSI tadayamavatAro jayati te ||

[Thy repeated victories over Indra, over Varuna (when Nandagopa was kidnapped by him while bathing), over Yama (by reclaiming from him the son of Thy preceptor, Sandeepani), over Agni (by Thy devouring the wild forest fire), over Brahma (when he stole the calves) and over Siva here in the battle with Bana, O Lord, amply prove that this avatAra of Thine as Krishna surpasses all other avatAra-s and is most superior.]

Narayaneeyam, 90-1:

vRka bhRgu muni mohinyambarIShaadi vRtteSu
ayi tava hi mahattvaM sarvasharvAdi jaitram |
sthitamiha paramAtman niSkalArvAgabhinnaM
kimapi tadavabhAtaM taddhi rUpaM tavaiva ||

[O Supreme Being ! From the episodes of Vrikasura, Sage Bhrigu, the Mohini incarnation, King Ambarisha and others, it is here firmly established that Thy glory is superior to, and transcends, that of Siva and all other deva-s. Thou art none other than the Nishkala Supreme Brahman, as also all the Sakala forms, and art that Indefinable One who doth shine as the essence of all.]

Sri Madhusudana Saraswati expounds on this further in his Gudhartha Dipika, in his commentary to verse 7-24 of the Bhagavad Gita:

"nanu janma-kAle(a)pi sarva-yogi-dhyeyaM shrIvaikuṇṭhasthaM-aishvarameva rUpaM-AvirbhAvitavati saMprati ca shrIvatsa-kaustubha-vanamAlA-kirITa-kuNDalAdi-divya-upakaraNashAlini kambu-kamala-kaumodakI-cakra-varadhAri-caturbhuje shrImad-vainateyavAhane nikhila-sura-loka-saMpAdita-rAjarAjeshvara-abhiSekAdi-mahAvaibhave sarva-surAsura-jetari vividha-divyaliilA-vilAsashIle sarva-avatArashiromaNau sAkSAd-vaikuNTha-nAyake nikhilaloka-duHkha-nistArAya bhuvamavatIrNe viri~nci-prapa~nca-asaMbhavi-niratishaya-saundaryasAra-sarvasvamUrtau bAlaliilA-vimohita-vidhAtari taraNi-kiraNojjvalavyapItAmbare nirupamashyAmasundare karadIkRta-pArijAtArtha-parAjita-purandare bANayuddha-vijita-shashA^nkashekhare samasta-surAsura-vijayi-naraka-prabhRti-mahAdaiteya-prakara-prANa-paryanta-sarva-svahAriNi shrIdAmAdi-parama-ra^nka-mahAvaibhava-kAriNi SoDasha-sahasra-divya-rUpadhAriNya-parimeya-guNagarimaNi mahAmahimani nArada-mArkraNDeyAdi-mahAmunigaNastute tvayi katham-avivekino(a)pi manuSya-buddhir-jIvabuddhir-veti?"

[Well, with regard to you who even at the time of Your birth had manifested that Divine Form itself which exists in the holy Vaikuntha, and which is an object of meditation for the yogis, and who at present possesses charming adorations such as the Srivatsa, the Kaustubha, a garland of flowers etc. reaching up to the feet, a crown, earrings, etc., who have four hands holding a conch, a lotus, the (mace called) Kaumodaki and an excellent discus, who have the graceful Vainateya (Garuda) as your carrier, who are possessed of the great glory of having been coronated as the Supreme King of kings by the entire heavenly world, who have conquered all the devas (celestial beings) and asuras (demons), who like to remain engaged in various divine sports, who are the crest-jewel of all avatAra-s, who are none other than the Lord of Vaikuntha, who have descended on the earth to help all people get rid of their sorrows, who are the embodiment of all that constitutes the essence of the unsurpassable beauty that is not to be found in the creation of Brahma, who outwitted Brahma by the divine sport of your childhood, who wear a dazzling yellow garment as bright as the rays of the sun, who are incomparably dark and charming, who defeated Indra to make him offer the Parijata tree as a tribute, who defeated Siva while fighting Bana, who took away everything including the lives of mighty demons such as Naraka and others who had defeated all the devas and asuras, who made an extremely poor person like Sudama greatly opulent, who had assumed sixteen thousand divine forms, who are endowed with virtues the excellence of which is immeasurable, who are possessed of great fame, and who are prayed to by the great sages such as Narada, Markandeya and others, how can even the non-discriminating persons have the idea that You are a human being or a jiva?]


In another place, Sri Narayana Bhattathiri cites the incident where the devas and asuras were churning the ocean seeking the amRta (elixir), with the aid of none other than Lord Vishnu. Lakshmi, the eternal companion of the Lord in His Vaikuntha abode, manifested herself as one of the by-products during the course of churning. She examined all the onlookers one by one, and finally chose our Lord Sri Hari as her husband. Sri Bhattathiri says thus:

Narayaneeyam, 28-7:

girishadruhiNAdi sarvadevAn guNabhAjo(a)pyavimukta doSaleshAn |
avamRshya sadaiva sarvaramye nihitaa tvayyanayA(a)pi divyamAlA ||

[Knowing that all the others such as Brahma and Siva, though virtuous were still not blemishless, she offered the divine garland to Thee, who art the eternal embodiment of perfection and charm.]

It is worth noting here that in Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya, Sri Sankara explains the name "shrIpatiH" as follows: "amRtamathane sarvAn sura-asurAdIn vihAya shrIrenaM patitvena varayAmAseti shrIpatiH" [He who was chosen by Laksmi after she rejected all the other devas and asuras during the churning of the cosmic ocean for nectar].

Sri Bhattathiri further confirms this doctrine in the following verse belonging to the section describing the deliverence of the elephant Gajendra:

Narayaneeyam, 26-8:

shrRtvaa stotraM nirguNasthaM samastaM brahmeshAdyairnAhamityaprayAte |
sarvAtmA tvaM bhUri kAruNya vegAt tArkshyArUDhaH prekSitobhUH purastAt ||

[On hearing the entire hymn, describing the impersonal nature of the Universal Being, Brahma, Siva and others, knowing that it did not refer to them, did not come there. But Thou, who art all knowing, manifested before him, seated on Garuda, impelled by Thy flow of mercy.]

Hence, our Acharyas have repeatedly emphasized the point that the glory of Lord Narayana surpasses that of the other devas such as Brahma, Siva, Indra, and others.

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The Unassailable Glory of Lord Narayana -- Part 1: The Lord Extolled by the Vedas

The Veda, which forms the basis of sanAtana dharma (The Eternal Religion), is believed by all Astika-s (people who accept the authority of the Veda) to be unauthored (apauruSeya). It contains eternal truths which are not authored by anyone, human or even divine. All the great Acharyas of the different philosophical schools in sanAtana dharma concur on this one fact. Classified as Rg, yajuH, sAma, and atharva, and containing four sections (samhita-s, brAhmaNa-s, AraNyaka-s, and authentic upaniSad-s), all portions of the Veda are taken to be authentic in their entirety by all major philosophical schools, including advaita, vishiSTAdvaita, dvaita, and other schools of Vedanta. The Veda has been passed down from time immemorial, solely by the mode of rigorous study through listening, repeating, and chanting.

Students in a traditional Vedic school

Our great Lord Narayana is known as "vedAnta-vedya pratipAdyaH" which means "The Lord who is known from the eternal Vedic texts". Hari, one of the names of Lord Narayana, is uttered along with the divine praNava (the syllable "Om"), at the beginning and end of Vedic chants thus: "|| hariH om ||". This was mentioned by Kambar (kambanATTAlvAr in Tamil), the Tamil poet who sang Valmiki's Sanskrit Ramayana in beautiful Tamil, in the following invocatory verse at the beginning of his work:

"ஆதி அந்தம் அரி என யாவையும்
ஓதினார் அலகு இல்லன உள்ளன
வேதம் என்பன மெய்ந்நெறி நன்மையன்
பாதம் அல்லது பற்றிலர் பற்று இலார் "

Translation: Those great souls, who are devoid of selfish interests and therefore neutral, who chant the timeless and immeasurable Veda, beginning and ending it with "hariH om", do not put their faith in anything other than the tender feet of the One (i.e., Lord Vishnu or Narayana) who Himself is the truest way (to the highest human end, i.e., liberation) and is an ocean of auspicious qualities.


Let us enjoy the following passages from the commentaries of Sri Adi Sankara and other pUrvAcArya-s in his disciplic succession that confirm that it is none but Lord Narayana (known by various names such as Vishnu, vAsudeva, and Hari) alone who is to be known from the study of the Veda. We first take a look at the commentary to the Bhagavad Gita verse 15.15 and the commentaries to it:

sarvasya ca-ahaM hRdi sanniviSTo mattaH smRtirj~nAnamapohanaM ca |
vedaishca sarvairahameva vedyo vedantakRt-vedavit-eva ca-aham ||

(Bhagavad Gita 15.15)

In the above verse, Lord Narayana, in his Krishna form, teaches the following to Arjuna: "I am seated in the hearts of all beings. Memory, knowledge, as well as their loss come from Me. I alone am to be known from all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of Vedanta as well as its knower."

Sri Sankaracarya explains Lord Krishna's words here thus: "(Lord Krishna says): 'I am the Supreme Soul, the Paramatman to be known from all the Vedas. I alone am the originator of the Vedantic traditions, and it is I who know the Vedic teachings.' Thus, the majesty of the Lord, the Bhagavan who is known as 'Narayana' by name, are stated": vedaisca sarvair-ahameva paramAtmA vedyaH veditavyaH | vedantakRt vedAntArtha sampradAyakRt ityarthaH | vedavit vedArthavit eva ca aham | bhagavataH Ishvarasya nArAyaNAkhyasya vibhUtisaMkSepaH uktaH. Sri Anandagiri who wrote "glosses" (Tiika) to many of Sri Adi Sankara's works explains here that the statement of the Lord in the current verse removes any doubt that may linger in one's mind as to whether the Supreme Brahman extolled in the Vedas is different from Bhagavan Narayana: "vedavedyaM parambrahma bhagavato(a)nyAditi sha^nkAM vArayati -- vedairiti". Indeed, Sri Sankaracarya says in his commentary to the Bhagavad Gita thus:

"It (the Bhagavad Gita) expounds specially the nature of the Supreme Being and the Truth known as vAsudeva, the Para-brahman, who forms the subject of the discourse": paramArtha-tattvaM ca vAsudevAkhyaM parabrahma-abhideya-bhutaM visheSataH abhivyaj~nayad vishiSTa-prayojana-sambandha-abhideyavad gItA-shAstraM  (Introductory Chapter, Sri Sankara's bhagavadgItAbhASya).

"(Lord Krishna says) 'I, the Supreme Parabrahman known by name as vAsudeva, am the source of the whole world. From Me alone evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence and dissolution, action, effect, and enjoyment'": ahaM paraM brahma vAsudevAkhyaM sarvasya jagataH prabhava utpattiH | matta eva sthiti-nAsha-kriyA-phalopabhoga-lakSaNaM vikriyA-rUpaM sarvaM jagat pravartate |  (Sri Sankara's commentary to Bhagavad Gita, 10.8)

Moreover, in his commentary to the Kathopanisad verse 1.3.9, Sri Sankara says: "The statement here that 'He obtains The Supreme Abode of Vishnu' refers to entering the Supreme Abode and State of the all-pervading Brahman, the Supreme Soul, known by name as 'vAsudeva' ": tadviSNor vyApanashIlasya brahmaNaH paramAtmano vAsudevAkhyasya paramaM prakRSTaM padam sthAnam satattvaM-iti-etad asAvApnoti.

Echoing all the above points, Sri Anandagiri writes in his gloss to Sri Sankara's commentary (15.15) that Parabrahman cannot refer to anyone other than Bhagavan Sri vAsudeva -- "vedavedyaM parambrahma bhagavato(a)nyAditi sha^nkAM vArayati -- vedairiti".
 

The Lord as Sri Parthasarathy Perumal deity in the temple of Triplicane (Chennai, TN, India) - He is in His battlefield attire, ready to serve His devotee, Arjuna

Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati, in his magnum-opus "gUDhArthadIpika" (a glorious, independent commentary to the Bhagavad Gita) explains here (15.15) that even though the Vedas contain hymns to Indra and other devas, it is still only Bhagavan vAsudeva alone is to be known from the Vedas as He is the in-dwelling supersoul of all: "vedaishca sarvaih-indrAdi-devatA-prakAshaih-api ahameva vedyaH, sarvAtmatvAt". Sri Sarasvati then explains that Vedic passages such as --

"They call Agni as Indra, Mitra, and Varuna; they also say that He is the divine Garutman of beautiful wings. The sages speak of Him, who is one, in many ways; they call Him Agni, Yama, mAtarishvan."

(Atharva Veda, 9.10.28)

and "... for He is all the devas" (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.6) are to be understood in that way.

As if to reiterate all these, Sri Sankara explains as follows, in the Vishnusahasranama Bhashya:


"shabdasahaH" (# 912):

He (Vishnu) is known as "shabdasahaH" as He is the one who alone is proclaimed by all the Vedas unanimously: sarve vedastAtparyeNa tameva vadantIti shabdasahaH


"kathitaH" (# 848):

vedAdibhir-ayameka eva paratvena kathita kathita iti kathitaH | sarvairvedaiH kathita iti vA kathitaH | "sarve vedA yatpadamAmananti", "vedaishca sarvairahameva vedyaH", "vede rAmAyaNe puNye bhArate bharatarSabhaH! adau madye tathA cAnte viSNuH sarvatra gIyate" iti shruti-smRtyAdi-vacanebhyaH |

Translation:  He (Vishnu) is known as kathitaH since He alone is declared as supreme by the Veda and Vedic texts; or He who is described by all the Vedas. The following statements from the shruti (Vedas) and smRtis confirm this:

"All the Vedas describe His status.." (Kathopanishad 1.2.15),

"I alone am to be known from all the Vedas" (Bhagavad Gita 15.15),

"Vishnu is sung everywhere at the beginning, middle, and end of the Vedas, the holy rAmAyaNa and the mahAbhArata, O Best of the lineage of Bharata!" (Harivamsa, 3.132.95).

[Sri Taraka Brahmananda Sarasvati, in his gloss on Sri Sankara's Vishnusahasranama Bhashya, has explained some finer points in the above explanations.]



Govinda ("govindaH", #539):

The word "go" can be taken to mean "speech/words", and hence "govindaH" is one who is known through the "words", i.e., the words of the Vedanta. The Vishnutilaka text says, "You are known as Govinda as you are to be known through scriptural texts": gobhiH vANIbhiH vedyata iti vedAntavAkyairiti vA govindaH | 'gobhireva yato vedyo govindaH samudAhRta' iti viSNutilake |

The Lord is known only through the timeless Vedic statements. He cannot be known by experimentation and logical inference, as He is beyond what we can perceive. Moreover, the Vedic statements are unaothored. Any compromise on any of these points would lead to cyclic logic. This is also highlighted by Sri Sankara's explanation to the divine name "Govinda". Sri Amalananda Sarasvati was another Acharya who commented on Sri Sankara's works. In his work "vedAnta kalpataru" (a gloss on the "Bhamati", which is a sub-commentary to Sri Sankara's commentary on the Brahma Sutras), he explains this while refuting the views of Saivas, Pasupatas, and Vaiseshikas (in Sutra 2.2.37) by saluting Sri Hari thus:

"tat-sukha-advaitabodha-AtmsvabhAva haraye namaH |

vedAntaika pramANAya kutarkANAM abhUmaye ||"

Translation: "Salutations to Lord Hari, who is blissful, who is without a second, who is pure and transcendental by nature, who is inferred from the texts of the Vedanta alone, and who cannot be understood by those who rely solely on pointless argumentative means."

Yet another point relevant to this discussion: In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Sri Krishna says: "I am the sacred syllable Om (known as Pranava)in all the Vedas". (Bhagavad-Gita 7.8). Here Sri Sankara adds "In Me (Lord Krishna), who am that Pranava, all the Vedas are woven" (tasmin praNavabhute mayi sarve vedAH protAH). Closely related to this Gita verse are the following divine names occurring in the Vishnu Sahasranama:


"mantraH" (#280)

Sri Sankara explains in his commentary that the Lord is called "mantraH", which means "the sacred chant", as He exists as the Rg, yajuH, and sAma Vedas (RgyajussAma-lakSaNaH mantraH). Moreover, He is the one revealed in those sacred chants (mantra-bodhyatvAt-vA mantraH) - this is the second explanation given by Sri Sankara.


"praNavaH" (#957)

Sri Sankara explains this name as: "praNavo nAma paramAtmano vAcaka oMkAra tat-abheda-upacAreNa-ayaM praNavaH" meaning, "The Supreme syllable 'Om', the Pranava, denotes the Paramatman, the Supreme Soul. He is hence said to be verily the Pranava itself."

Thus, it is indeed Lord Narayana who is the object of all Vedic knowledge and meditation.

(to be continued)

REFERENCES:

[1] Free online viewer/downloads of (a) the Sanskrit original and English translations of of Sri Sankara's Bhagavad-Gita commentary, and (b) Sanskrit texts of Sri Anandagiri's and Sri Madhusudana Saraswati's commentaries for the same: see under this article.

[2] Sanskrit commentary and English translation of Sri Sankara's commentary are adopted from the book titled "Visnusahasranama - with the Bhasya of Sri Samkaracarya, translated into English in light of Sri Samkara's Bhasya" by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry, published by Adyar Library and Research centre (1980 edition).

[3] English translation of Sri Madhusudana Sarasvati's "Gudhartha Dipika" commentary to the Bhagavad-Gita can be bought online at this Amazon.com link.

[4] Relevant page from Sri Amalananda Sarasvati's Kalpataru can be viewed here.

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Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 2

This post is a continuation of the previous post. It analyzes further instances of the Lord's generosity or audAryam explained in the commentaries to Vishnu Sahasranama by Sri Adi Sankaracharya and Sri Parasara Bhatta.

[AS# 557, PB# 562] mahAmanaH:  Sri Parasara Bhattar explains this name as follows: "teSu agAdhodAravismRta manAH" which means "one who has a deep, generous, and broad mind (towards His devotees)."

[AS# 570, PB# 575] draviNapradaH:  Sri Sankara explains this as "draviNaM vA~nchitaM bhaktebhyaH pradAtIti" (One who bestows the objects desired by His devotees to them). Sri Bhattar's explanation goes as "samagraM shAstra-tad-artha-rUpa draviNaM pradAtIti", meaning "One who bestows the wealth in the form of shAstras (scriptures, lit. instructive books)." Here, we should recall similar statements by Sri Sankara in the introduction to his commentary on the Gita where the Acharya explains similarly that Lord Vishnu (Hari), the Supreme Lord of the Universe, came down to the earth in the form of Krishna, the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, to expound on the Vedic religion for the benefit of all Humans, out of His concern for our well-being. Continuing with his explanation of the Divine Name in the current discussion, Sri Bhattar asks us to recall the dhyAna shloka (invocatory verse) on sage Vyasa (who is none other than our Lord Sriman Narayana's avatar): 

vahnvai vAmahastena sarvashAstrArthasaMcayam           |

dakSiNena ca shAstrArthAnAdishaMshca yathAsthitAn     ||

Translation: Vyasa holds in his left hand the collection of all the shAstra-s and their
purport, and propounds by his right hand (the upadesha mudrA, i.e., hand-gesture indicating scriptural advice) the true import of all the shAstra-s.

[AS# 605, PB# 612] shrIdaH:  Sri Sankara says, "shrIyaM dadAti bhaktAnAmiti shrIdaH" - One who grants (dadAti) wealth (shrIH) to His devotees is known as shrIdaH.

[AS# 609, PB# 616] shrIvibhAvanaH:  Sri Sankara says that this name indicates the Lord's fairness in His act of distributing different kinds of wealth to all beings in accordance with their past karma-s (karmAnurUpeNa vividhAH shrIyaH sarvabhUtAnAM vibhAvayatIti shrIvibhAvanaH).


[AS# 611, PB# 618] shrIkaraH: Sri Sankara's commentary here is "smaratAM stuvatAM arcayatAM ca bhaktAnAM shriyaM karotIti shrIkaraH" (One who makes those who meditate on, praise, and worship Him with flowers - His devotees - prosperous).

[AS# 693/694, PB# 698/699] vasupradaH:  This name occurs twice consecutively in the Vishnu Sahasranama hymn. Hence, two explanations are given by both the Acharyas.

Sri Sankara:

"vasu dhanaM prakarSeNa dadAti sAkSAt-dhanAdhyakSo(a)yaM, itarastu tatprasAdAt dhanAdhyakSa iti". To put this in English - It is noted that as per the Vedas, it is possible for one to please the celestial being (devata) Kubera and obtain wealth from him as a result. Sri Sankara says that even Kubera is able to bestow wealth only on account of Lord Vasudeva's grace.

"vasu prakRSTaM mokSAkhyaM phalaM bhaktebhyaH pradAtIti dvitIyo vasupradaH". Sri Sankara explains the second instance of the same name as "One who bestows the greatest wealth - that of salvation or liberation from rebirth - to His devotees". He then quotes a verse from the Veda (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.9.28) which says - 'It is Brahman, who is wisdom and bliss, the final goal of the giver of wealth.'

Sri Bhattar gives the following vivid explanations for the same name:

"paramanidhiM AtmAnaM devakI-vasudevAbhyAM putratvena pradAtIti", meaning "He who bestowed the greatest wealth - in the form of Himself - on Vasudeva and Devaki, by being born as their son. (The name of the person who fathered Lord Krishna during His pastime on the earth was 'Vasudeva', pronounced vasudeva, as opposed to vAdueva, the name of the Lord Himself. See transliteration scheme here for a pronunciation guide.) For the second instance, Sri Bhattar explains as: "He who brought glory and fame (vasu - kIrti) to Devaki and Vasudeva. He brought them fame by choosing them as His parents during His pastime as Krishna".

[AS# 744, PB# 750] ghRtAshIH:  Sri Bhattar comments on this name thus: "ghRtaM sacenaM svaguNaiH jagadApyAyanaM". This is one of the two explanations given by this Acharya at this place. He says that the Lord sprinkles prosperity on the world and makes it prosperous by means of His benevolent qualities.

[AS# 808, PB# 814] kundaraH:  Sri Sankara explains - "kunda-puSpa-tulyAni shuddhAni phalAni rAti dadAti" which means "He who gives (ra) rewards as agreeable and pure as white jasmine (kunda) flowers."

[AS# 936, PB# 936] caturashraH: Sri Sankara says that the Lord is known as "caturashraH" since He is fair to everyone (nyAyasamavetaH). Sri Sankara then says that this is justified since the Lord distributes rewards in accordance with the merits men have accumulated through their own past actions (pumsAM karmAnurUpaM phalaM prayacchatIti).

In the last several posts, we got to experience the joy of contemplating on the Lord's Divine nature of being benevolent, graceful, and generous to His creatures. This post winds up the discussion that we started here. In the next post, we will start a new chapter in our journey filled with glimpses of various facets of the Divine Lord of the Vedas, Sriman Narayana.

REFERENCES - Kindly consult previous post.

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Generosity in Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashyas - Part 1

In the following two posts, we will wind up our discussion of Generosity as one of the Divine Attributes of the Lord Narayana. This time, let us sit back and enjoy the following divine names as explained in the viSNu-sahasranAma-bhASya-s (commentaries to the Chapter on the 1000 divine names of the Lord in the mahAbhArata epic) of Sri Adi Sankaracharya and Sri Parasara Bhatta. The arrangement of names differ slightly in the commentaries of the two Acharyas, and hence I will indicate two numbers for each name. The label "AS#" indicates 'according to Sri Sankaracharya', and "PB#" means 'according to Sri Parasara Bhatta'. I will provide the English translations for each name, plus the original Sanskrit commentaries wherever possible. I believe that the explanations given by the Acharyas are quite clear and explain various aspects of the Lord's generosity. Hence, I will not venture to elaborate them further. I have pointed out the source material at the end of this post.


[AS# 48, PB# 47] hRSIkeshaH:  One of the explanations given by Sri Adi Sankara for this name is: "yasya vA sUrya rUpasya candrarUpasya jagat-prItikarA hRSTAH keshA rashmyaH saH hRSIkeshaH |" meaning, "He who, in the form of the sun and the moon, delights the earth with His rays." The Acharya then provides a verse from the Veda that supports this interpretation (Krishna Yajurveda, Taittiriya Samhita, 4.6.3.h) and the following verse from the Mokshadharma (mokSadharma) section of the Mahabharata [1-2]:

sUryA-candramasoH shashvadaMshubhiH kesha-saMj~nitaiH      |
bodhayan svApayaMshcaiva jagat-uttiSThate pRthak                    |
bodhanAt svApanAccaiva jagato harSaNaM bhavet                      ||
agnISoma-kRtairebhiH karmabhiH pANDunandana!                      |
hRSIkesho(a)hamIshAno varado lokabhAvanaH                             ||

Translation: "The sun and moon through their rays (known as kesha in Sanskrit) always uphold the world as it were by awaking it and causing it to sleep. By such awaking and causing to sleep, the world  is delighted (Sanskrit: harSa). It is in consequence of these acts of the fire (sun) and Soma (moon) who uphold the universe that I have come to be called by the name of hRSIkesha, O son of Pandu! Indeed, I am the boon-giver, the Lord, the sustainer of the universe."

In relation with this explanation, we have also seen similar statements by Sri Sankara in his commentary to the Bhagavad Gita verse 9.19 in a previous post on this page.


[AS# 64, PB# 64] ma^ngalaM paraM:  Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada Acharya connects the term "param" (supreme), which he explains as "paraM sarvabhUtebhya utkRSTaM brahma" (Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Brahman on account of His supremacy over all beings), with the term "ma^ngalaM" which he explains in two ways:

(1) Supreme beneficence, as explained by the following verse, says Sri Sankara:

"ashubhAni nirAcaSTe tanoti shubhasantitaM                         |
smRtimAtreNa yat puMsAM brahma tadma^ngalaM vidhuH ||"

Translation: "That Brahman is known as beneficence which wards off all evils and brings on a series of benefits to men on being merely remembered by them."

(2) kalyANarUpAdvA ma^ngalam (or, due to His attractive appearance, He is known as ma^ngalam).

Hence,the explanation given by Sri Sankara is "Supremely beneficient/attractive".

[AS# 257, PB# 258] vRSabhaH:  Sri Sankaracarya explains, "varSatyeSa bhaktebhyaH kAmAn iti vRSabhaH", meaning "The showerer of desired objects on His devotees".

[AS# 298, PB# 299] kAmapradaH:  According to Adi Sankara, this name is to be explained as "bhaktAnAM kAmAn prakarSeNa dadAtIti kAmapradaH", meaning "He who fulfills all the desires of His devotees". Sri Bhattar explains the name as "svakAmebhyaH kSudrakAmeshca yatArhaM kAmyaM pradAti", meaning "One who fulfills everything: He grants Himself to those who long for Him. He also grants wishes of those who long for trivial, lowly fruits (i.e., materialists)." Sri Bhattar then quotes the Veda (Katha Upanishad verse 2.2.13), which says "eko-bahUnAM yo vidadhAti kAmAn", meaning "The Supreme being, though One, dispenses desired objects to many".

[AS# 330, PB# 332] varadaH:  One explanation that Sri Sankara adopts for this name is "abhimatAn varAn dadAti varadaH", meaning "The granter of boons of the objects desired".

[AS# 350, PB# 352] mahArddhiH:  Sri Bhattar explains this name as follows: tad-yoga-kSema-kSama nissIma-vibhUtiH ("Lord Vishnu is known as mahArddhiH as He has boundless riches which can bring about prosperity and security to His devotees").

[AS# 460, PB# 461] suhRt:  Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada explains "suhRt" as "Friend", exactly in the same manner as he did in Gita Bhashya 5.29 - "pratyupakAra-nirapekSatayA-upakAritvAt suhRt", meaning "He is a true Friend as He confers benefits without desiring anything in return". Sri Bhattar explains more vividly: "nupakAriNi api 'kiM asya bhavishyati? kiM karavANi' iti SubhASamsi SobhanahRdayatvam su-hRtvam. su-hRtvam" which means, "friendliness is that quality of a benevolent person who wishes good even for those who have not helped him in any way, and who, being apprehensive of any evil that may befall them, always thinks 'How shall I help them?'". Note the similarity with Sri Periya Vachan Pillai's comment on "audArya" in the Saranagati Gadyam of Sri Ramanujacharya.

(to be continued)

REFERENCES

[1] English version of the quote can be found at page 164 here.

[2] Sanskrit version of the quote: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs12330.htm

[3] A comparison of Sri Bhattar's and Sri Sankara's commentaries to the Vishnu Sahasranama can be read here in five parts.

[4] Sanskrit commentary and English translation of Sri Sankara's commentary are adopted from the book titled "Visnusahasranama - with the Bhasya of Sri Samkaracarya, translated into English in light of Sri Samkara's Bhasya" by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry, published by Adyar Library and Research centre (1980 edition).

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Generosity (Audaryam) in Sri Sankara's Gita Bhashya -- Part 1

Our Supreme Lord of the Universe, who is known as Sriman Narayana, Lord Vasudeva, Lord Vishnu, and by a thousand other names, possesses several divine auspicious qualities (Kalyana Gunas). We dealt a little bit about His Paratvam (Lordliness), Saulabhyam (Accessibility), and Saushilyam (Friendliness) till now. In the next few posts, we shall experience Lord's quality of being generous (audAryam or magnanimity)

The Supreme Lord Narayana, after creating us, does not simply watch us suffer in this imperfect world where evils such as greed, animosity, disease, and natural calamities are abound. In contrast, the Lord provides everything He is capable of, by directly taking up the act of protecting His creation. Let us briefly review His threefold activity to understand His act of protection better:

We saw in a previous post that the Lord creates all the material elements, and then Lord Brahma is born from the divine lotus that springs from His navel. In support of this, Sri Adi Sankara, while commenting upon the words of Arjuna, says the following: Lord Krishna is the one who is the cause of even Brahma, known as Hiranyagarbha, hence He is called the Primordial Creator ["yato brahmaNo hiraNyagarbhasyApi Adi kartA kAraNaM atas tasmAd Adi-kartre" Gita Bhashya, 11.37]. He is called Adi deva (Primal God) since He creates the universe; He is called the purANa puruSa (Primordial Person) since even as He dwells within all of us, He has always existed since time immemorial; He is the abode of all creatures at the time of mahApralaya or universal dissolution ["tvam Adi-devo jagataH sraSTRtvAt, puruSaH purI shayanAt, purANas cirantanaH, tvam evAsya vishvasya paraM prakRSTam nidhAnam nidhIyate(a)smin jagat sarvam mahApralayAdau iti" Gita Bhashya, 11.38], and that He is the 'Great-grand sire' of all since He is the father of even four-faced Brahma who is popularly known as 'Grand sire' ["pitAmahasyApi pitA prapitAmahaH; brahmaNo(a)pi pitAmahaH iti arthaH", Gita Bhashya, 11.39]

Lord Brahma takes over the task of further creation under the instructions of our Supreme Lord. It is the Supreme Lord Vasudeva Himself who indirectly creates beings and destroys them by being the inner-controller of Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. But He directly takes up the act of sustenance for Himself. Thus, the popular conception of Lord Brahma as the creator, Lord Vishnu as the protector, and Lord Siva as the destroyer is reconciled with the Vedic and scholarly statement that it is indeed only Lord Narayana who performs the threefold act of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the entire universe, as we discussed before in another post. This is exactly the explanation given by Sri Sankara in the Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya:

"rajoguNaM samAshritya viri~ncirUpeNa bhUtAni karotIti bhUtakRt | tamOguNamAsthAya sa rudrAtmanA bhUtAni kRtanti kRNoti hinastIti vA bhUtakRt | sattvaguNamadhiSThAya bhUtAni bibharti dhArayati poSayatIti vA bhUtabhRt"

(Sri Sankara's Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya, Names #4 and #5)

Translation: "Through the mode of rajas (activity/passion) in the form of Brahma, He creates beings and hence He is known as bhUtakRt. Or, using the mode of tamas (ignorance/darkness) in the body of Rudra (Siva), He destroys beings and hence He is known as bhUtakRt. Taking up the mode of sattva (goodness/stability) He (directly) supports and protects all beings and hence He is known as bhUtabhRt".

Sri Sankara says later in the same text, while commenting on the divine name "subhujaH" (#265), which means "beautiful-armed", that the Lord's arms are indeed beautiful as they protect the universe ("shobhanA bhujAH jagadrakSAkarA asyeti subhujaH").

Thus, the act of resolving to protect His creatures itself is a sign of his magnanimity. It is appropriate to ask thus: What is that greatest, priceless gift that the Lord can give that serves as a best example of this ever-benevolent nature of Him? In my opinion, His greatest gift to us is twofold: First, the Lord gives Himself to His devotees by being accessible to us through His avatars. Secondly, He gives another priceless gift -- the scriptures, known as shAstra-s that teach us dharma and adharma (good and evil) that provide the way for well-being and prosperity, as well as the way to serve Him best. A very nice summary of these two aspects of His generosity has been given to us by the great teacher, Acharya Sri Adi Sankara. Let us then turn to Sri Adi Sankara's introduction to the Bhagavad Gita.

The story of Lord Krishna's birth, according to Sri Sankara:

Right after the invocatory verse ("nArAyaNaH paro-avyaktAt") that we saw in a previous post, the Acharya proceeds with his commentary to the Bhagavad Gita as follows:

"sa bhagavAn sRSTvedaM jagat... dvividho hi vedokto dharmaH pravRtti-lakSaNo nivRtti-lakSaNashca jagataH sthiti-kAraNam | prANinAM sAkSAd abhyudayaniH-shreyasa-hetur yaH sa dharmo brAhmaNAdyair varNibhir Ashramibhish ca shreyo(a)rthibhir anuSThIyamAnaH |"

Translation: "The Lord (Bhagavan) created the universe and wishing to secure order in His created universe, taught the paths of involving in works and renunciation. It is this two-fold Vedic path of works and renunciation that is responsible for the protection of the universe. This Vedic path, which secures prosperity and well-being for all creatures, was practiced by men of all classes and orders in life who sought welfare, starting with Brahmanas (knowers of Brahman or Supreme Lord)."

The Lord's magnanimity is evident from the above. Further still, Sri Sankara says that the Lord Himself patiently and generously teaches the Vedic dharma to human beings again when we lose track of it out of our own folly:

"dIrgheNa kAlena anuSThAtRRNAM kAmodbhavAd dhIyamAna-viveka-j~nAna-hetukena adharmeNa abhiyUyamAne dharme, pravardhamAne ca adharme, jagataH sthitiM paripAlayiSuH sa Adi kartA nArAyaNAkhyo viSNur bhaumasya brahmaNo brAhmaNatvasya cAbhirakSaNArthaM devakyAM vasudevAd aMshena kRSNaH sambabhUva |"

Translation: "As time progressed, the evil of lust overpowered the practitioners they gradually lost the faculty of discrimination (between good and bad), leading to irreligion overpowering religion. It was then that the Primordial Creator, Lord Vishnu known as Narayana, wishing to maintain order in the universe, incarnated Himself as Krishna, begotten by devakI and vasudeva, for the preservation of the Vedic path."

  Lord Krishna was born to Devaki and Vasudeva to protect the world and the Vedic Dharma

Sri Sankara then says that the Lord is ever possessed with the six qualities of wisdom, supremacy, power, strength, might, and vigor (sa ca bhagavAn j~nAna-aishvarya-shakti-bala-vIrya-tejobhiH sampannaH) and is ever the unborn (ajaH-avyayaH) Lord of Beings (bhUtAnAm IshvaraH) who is Eternal, Pure, Intelligent and Free (nitya-shuddha-buddha-mukta svabhAvaH). The Acharya then says that even though our Lord Narayana has nothing to achieve and has no selfish interest, with the sole intention of helping His creatures, He taught Arjuna, who was plunged in grief and delusion, the two-fold Vedic religion:

"svaprayojana abhAve(a)pi bhUtAnujighRkSayA vaidikaM hi dharma-dvayaM arjunAya shoka-moha-mahodadhau nimagnAya upadidesha"

It is only those like us, whose life is imperfect and lacking, will have something more that he/she is yet to achieve and hence we are driven by that desire to act for our own selfish ends. Being the eternally-perfect Supreme Lord of the cosmos, He has no wants and desires and thus has no compulsion to act. Even then, He performs His divine deeds to benefit us, generously giving us more than what we deserve.

(to be continued)

Tailpiece:

The appellation "Eternal, Pure, Intelligent, and Free" (nitya-shuddha-buddha-mukta) is often used by Sri Sankara in his commentaries and refer to the Supreme Lord, who is also known as Parabrahman and Paramatman. He employs them in the Brahma Sutra Bhashya at least at two places (I.i.1 and II.i.14), in his commentaries to the Upanishads (eg., Brihadaranyaka I.iv.7), and in the Vishnu Sahasranama Bhashya while explaining the name "Paramatma" (kArya kAraNa vilakSaNo nitya-shuddha-buddha-mukta svabhAvaH).

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Thousand Names of the Divine Lord: Supremacy or Simplicity?

Acharya Sri Adi Sankara's service to the cause of preserving Vedic Sanatana Dharma from the onslaught of Buddhism, Jainism, and atheism (cArvAka philosophy) is unparalleled. He wrote commentaries on the Vedantic philosophical canon (prastAna traya) consisting of Upanishads, the Brahma-Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita.

Acharya Shri Adi Shankara with his disciples

During his time, Sri Adi Sankara is also said to have written a commentary on Sri Vishnu Sahasranama (shrI viSNu sahasranAma), the thousand Divine Names of Supreme Lord Vishnu. The Thousand Divine Names occur as part of the great epic (known as itihAsa) Mahabharata. The epic describes the great war between five princes, known as Pandavas, and their evil cousins known as the Kauravas. It happened during the time that Lord Vishnu came down to the earth as Krishna avatAr, and hence contains a lot of stories about Him. The elderly Prince Bhishma, who was the beloved of the Pandavas and their great preceptor, fell in battle and was ensnared into a bed of arrows. In that state, he instructed Yudhishtra and the other Pandavas on various aspects of morality and ethics. Finally, he instructed the Pandavas that the greatest dharma (ethical way of action) is to chant the divine names of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. Thus, the Divine Names of Lord Vishnu were instructed to the Pandavas, in the presence of Lord Vishnu Himself in the form of Krishna. The names detail about various avatArs that the Lord undertook as well as describe His distinguishing Divine Qualities.

 Preceptor Bhishma on a bed of arrows instructing the Pandavas as Lord Krishna looks over

Sri Adi Sankaras' lucid commentary is perhaps the earliest available exposition on the Divine Names. This work has been referred to by Sri Narayana Bhattathiri, the composer of Narayaneeyam, a 16th century scholar of the Advaita Vedanta school. We also have a gloss on Sri Sankara's explanations of the names by a late (15th/16th century) commentator known as Taraka Brahmananda Sarasvati (tAraka brahmAnanda sarasvati). Another important commentary on Vishnu Sahasranama commentary came from Srimad Ramanuja's Vishishtadvaita school of Vedanta philosophy. This work, coming down as a great gift to us, was the contribution of none other than Sri Parasara Bhattar [1] and is titled "bhagavad-guNa-darpaNa", which means "The Mirror of the Divine Qualities of the Supreme Lord". In this work, Sri Bhattar has also made at least a couple of references to Sri Adi Sankarar's commentary on the Divine Names.

Sri Parashara Bhattar was the son of Sri kUrattAlvAn -- a senior disciple of Sri Ramanujacharya himself. Sri Bhattar's Acharya (Guru/Teacher) was Sri Embar (embAr) a.k.a. Govinda Bhatta (govinda bhaTTa) -- the maternal cousin of Sri Ramanujacharya. Let us then salute Sri Parasara Bhattar with the following invocation and then proceed with the topic of our discussion:

shrI parAshara bhaTTAryaH shri ra"ngesha purohitaH      |

shrIvatsA"nka sutaH shrImAn shreyase me-astu bhUyase   ||

Translation: "May Sri Parasara Bhattar, the son of shrI shrIvatsA"nka (a.k.a. kUresha or kUrattAlvAn), who has superior wealth of knowledge, and serving as the PurOhithar for Lord RanganAtha bless me with all auspiciousness!"

Acharya Shri Parasara Bhattar

I came across an interesting article that compares the two great commentaries to the Divine Names by Adi Shankara and Sri Bhattar here. The source for the article seems to be a commentary in Tamil of the Divine Names by the great Srivaishnava scholar of the 20th Century, Sri Prativadi Bhayankaram Annangaracharya (PBA) Swami. Sri PBA Swamy observes that Sri Shankara's explanations are mostly in light of the might, valor, glory, immaculateness, omnipotence, etc. which constitute the Divine Quality known as "paratvam". Sri Bhattar's explanations, however, mostly elaborate on the Lord's saulabhyam and saushIlyam. In the last article, we dealt with the Lord's Divine Quality of being accessible (saulabhyam) and readiness to act and mingle with us as though he is one among us (saushIlyam). The article I came across then proceeds to list a few instances where the commentators Shri Shankara and Shri Bhattar focus on one of these two contrasting aspects each. In this post, I endeavor to point out and elaborate on a few more such instances not covered in that article. (Credit goes to ahobilavalli.org [2-5] for hosting the clear and easy-to-understand meanings of the Divine Names along with the explanations given by Shri Shankara and Shri Bhattar which made my task easy.)


(1) Parigraha (In Adi Shankara's enumeration, this is name #420, in Parasara Bhattar's ordering, this is #421): 

This name occurs in the following verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama:

RtuH sudarshanaH kAlaH parameSThI parigrahaH        |
ugraH saMvatsaro dakSo vishrAmo vishvadakSiNaH       ||58||

 Shri Adi Shankara's explanation of this name goes as:
  

"sharaNArthibhiH parito gRhyate sarvagatatvAt, parito j~nyAyate iti vA, patra puSpAdikaM bhaktairarpitaM parigRhNatIti vA parigrahaH"

There are three meanings that Sri Shankara gives. The first meaning that Adi Shankara Acharya gives is: "One who is approached on all sides by His devotees (those who surrender to Him)." Obviously, this is an explanation given in light of the Lord's Might, Power, and Glory. One is almost reminded of Sri Andal's (one of the Twelve Azhwars) work in Tamil (which is again part of the Divya Prabandha) known as Tiruppavai (tiruppAvai) where she says:

a"nkaN mA ~nyAlattu arasar abhimAna

        bha"ngamAy vandu nin paLLik kaTTiR kIzhE

sa"ngam iruppAr pOl vandu talai peydom

Translation: "Just as those kings from all over the world who you defeated in war came to the leg of Thy Divine Couch and surrendered to Thee with their egos destroyed, we have now come here to take refuge in Thee, with our heads bowing down in modesty."

The other two explanations given by Sri Shankara to the name Parigraha are: "One who can be reached in many different ways" and "One who gets many offerings from His devotees, such as flower, fruits, leaves, etc."

The explanation given by Shri Parasara Bhattar are again very different. This Acharya says:

"atra tatra ca parito grahaH asya iti parigrahaH. svasambandhi-paurajAna-padatat-sambandhinAm taddevatA tadArAma tarudUrvadeH api parama pada prApaNAt"

Sri Bhattar interprets the preceding few names to this one as to do with the Lord's avatar as Rama, and the name "Parigraha" to Bhattar is the last one that has to do with Rama in this set. Hence, he interprets the name as: "Here, there, and everywhere, He accepts all. When Lord Rama went back to Vaikuntam, the paramapadam (paradise) of Him as Lord Vishnu, after the purpose of His avatAr was completed, He took with Him every resident of the city of Ayodhya including, plants, trees, etc." The Lord in His avatar as Sri Ramachandra,  though born and raised as a Prince till the age of 24 in the palace of King Dasaratha, mingled with everyone affably during His exile to the woods. That includes the tribal chief Guha, the huntress Sabari, the vulture-king Jatayu, the monkey-king Sugriva, etc. This and the very fact that He granted liberation to everyone, including the lowest forms of life, who belonged to Ayodhya means that the Lord is indeed full of saulabhyam and saushIlyam.


(2) Kumuda (AS# 807, PB# 813) :

This name occurs in the following verse of the Sahasranama:

kumudaH kundaraH kundaH parjanyaH pavano(a)nilaH            |

amRtAMsho(a)mRtavapuH sarvaj~nyaH sarvatomukhaH            ||99||

The explanation given by Shri Shankara is: "kuM dharaNIM bhArAvataraNaM kurvan modayatIti kumudaH" meaning, "One who gladdens the earth by relieving it of its burdens (i.e., evil forces)".

The explanation given by Shri Bhattar is: "kau prakRtimaNDala evataissaha modata iti kumudaH" meaning, "One who likes to come down to this mundane material world to enjoy the company of His devotees". In other words, the Lord's accessibility is evident from the fact that He even likes to leave aside His supreme abode which is free from all ills, to come down to this world where evil and amorality rules, just to enjoy the company of His devotees!

Mother Earth approached in the form of a cow the celestials, and finally Lord Narayana, supplicating to have the burden of evil relieved.		The Lord likes to come down to the material world to enjoy the company of His devotees.

 Thanks: www.glimpseofkrishna.com.  Copyrighted images reproduced with permission of the artist Smt. Madhavapriya Devi

The rest of the Divine Names we are going to see in this post occur in the following verse of the Sahasranama:

sulabhaH suvrataH siddhaH shatrujicchatrutApanaH       |

nyagrodhodumbaro(a)shvat cANUrAndhra-niSUdanaH    ||101||

(3) Nyagrodha-udumbara (AS# 822 & 823, PB# 827):

Shri Adi Shankara interprets the above as two names:

a. The first explanation he gives for "Nyagrodha" as: "nyak arvAk rohati sarveSAM upari vyartata iti nyagrodhaH", meaning "One who, being primordial, is above all". The Acharya also provides an alternate explanation to the same name as "sarvANi bhUtAni nyakkRtya nijamAyAM vRNoti niruNaddhIti vA" meaning, "He who controls all beings by veiling Himself with His Maya power".

b. For "Udumbara", Sri Shankara gives two explanations. The first one is: "ambarAdudgataH kAraNatveneti udumbaraH" meaning, "He transcends the Ether, Himself being its cause." The second interpretation is: "URk annam, tena tadAtmanA vishvam poSayan udumbaraH" which translates to: "He that nourishes the universe in the shape of (or being the pervader/inner soul of) food etc." Shri Shankara then quotes the Veda (taittirIya brAhmaNa, 1.3.8 and 1.2.7), which says "Udumbara means food" in support of this interpretation.

Sri Bhattar gives the following explanations for the parts "Nyagrodha" and "Udumbara", then combines them to interpret "Nyagrodha-Udumbara" as a single name:

a. "Nyagrodha" - "kRtAnjalIbhI rudhyate svaprasAdaur-mukhyena vyavasthApyate iti" meaning, "One who is controlled by His devotees by means of their folded hands". In other words, the Lord is so benevolent to His devotees that His heart melts when He sees His devotees approach Him with folded hands. Sri Bhattar then quotes the following verse from Vishnu Dharmottara (33.105): a~njaliH paramA mudrA kSipram devaprasAdinI (The sight of hands joined in supplication immediately pleases the Lord).

b. "Udumbara" - "sarvaguNaiH udgataM ambaraM paraM dhAma tadupalakSitA lakSmI parijanAdayosyeti udumbaraH" meaning, "He Who has as the Supreme Abode, the paradise Shri Vaikuntam, is Udumbarah. This abode is Supreme because it has Lakshmi, and it rises above all other things by its magnificent qualities".

Shri Bhattar then combines the above parts into one name with the following comment: "atyucchRta sevyaH api atyanta-nIcAnAM api anuvartana sAdhyaH" meaning, "Though He is sought after by the great residents of His Supreme Abode, He is within easy reach of the lowest of people (as He does not demand much to be pleased)."


(4) Sulabha (AS# 817, PB# 823): This is at least one instance where both the revered commentators converge on the saulabhyam aspect of the Lord. I guess this is because the name does not lend itself to any other explanation. Again, they give great enjoyment for the devotee:

Shri Shankara explains the name as "patra-puSpa-AdibhiH bhaktimAtra-samarpitaiH sukhena labhyata iti sulabhaH" meaning, "One who is easily attained by simple offerings such as a leaf and a flower". He then quotes a verse from the Mahabharata in support of this:

patreSu puSpeSu phaleSu toyeSvkrItalabhyeSu sadaiva satsu                    |

bhaktyekalabhye puruSe purANe muktyai kathaM na kriyate prayatnaH     ||

Translation:  

"How can one fail to work for emancipation, when the ancient Purusha is capable of being attained by devotion alone, worshipping Him with offerings of leaf, flower, fruit, and water, which are always obtainable without much cost?"

The explanation given by Shri Bhattar is: "anarghaH-api mUlya bhAsena svIkartuM sakhyaH" meaning, "Even though He is priceless, He is attained for a small  price". Sri Bhattar then quotes an instance in the Lord's pastimes as Krishna -- During Lord Krishna's time on this earth, a lady with severely deformed face who makes sandal paste offered Him some of the same and made Him visit her humble dwelling by seizing His garbs and saying: "Come to my house!"

Conclusion: While elaborating on the Divine Names (Sahasranama), Shri Adi Shankaracharya emphasizes the omnipotence, omniscience, might and other qualities of the Lord related to His greatness, whereas Shri Bhattar dwells on the Lord's affability. In the last two posts, we got to clearly understand the qualities of saulabhyam (approachability) and saushIlyam (accessibility) of the Lord. Both are indispensable to our Lord. The CEO of a big corporation may have a lot of influence, power, and might, but is not really accessible to employees in the lowest strata of his organization. Your pet kitten at home may be easily accessed and approached, but it cannot save you from evil forces and calamities. As He combines these two aspects as part of His personality, our Lord is indeed unique! This makes devotion to Him possible even for people with very little means. Thus, He is quite benevolent and kind to us, even though He is the Lord of the entire cosmos.

From the next post onwards, we shall start on the next major Divine Quality, namely His magnanimity, known as audAryam.

REFERENCES:
[1] http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/acharyans/ac10.htm
[2] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol1.pdf
[3] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol2.pdf
[4] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol3.pdf
[5] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol4.pdf
[6] http://www.ahobilavalli.org/vishnu_sahasra_namam_vol5.pdf

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