part 10

Stanza 36

skandah skanda-dharo dhuryo varado vaaryuvaahanah
vasudevo brihat bhaanur aadidevah purandarah.

327. Skandah -This is one of the names of the youngest son of Lord Siva, Subrahmanya, who is described in the Purana as Commanander-in-Chief of the righteous army. Therefore, Skanda means “the Lord, whose glory is expressed, through Subrahmanya”, In order to realise the Self, it is a prerequisite condition that the different personality layers in the seeker should be completely integrated.

328. Skanda-dharah –“One who upholds the withering righteousness.” Or, “One who fathered Lord Subrahmanya”, meaning One who is in the form of Paramesvara.

329. Dhuryah -One who carries the Lord. The Lord is the One who carries the responsibilities of creation, sustenance and annihilation of the entire world of plurality. One who carries out these functions systematically without any hitch round millenniums is Sree Narayana and He is therefore Dhuryah.

330. Varadah -One who blesses all true devotees and fulfils their request for boons. It can also mean “One who gives the best (Varam) in life to those who seek Him with perfect detachment and sharpened discrimination.

331. Vaayuvaahanah –“The One who controls, regulates and moves the great winds”. In the Sanskrit literature, the movement of air in the atmosphere has been classified under seven types and they are called the ‘Sapta Marutah’.

In short, the inconceivable might and power of the winds and their life-sustaining abilities are all lent out to the air by His own munificence and, therefore, He is called as Vaayuvaahanah.

332. Vaasudevah –“One who is at once both Vaasu and Deva. Vaasu means “One who dwells in the physical equipments of all living creatures as its indweller (Jeeva); Deva means “One who revels or One who illumines”. Thus, Vaasudevah means “One who lives in the physical equipment as though conditioned by them, and yet, who is the Vital Consciousness in the light of which every experience is illumined. The Lord is the One who dwells in all things of the universe and He is at once the Supporter of the entire world.

Also, directly, it can be taken to mean, One who is born as the Son of Sri Vasudeva in the Jail of Kamsa, the Blue-Boy of Brindaavana. He is called Vaasu as He veils Himself with His own Maayaa; Deva means “He who sports, wishes to conquer, conducts, shines, creates and moves”. In the Udyoga Parva of Mahabharata, we read, “Like the Sun with his rays I am covering (Deva) in all beings and hence, I am called Vaasudeva”.

Vishnupurana says, ‘‘as He resides everywhere in and through all things, He is termed Vaasudevah. “ All beings remain in the Supreme, and He in all being and hence, the Omnipresent is called the Vaasudeva.

333. Brihat-bhaanuh -Possessed of endless rays, meaning “One who illumines the world with the rays of the Sun and the Moon.”

Mahabharata says, “He whose great rays are in the Sun, Moon and others and He who illumines the universe through them is called the Possessor of great rays.

334. Aadidevah –“One who is the Primary source for everything,” meaning the Lord. He is the First Cause, and hence the first Deity.

335. Purandarah –“The destroyer of the cities.” City is the well-equipped field for gathering endless experiences. The three cities through which we generally move about gathering our experiences in this world are the waking, dream and deep-sleep, On transcending the Gross, Subtle and Causal Bodies, one experiences the Self, and at such a moment these three cities are burned down or pillaged or blasted, The same ideal is explained in the Shiva-purana also; accordingly, we can say that He is One who as Mahesvara, performed the destruction of the three cities.

Stanza 37

asokastaaranastaarah soorah saurih-janesvarah
anukoolah sataavarttah padmee padmanibhekshanah.

336. Asokah –“One who has no sorrows.” Sorrow is a condition experienced when the mind is agitated and extremely disturbed. The agitations of the mind come from desires, greed, etc. Therefore, the term Asokah indicates, “One who has none of these negative tendencies that create in their turn more and more mental disturbances”. This is a true appalation, because, the Lord, as the Self, transcends the realm of the thought-disturbances constituted by the mind-intellect- equipment.

337. Taaranah –“One who enables others to cross.” The ego suffering the constant agitations of the equipments is saved by the Self. The ego (jeeva), when it discovers its identity with the Self, automatically moves away from the sorrows of the vehicles. In short, as Vishnubhaagavata says, “who is there other than You that can save us from the wheel of birth and death.”

338. Taarah –“One who saves is called Taarah, One who saves from the fear of re-birth and also One who is a constant protector of the devotees and, therefore, the devotees themselves call Him as the Saviour (Taarah).

These three terms indicate how Vishnu is the Absolute Protector of His devotees. He saves us from the afflictions (Asoka) of the body and so Subjective-sorrows (Adhyaatma). He enables us to cross the ocean of Samsaara (Taaranah) and, therefore, He saves us from all Cosmic pains (Adhibhootah). He saves us from the elements (Taarah), and so, He is the Saviour from all sorrows of birth and death; this indicates all trans-Cosmic tragedies (Aadhidaivika), meaning that Narayana can save us from all sorrows contributed by the hand God.

339. Soorah –“The Valiant”. All sources of strength and courage spring from the Life in us and, therefore, the Lord of the universe is called here as the Valiant-capable of crushing all unrighteous forces, however well-trenched they may be in the world.

340. Saurih –Soorasena was the father of Vasudeva, and we have already found that Vasudeva’s son is Vaasudeva. Therefore, the Lord had taken His incarnation in the family of Soora and so He is termed as ‘Saurih’.

341. Janesvarah -The Lord of the people (jana). Those who are born are called Jana. Therefore the term indicates that He is the Lord of all creatures born the universe.

342. Anukoolah –“A hearty well-wisher, or friend of everyone”. Since the Lord is the Essential Life in everyone, He is the friend and ally of every individual in as much as, nobody spends his life except in concurrence with his own subjective intentions and purposes. Thus, the Lord is a friend fulfilling the intentions of a murderer, and He is again the friend of another helping Him to serve the mankind, if that be his intention. Thus, He is a friend and a devoted ally to everyone since He is the mighty power behind all Vaasanaas expressing through all creatures.

343. Sataavarttah -Sata means “hundred”, and here it is used as “innumerable”. Thus the term’ Sataavarttah’ means “One who takes infinite varieties of forms”. All forms in the universe are but His own, inasmuch as, His manifestation is the universe. Again, He takes innumerable incarnations in order to maintain the taw of the cosmos and also the law of evolution. It can also mean “One who, as Praana, moves in the innumerable Naadees in the body”.

344. Padmee –“One who has the lotus in his hand”. The lotus is the national flower in Bharat as it symbolises in our culture, the Goal of our Spiritual life. It is to offer this “Knowledge”, that the Lord blows His conch, and if people are not listening to this silent call of the Higher from within, He uses His gadaa (mace) to give merciful knocks in life. Still, if an individual or a generation is not listening to His kindly warnings, He has the Discus (Chakra) in His hand. He annihilates totally the existing forms and re-creates.

345. Padma-nibhekshanah –“One whose eyes are as beautiful as the Lotus.” In short, ‘lotus-eyed.’

Stanza 38

padmanaabho-arvindaakshah padmagarbhah sareerabhrit
maharddhi-riddhah uriddhaatmaa mahaakshah gantdadhvajah.

346. Padmanaabhah –“One who has the lotus in his navel”. This is not to be taken literally. Navel (Naabhi) is the psychic centre where all un-manifest thoughts first spring forth into our recognition (Pasyantee). The seedless state of all thoughts is called in the Yoga Sastra, as Paraa. It therefore means “one in whose bosom lies, in potential, all the possibilities of the universe of expression.” It can also mean “One who manifests Himself in the lotus of the heart of his devotee. Some translate as “He who is seated in the pericarp of the lotus.”

347. Aravindaakshah –“One who has eyes as beautiful as the lotus”. The lotus opens at sun-rise and closes in the night. The Lord opens His beauty and grace in the  presence of the devotees and the flood of His grace, as it were, drys up in the presence of the dark sensuality of the ignorant.

348. Padmagarbhah –“One who is being meditated upon in the centre of the lotus-of-the-heart.”

349. Sareerabhrit –“One who sustains nourishes all bodies”. Or, it can mean “One who is form of food and praana, becomes the very cause for the sustenance of the body”. It is a fact very well known that even though a body can continue existing without visibly decaying for 50 years, once Life has ebbed away, the deadbody cannot maintain its form and it does not exist even for 48 hours intact. He who while presiding over the body nourishes and maintains it, and in whose absence the body decays and nourishes, He is the One who is the Sustainer of the body (Dehahhrit).

350. Maharddhih –“One who has great riddhi, meaning, prosperity and power”. These two-prosperity and power-together is called glory (Aisvarya). Thus the term means, “One who has by His very nature glory ever with Him.”

351. Riddhah  -“One who has expanded Himself to be the universe.” In short, “One who has manifested Himself as the entire world of plurality, constituted of the finite things of the Cosmos.”

352. Vriddhaatmaa –“The ancient Self.” In the Self there is no concept of Time, It being beyond the intellect. But here, by the term Vriddhaatmaa, it only means that He was the Self before all creation. It is only after the creation of Time that we are capable of saying and indicating Him as the Self of the various living creatures. He is the first Self, meaning, He is the Self whose manifestations are the world of plurality.

353. Mahaakshah –“The Great-eyed”, meaning, the eyes that can see not only the world-of-objects, but also X-ray through them and see all that are happening deep within the bosom of all creatures. He is the “Great Eye” seeing all, at all times, as He is the Consciousness that illumines everything at all times, in all bosoms.

354. Garuda-dhvajah –“One who has the (Garuda) as his insignia on his flag. The eagle is consider as the vehicle of the Lord; most probably Because this bird ever soars high and from above sees even the minutest speck of dirt in the world. The eagle after spying the carrion, swoops down and takes it away, thus purifying the atmosphere. Similarly, the Lord never allows any negative thought to come into the heart of His devotees, and hence, the eagle is considered as His vehicle.

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.

370. Mahaa-bhaagah -He who has extreme beauty in all His limbs, or He who is ever fortunate, or fie who gets the greatest share (Bhaaga) in every Yajna.

371. Vegavaan –“He who is swift”; One who is the fastest in reaching the devotee the moment his loving heart remembers Him. By import it means that He is All- pervading, therefore, He is the fastest, inasmuch as “nothing can ever overtake Him.”

In the Isavasyopanishad He is indicated as swifter than the mind- (Manasojaveeyah).

372. Amitaasanah –“Of endless appetite.” This should not be taken literally, but it only means that the entire world of plurality projected by the mind, merges back when the mind is transcended at the time of the experience of the Self. Just as we can say that the waker swallows the dreamer, the Higher Consciousness, with an infinite appetite, as it were, swallows the Infinite Cosmos; hence figuratively, He is considered as ‘the Great Consumer’ of the whole world of plurality during involution (Pralaya).

Stanza 41

udbhavah kshubhano devah sreegarbhah paramesvarah
karanam kaaranam kartaa vikartaa gahano guhah.

373 Udbhavah –“The Originator” The Lord is the material-cause from which the entire universe arises and, therefore, He is the origin for the Cosmos, or it can mean to indicate, “One who is again and again born as the endless jivas under the urge of their individual vaasanaas”.

374 Kshobhanah –“The Agitator” If the Self were not in the equipments, the equipments will not get agitated -will not pursue their functions The Atman, the Pure Consciousness is that which thrills and agitates both the matter (Prakriti) and energy (Purusha), and causes the manifestation of the living entities (jives), who, with their actions, constitute the dynamic aspect of the world. If the Self is not there, there can be no movement or expression of life; everything would have remained completely inert and insentient. He is the Lord who thrills the world and makes it so beautifully palpitating with life. Hence, He is called as the Agitator (Kshobhanah).

375 Devah –“One who revels is Deva. This term ‘Deevyati’ in Sanskrit also means ‘to conquer’, ‘to shine’ and ‘to praise’ Therefore, Lord Vishnu is rightly called as Derah because He sports through His play-the great Creation-Sustenance-Destruction-play, He functions in all Beings as He shines as the Universal Consciousness; and He is praised by all the devotees Svetasratara Upanishad indicates “there is only one Deva”.

376 Sree-garbhah -“Containing all glories within; One in whom are all glories (Aisvarya)” The glory of the Lord is the universe and this universe resides in Him, and therefore, all powers and glories that are manifested in the universe are also ever in Him.

377. Paramesvarah -The Supreme (Parama) Lord (Isvara). The fanatics generally interpret the word to mean as “the only Lord”, in the sense that all other concepts of God are wrong. The large-hearted, tolerant Rishis of old, could have never meant such a meaning. It could only mean “that He is the Supreme Consciousness whose expressions are all the deities”. The term Isvara indicates both might and glory. Therefore, Paramesvara means “One who is Omnipotent and All-glorious.”

378. Karanam –“The Instrument.” That which is most useful in fulfilling any piece of work is called the tool or the instrument. For the creation of the world He is the instrumental-cause (Nimitta Kaarana).

379. Kaaranam –“The Cause.” By the earlier term it was indicated that He is the instrumental-cause (Nimi- tta Kaarana) for the whole universe. Here now, by this term, it is indicated that He is the very material-cause (Upaadaana Kaarana) of the universe. Since the term directly means only “the cause”, it can mean not only the material cause, but also it can suggest the instrumental-cause. In the former case it would mean “He from whom the whole universe arises”, and in the latter sense, the term is interpreted by some commentators as “He who causes the universe to emerge out”.

380. Kartaa –“The Doer”. He is the One in whose presence alone all activities are possible, and hence by a transferred epithet, though the doings all belong to the equipments, the Self is called as the “Doer”. One who can freely perform all the functions of creation, sustenance and destruction, is the “Doer”.

381. Vi-kartaa –“One who creates the infinite varieties that constitute the universe.” It can also mean, “One who has created out of Himself, the endless self-manifestations of incarnations.”

382. Gahanah –“The Un-knowable”. One who cannot be comprehended by any of the known instruments of knowledge; One who is not an object of perception, but is the very subject and the perceiver in all sense-organs.

383. Guhah –“One who dwells in the cave of the heart” meaning “One who is the very core of every living creature.” He is concealed within the equipments and hence, He is described in our Scriptures as “One who dwells in the cave of the heart”. The Smriti describes Him as “This Lord, the Great Purusha, the Witness who dwells in the cave most secretively.” Mundakopanishad describes the Self as ‘Nihitam Guhaayaam’. Again, the Lord Himself says, “I am not readily perceivable by all as I am veiled by my own Maayaa “.

Stanza 42.

vyavasaayo vyavasthaanah samsthaanah sthaanado-dhruvah
pararddhih paramaspashtah-tushtah pushtah subhekshanah.

384. Vyavasaayah  -“Resolute.” Being of the nature of Pure Wisdom, there is no vacillation in Him; all irresolution is at the level of the doubting mind and the unprepared intellect. The term ‘Vyavasaayah’ also means “Yoga.” In this sense, the term is used in the Geeta, “The intellect of one who is practising Yoga is single-pointed without vacillation.” Again, in the same chapter criticising those who are running after enjoyment and power, Krishna says, “those who are revelling in sensuality and consequently disturbing the poise of their intellect, cannot have a steady mind and consistent pursuit of Yoga.”

To work persistently until the Goal is reached is resolution. “To steadily apply ourselves in continuously withdrawing ourselves from our identifications with the not-Self, until we come to apprehend and experience the Self”, is Yoga. Hence, commentators interpret ‘Vyavasaaya’ as “Yoga.”

385. Vyavasthaanah –“The Basis or the Substratum.” The one who is the very Substratum for the entire pluralistic world; the One who orders the laws of the cosmos and administers those laws.

386. Samsthaanah –“The Ultimate Authority, State or Goal.” He who absorbs unto Himself all the multiplicities of names and forms during the time of deluge. The One Source into which all perceptions, emotions and thoughts retire and merge at the time of deep-sleep. In short, it means “the One who integrates the plurality and absorbs it all unto Himself when the projections are ended at that time of transcendence.

387. Sthaanadah –“One who confers the right abode.” Each living organism, “according to his actions and thoughts” gathers to himself vaasanaas and according to the vaasanaas, each individual takes his birth. Thus, the One who gives (dada) the appropriate abode (sthaana) to each individual (jeeva) is called Sthaanadah. In short, the Lord is the distributor of the fruits-of-actions.

388. Dhruvah –“The stable; the Firm.” That which remains “the Changeless in the midst of changes”, “that which is Imperishable in the midst of all perishing”. The body, the mind and the intellect and the worlds interpreted by them are all variables and changeable. The Consciousness, which illumines all of them and makes us aware of them is, indeed, the “Changeless.”

389. Pararddhih –“One who has Supreme Manifestations (Riddhi)”. The glory (vibhooti) of the Lord is expressed in His manifestations and there manifestations are indeed divine as the Geeta thunders, “the glories of the Self are indeed divine”.

390. Parama-spashtah –“The extremely vivid.” He who is extremely clear to those who have conquered the agitations and all disturbing thought-currents of the mind through a successful pursuit of the practice of meditation. He being the very Self, nothing in fact is so ‘clear’, meaning, so self-evident, as the Pure Consciousness is in us. No experience in the outer world or in our subjective bosom would have been possible had it not been for the Light of the Self. Even the sense of individuality in us is but an image of this Awareness, which is the very Self in every living creature. It being thus the Absolute Subjective essence. It is described as “the most Vivid.”

391. Tushtah –“The ever-Contented,” meaning “the One who is happy at the minimum offering of a devotee.” “I accept even if you offer some leaf or flower, or fruit or spoon of water, happily, if it is offered in love,” confesses Lord Krishna in the Geeta.

The Self being beyond body, mind and intellect, it cannot have any of the sense of imperfections or incompleteness and as such, the All-full Self must be at all times, complete in Himself. Naturally therefore He is All-Blissful. Consequently, His Nature must ever be Supreme contentment.

392. Pushtah –“One who is ever-full.” The Supreme Consciousness being All-pervading, He is Infinitely Full- nothing can we take out of It, nor can we add to It. It is Ever- full and, therefore, even when the manifestations emerge out from It, It is not less for it.

393. Subh-ekshanah –“All auspicious gaze.” One whose very gaze brings streams of auspiciousness to the devotee. The Self-being beyond vaasanaas, one who realises the Self, goes beyond all sins. A devotee walking the very path and moving towards the spiritual contents, purifies himself from all sins, since he will be living a life not identifying with his body, mind and intellect.

Stanza 43

raamo viraamo virajo maargo neyo nayo-anayah
veerah saktimataam-sreshthah dharmo dharmaviduttamah.

394. Raamah –“That which revels in every form or that in which all Yogins in their meditation revel. In Padmapurana, it is clearly defined, “in Him, who is Eternal Bliss, Pure Consciousness, and Endless, the Yogins revel.”  Therefore, by the term ‘Raamah’, the Supreme Self is indicated. The term can also mean “One who has a compelling charm about Himself. He who is the most Handsome.”

395. Vi-raamah –“He in whom the creatures rest; The Abode of perfect rest”, having reached which, there is no return into the realms of experiences. That state is called Viraamah. Some commentators recognise in this term a meaning as, “He (Isvara) in whom the world of plurality merges during the deluge.”

396. Virajah –“Passionless.” “One who is not associated with the agitations (Rajas) of the mind.” The mind gets agitated when it identifies with the sense-objects of the world outside. The Atman, the Self, in its Pure Nature, has no such identifications, and, therefore, He is recognised as ‘passionless.’

397. Maargah –“The path.” There is no other way to know Him. For complete liberation, there is no way other than realising the Self, Sree Narayana.

398. Neyah –“The Guide”, the “Conductor.” He who guides and ultimately takes the seeker to the Reality is Lord Narayana, the Saguna Brahman. Through surrender to Narayana, the devotee develops the integration within and when fully integrated, he becomes the meditator and through meditation, the Highest is achieved. Therefore, Vishnu is indicated here as the “Conductor.”

The term can also mean “One who is fit to be conducted to the Highest.” The individual-ego .is that which tries to realise its own real nature, the self. The very individuality (Jiva) who is fit to be led towards the gateway to the Higher Consciousness is the One that has removed its false attachments and is held in animated joy, in meditation. In essence, such a jiva is nothing other than the Supreme, and, therefore, the Supreme is thus called as the Jiva.

399. Nayah –“One who leads.” When such a true devotee slowly and steadily gains his detachments from the outer world he moves himself more and more into the Higher and Subtler states of Consciousness. The one who leads such a seeker is again the grace of the same Self-Atmabala.

400. A-nayah -If the ego is led by the Lord (as Naya) to the Highest, then when once the Supreme State is reached, It has none to lead or guide It. The Lord guides all, but there is none to guide Him. This is because He is All- pervading and, therefore, He needs no guide to lead Him to Himself, as He is everywhere at all times.

401. Veerah –“The Valiant.” One who, by His prowess; creates the fear in the minds of the Rakshasas.

402. Saktimataam-sreshthah –“The best among those who have power.” All powers that are available, have been classified under three types: the power-of -Knowledge (Jnaana-Sakti), the power-of-Desire (Icchaa-Sakti) and the power-of-Action (Kriyaa-Sakti). All these powers are expression of the Self in the intellect, in the sub-conscious mind and in the physical body, respectively. Naturally the Self is the best among all other kinds of powers inasmuch as, all powers are expressions of this Great Self.

403. Dharmah -This term is used in Hinduism in thousands of different shades that, to the early student, the meaning of this term is lost in confusion. Dharma of a thing is that because of which the thing is, without which the thing is not.” This term, Dharma, has, therefore, been translated as “the Law of Being” -the Dharma of the Sun is light; the Dharma of the Fire is heat, the Dharma of Sugar is sweetness. What then is the Dharma of the individual? The essential Dharma of the individual can only be the self, because, without which is the individual cannot exist, and the individual’s expressions, physical mental and intellectual, are all expressions of the self through the equipment in Him. Thus “Dharma” means the only self in all individuals.

This is essential Dharma in anything is that which supports the things and, therefore, the self which is essence everywhere, is considered as the very one which supports everything.

404. Dharma-vid-uttamah –“One who is the highest among men of realisation.” All those who know the Reality are knower among all knowers of the self. 

Stanza 44

vasikunthah purushah praanah praanadah pranavah prithuh
hiranyagarbhah satrughno vyaapto vaayuradhokshajah.

405. Vaikunthah –“One who prevents men from going astray into wrong paths (Vikunthah).” In Mahabharatha it is mentioned, “I united the Earth with Water, Space with Air with Fire, hence, the name ‘Vaikunthah’ has come to Me.

406. Purushah –“One who dwells in all bodies (Puris).” In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3-4-1) it is said, “because He as the first (Poorva) of all of them consumed (Aushad) by fire all sins, therefore, He is called Purushah.” In short, He is the One Self which thrills all living creatures everywhere at all times.

407. Paanah –“One who is the form of ‘Praana’ exits in the body, propels all sense organs to act in their appointed fields, it is the Lord Vishnu that activates the body as the 5 praanas, is found in the Vishnupurana. As Praana, He causes movements.

408. Praanadah –this can mean “One who gives ‘Praana’ or as one who takes away ‘Praana’, because, the root ‘da’ has both the meanings, ‘to give’ and to break.’ Therefore, Vishnu is the supreme who gives Praana to all creatures in the beginning of the creation, and He alone is again the one who destroys all the Praanaas (movements) at the time of the dissolution.

409. Pranavah –“That which is praised or adorned by even the gods.” There is a declaration of Sanatkumara, “because it is being worshipped and adorned by the gods, the self is called as Pranavah. This great reality is indicated in Vedas by the symbol Om and, therefore ‘Omkaara’ is called as Pranava.  Thus the supreme self, ‘Omkaara’ is Vishnu.

410. Prithuh –“The expanded.” He whose expanse is expressed as the world of infinite forms. In short, “He who All-pervasive.” Looking at the world, through Puranas, it suggests, “the one who is born as the king Prithuh, the son of the king vena –for bringing prosperity to the country, is Lord Narayana.”

411. Hiranyagarbhah –it is the term used in the Vedanta for the “creator”. He is the expression of the creative urge of the lord Narayana. “The Golden-egg” means here that from which all the objective world had emerged out, indicating the creator.”  The term thereby suggest that the entire creative power of the creator is but the expression of the Self, Narayana.

412. Satru-ghnah –“the destroyer off he enemies.” The lord is the one who annihilates all the enemies of the gods, meaning, He is the one who destroys all the negative tendencies in all serious seekers totally devoted to Him.

413. Vyaaptah –“The Pervader.” The effects can never remain without the Cause; the Cause is concurrent and inherent in it, effects. And thus, the world that has risen from the Infinite, should be pervaded by the Infinite. He who thus pervades everything is Narayana.

414. Vaayuh –“One who in the form of the atmospheric air, sustains all life everywhere.” He is not the air, but He is the life-giving rower in the air.

415. Adhokshajah -Mahabharata says, “at no time My vitality flows downwards, and hence, I am called, Adhokshajah'. The term can also mean, “One who is not available for the powers of the sense organs to perceive.” Or, it can also mean, “He who remains under both the atmosphere and the earth as the Supporter of the entire universe.”

Stanza 45

rituh sudarsanah kaalah parameshthee parigrahah
ugrah samvatsaro daksho visraamo visva-dakshinah.

416. Rituh –“Seasons”-Here it means. the Lord of Time, who governs the seasons.

417. Sudarsanah  -“One who is easy to be perceived if the seeker has sufficient devotion,” or “He whose meeting is auspicious inasmuch as it removes the seeker's worldly worries.”

418. Kaalah –“One who measures the merits and defects in each individual, and who doles out the appropriate results.” Bhagavat Geeta says, “I am the Time of counting.” Kaalah is also the name of Lord Death, and in this sense, it can mean “the Lord, who is Death or Annihilation- personified to all His enemies.”

419 Parameshthee –“One who is centred in His own infinite glory.” Or, it can also mean “One who is readily available for experience in the Supreme cave of the heart.”

420 Parigrahah –“The Receiver” He who receives from His devotees even insignificant things as a leaf or a flower, with all satisfaction” Some commentators stretch the suggestion of the word and find a meaning in this term as “One who has been accepted as the Sole Refuge by all devotees.”

421. Ugrah –“The Terrible.” The One who gives fear to those who are diabolically evil”, or, as the Upanishad declares, “For fear of Him the fire burns; for fear of Him shines the sun; For fear of Him Indra, Vaayu and Death proceed with their respective functions,”-therefore He is the Terrible

422. Samvatsarah –“The Year,” which is the abode of all living creatures. Time is spread in which creatures exist and gather their experiences.

423 Dakshah –“The Smart” One who undertakes the creation, sustenance and destruction of the Whole Cosmos with ease and efficiency, diligence and promptitude,

424. Visraamah –“The resting place;” “the Quiet.” That State wherein people who suffer in Samsar, can discover a perfect rest and quietude is the consciousness Supreme, Sree Narayana.

425. Visva-dakshinah –“The most skilful and efficient.” All efficiency and skill that we find in the universe among the dynamic living creatures are all His expressions alone, and, therefore, He is the source of all skill and efficiency. Again, He is the One who is the very Creator and Preserver of the whole universe and He must be the most efficient Manager and Administrator among the living creatures.