part 14

Stanza 71

brahmanyo brahmakrit brahmaa brahma brahmavivardhanah
brahmavid braahmano brahmee brahmajno braahmanapriyah.

661. Brahmanyah -One who is a great friend of Brahman. The term Brahman includes in its connotation the Sastra, Tapas, Vedas, Truth, Knowledge, etc. Sree Narayana is a protector and friend of all these. Here Brahman means Jeeva-a friend of all individuals.

662. Brahma-krit -The One Who performs the Brahman-meaning the one who lives in Truth, who abides in Tapas, etc. He is the author of Brahman as enumerated in the explanation of the preceding term.

663. Brahmaa –“Creator.” As the total Creative- power, it is Narayana Who functions as Creator through Brahmnaji.

664. Brahma –“The Biggest, the Vastest, the An- Pervading.” Upanishads thunderingly declare the Brahman to be “Existence-Knowledge Infinite.” The Knowledge which lifts all false perceptions of differences, pure in all its aspects, ever beyond the grasp of the senses, and that which can be experienced only in one’s own Self, is called Brahman.”

665. Brahma-vivardhanah –“One who increases the Brahman.” Here, of course, the term Brahman means “Austerities, Vedas, Truth, Knowledge.” These are increased in one who has earned the Grace of Sree Narayana through total surrender and constant devotion.

666. Brahma-vit –“One Who knows Brahman.” The meaning here is one who has intuited the Vedas and their full commentaries. In Geeta (XV) we listen to the Lord declaring that: “I alone am the Author of the Vedas and the Knower of the Vedas.” Brahman alone can “know” Brahman just as the “dreamer” can never survive to know the “waker.” The knower-of-the-waker is the “Waker” alone. Similarly, the individualised ego conditioned by the equipments of Body, Mind and Intellect experiences the Brahman only when it has transcended the entanglements of matter-and then the ego is no more a Jeeva but “becomes Brahman.” Thus the Higher is experienced only by the Higher. Sree Narayana is the Brahman-and therefore, He alone is the Knower of Brahman.

667. Braahmanah -One who has realised that the pluralistic world is a mere superimposition upon the Brahman caused by an error of judgement, and who experiences the Supreme Consciousness of the One Reality is a Braahmanah. His duty is to convey this knowledge to others with a pure missionary zeal and a higher proselytising enthusiasm. By mere accident of birth one does not become a Braahmanah. Visvamitra and others through their Tapas and Divine Experience had reached the status of Brahmin-hood, so we read in the Puranas. Narayana manifests as such mighty men of realisation, serving their generations through their teachings.

668. Brahmee –“One Who is with Brahma.” The term Brahma meaning as before –“Austerities, Vedas, Truth and Knowledge-divine.”

669. Brahma-jnah -One who lives ever in Brahman, and so “knows” the nature of the Brahman. He, the Lord, being the very Brahman, no one knows His nature as He Himself can. The “waker” alone knows the waking- the “dreamer” and “sleeper” can never realise and experience the waking-state until they “become” the “waker.”

670. Braahmana-priyah -One who is the beloved or and One Who is the lover of true men of full realisation, the Braahmanas. Not the caste, but the men of supreme experience-divine. The Lord is dear to them, and they too are dear to Him.

Stanza 72

mahaakramo mahaakarmaa mahaatejaah mahoragah
mahaakraturmahaayajvaa mahaayajno mahaahavih.

671, Mahaakramah –“Of Great-Step.” Directly we are reminded of the Vamana-Incarnation when the Lord measured the three worlds by His three steps. It also indicates the root meaning of the term, Vishnu-”The one who has the long stride-meaning, “ All-pervading.” Since He is All-pervading, He reaches everywhere earlier than all others.

672. Mahaakarmaa –“One Who performs great deeds.” The creation, the dissolution, the protection and the spread of the Knowledge-of- Truth, all these are indeed great undertakings. He alone performs them, through Maha- Purushas who have surrendered themselves unto Him-those who, in total surrender, have indeed become one with the Lord in love and being.

673. Mahaatejaah –“Of Great Resplendence.” The Upanishads glorify Him in that even the Sun, Moon, the stars and fire have no light of their own. By Him they shine, the Giver of Light to all. In the Geeta, the Lord insists that “The Supreme is the Light of all lights, beyond all darkness” and again He asserts, “Understand that Light in the Sun by which the whole world is illumined, and that Light in the Moon and in the fire to be My own Light.” Here the Light of Consciousness, the Self, is indicated.

674. Mahoragah –“The Great Serpent.” Uraga means serpent In Geeta, Bhagavan says (Among the nagas, the many-hooded serpents, I am Ananta.) Ananta is the five-headed Great Serpent also called Sesha, upon which the Lord Vishnu reclines. Again in Geeta the Lord says (Among the serpents I am Vasuki), Mythologically, this is the serpent adorning Lord Siva's ring finger, Though so small as to become a ring for the Lord, it was this Vaasuki who offered himself as the great rope in churning the milky ocean. This paradox reminds us of the Upanishadic declaration (Smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest).

675. Mahaakratuh –“The Great Sacrifice.” The Supreme cannot be experienced without the greatest sacrifice, the total sacrifice of the Ego, the jeeva-Bhaava. The Great Sacrifice indicates traditionally the Asvamedha Yaaga. There- fore, some commentators explain this term “as one who is of the very form of Asvamedha Yaaga.”

676. Mahaayajvaa –“One Who had performed Great Yajnas.” In the Rama-Incarnation, He had performed Asvamedha- Yaaga. He is the One, by Whose Grace, all “Sacrifices” are fulfilled successfully. One who performs sacrifice properly and faithfully is called Yajvaa.

677. Mahaayajnah –“The Great Yajna,” In Bhagavat Geeta, the Lord in describing His Immanence in the world says to Arjuna: “I am among the Yajnas, the Japa- Yajna.” Lord Narayana Himself is the greatest Yajna- therefore, in devotion approach Him and gain His Grace. The Japa Yajna is glorified by the Lord as the greatest sacrifice because it is both the essential means of all other Yajnas and transcends them all as an end in itself, by maintaining a constant stream of the same divine thoughts in the mind.

678. Mahaa-havih –“The Great Offering.” The yajna is He; the very things offered to the sacred fire, the Havis, are also He. Geeta tells us, “We offer to Brahman that which is Brahman, in the fire which is Brahman, and the act of offering is also Brahman.”

Stanza 73

stavyah stavapriyah stotram stutih stotaa ranapriyah
poornah poorayitaa punyah punyakeertiranaamayah.

679. Stavyah –“One Who is the object of all praise”-meaning, One Who deserves all our praise but One who has none top praise, he is praised by all and he praises none. The jeeva invokes him; the self, the atman, never invokes the ignorant jeeva.

680. Stava-priyah –One who is invoked through the loving chants of the devoted hearts. When a devoted seeker melts away in singing the praise of the lord, his physical, mental and intellectual preoccupations with objects, emotions and thoughts silently roll away from him. In such quiet moments they rise above their present nature and explode into the realms of experiences of the higher state of divine consciousness – Sree Narayana.

681. Stotram –“The hymn.” A glorious hymn, that describes the lords divine nature, itself is he, as the words lift the singer into the experience of the supreme nature of the truth. It is infallible if the singer of the Hymn has full devotion and ardent aspiration to realise him. “Naama” and “Naamee” are one and the same in experience.

682. Stutih –“The act of praise.” The very noble, divine “act of invoking the lord” is by his grace alone.

683. stotaa –“One who adores or praises.” The true devotee, singing the divine hymns is also of the nature of supreme peace, love, beauty, goodness- the divine qualities attributed to the lord in whom he dissolves through his songful identification. Such a devotee in this at–one–ment with Him, the lord praises again and again as “He is the one dear to Me.”

684. Rana-priyah –“Lover of Battles.” Hence we see sree Narayana ever carrying his mace and discuss in order to destroy the vulgar and thus protect the decent. Here “battle” is the constant struggle for evolution.

685. Poornah –“The Full.” The infinite is ever the same. Though things are apparently emerging out of it, still the supreme remains irreducible and without a change. Lord Narayana is Ever-Full with is own glories and powers; One who is full with all the wealth, inner and outer, the supreme lakshmi-pati.

686. Poorayitaa –“The Fulfiller.” Lord Hari fulfils, surely, all the desires and demands of his true devotees.

687. Punyah –“The truly–Holy.” When the devotee’s heart is filled with remembrance of the glorious from divine and infinite nature and supreme of the lord Vishnu, he then, in that very moment, removes all sin from his devotee’s heart. The lord is Auspiciousness itself, so where he is invoked, all inauspiciousness must immediately retire.

688. Punya-keertih –“Of Holy frame.” He is gloriously renowned as the holy one. Whoever glorifies him becomes himself holy. All the unholy animal passions in the devotee are routed and beaten back when his heart is wholly in tune with the lord’s Glory and Form.

689. Anaamayah –One who has neither the mental or physical diseases. Of pure unstained divine essence is his nature. He is not involved in karmas, thus the resultant of the karmas which visit us in terms of mental restlessness or physical pangs, never touch Him.

Stanza 74

manojavasteerthakaro vasurtaah vasurpradah
vasuprado vaasudevo vasurvasumanaah havih.

690. Manojavah –Fleet as the mind is the Lord’s movement. He is anxious to run and reach the devotee to remove his suffering and ignorance. All-pervading is the lord, thus he is faster than all those who run after him – and wherever they reach, the supreme, He, in the form of existence, is already there.

691 Teerthakarah –“The Teacher of the Teerthas” The term, Teertha” means vidyaas. Sree Narayana is the author of the Vidyaa, or auxiliary Sciences Therefore, “One Who is the most ancient Teacher of all Vidyaas and Tantras.”

692 Vasuretaah –“He Whose Essence is Golden.” In the beginning of Creation were the primeval waters Into this One Ocean the Lord dropped His Essence and it became a Golden Egg from which Brahmaa, the Creator, first arose Thus Lord, as the womb of all Creation is mentioned in the Puranas as “Hiranyagarbha,” the Golden Womb

693 Vasupradah –“The Free-Giver of Wealth” Inn this context, Vasu means “Worldly-Wealth”- money, property, grains, possessions, progeny Lord Vishnu who nourishes and maintains all beings with the wealth of His consort, Sree Laksmi, distributes and patronises His devotees very liberally

694. Vasupradah -Again, the same term as we read above, but here if means “The Giver of Salvation” Liberation (Moksa) is the greatest wealth-whom He chooses, Moksha is gained by him alone.

695. Vaasudevah –“The son of Vasudeva,” Lord Krishna. Or “One Who is Vaasu and Deva” “Vaasu” means “One who dwells in all creatures as their ego-centric individuality (Jeeva-raopa).” ‘Deva' means “One who revels” Therefore, this name for Lord Krishna has the appropriate meaning “One who revels in every living creature as the Jeeva-entity in each”.

696 Vasuh –“The Refuge for all.” The One Who dwells within, veiled behind Maayaa, the mind The mind projects this play of things, beings, emotions and thoughts. The world is the shadow-show round the Pure Consciousness Lord declares in Geeta: “I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of all beings.” Thus He alone is the Refuge, for there is no other existence. “All have emerged out from Me, exist in Me and must come back to Me.”

697. Vasumanaah -One who is attentive to, and, therefore, concerned with every object and being in this world: “Omnipresent.”

698. Havih –“The Oblation.” That which we offer unto Him is also permeated by Him-there is nothing other than He, Himself, the same everywhere, in all places, at all times. In Geeta, Lord insists that the “oblations” are nothing but Brahman.”

Stanza 75

sadgatih satkritih sattaa sadbhootih satparaayanah
sooraseno yadusreshthah sannivaasah suyaamunah.

699. Sadgatih –“The goal of good and noble seekers.” Lord Narayana is the Spiritual Goal to be reached. “The Good” here means those who know the existence of Brahman, for the Upanishad says: “If a person knows ‘Brahmaji exists,’ then the wise call him ‘good.”

700. Sat-kritih –“One Who is full of Good Actions.” Lord Hari is the One Who maintains the rhythm of creation and the logic of its preservation. Even through His destructive activities, there is creation only for the sake of the individual and for the good of the world. All His actions are totally in harmony for the establishment of Peace.

701. Sattaa -The Lord is the “One without a second,” and, therefore, remains ever the same, without any differences of genus, species or in Itself.”

702. Sad-bhootih –“One Who has Rich Glories.” The term ‘Glories’ means wealth, power, happiness Or “One who has taken different kinds of Incarnations,” exhibiting in all of them the glories of the Supreme. So immeasurable are the Lord’s Glories that even all these splendours scarcely reveal His Divine Might. Him, whom even the Devas know not; only the Yogis in meditation come to perceive His Eternal Glory.

703 Sat-paraayanah –The Supreme Goal for the “Good” who pursue the path of Truth. Here the “Good” means those who are the Knowers of Brahman.

704 Soora-senah –“One who has heroic and valiant armies” The Incarnations as Rama and Krishna are indicated here in whose armies there were valiant people like Hanuman and Lakshmana, Arjuna, Bheema and others.

705. Yadusreshthah –“The Best among the Yadava clan.” The Glory of the Yadavas-Lord Krishna, Who was an Incarnation of Sree Hari.

706. Sannivaasah –“The Abode of the Good.” The great souls of realisation come to live in Him, the Self; drowned in God-Consciousness, they beam out from that Abode their divinity all around. Bhagavan in Geeta says: “My devotee thus knowing (realising the Truth, the jneyam, seated in the heart of all) enters into My Being.”

707. Suyaamunah -One who is attended by the righteous Yaamunas-meaning Gopas who live on the Yamuna banks. In a metaphysical sense, these Gopas are not the keepers of ‘cows,’ but the keepers of the sacred milk of Knowledge-Upanishads. 

All ritualisms start in Hinduism with a beautiful function-the installation of the Lord in the devotee’s own physical form. This is technically called as Anga-Nyaasa and Kara-Nyaasa. The “Installation in the Limbs”, and the “Installation in the Palm”. This is a method by which the seeker with wilful thoughts and deliberate physical signs sanctifies himself to be a Divine Temple and installs various sacred deities in himself.

This helps the student to realise that though he is worshipping the Lord as a Goal (or an Ideal) other than himself (bheda or anya), in fact, he is to seek his identity with no traces of differentiation (Abheda or Ananya), between himself and the Lord. The final realization is a perfect identity indicated in the Mahaavaakya. “I am Brahman”. (Aham Brahmaasmi).

Neither in the Northern texts nor in the original Mahaabhaarata do we find this ‘subjective installation ceremony’ (Anga-Nyaasa) prescribed. However, pundits of ritualism in the South employ the Anga-Nyaasa; and it being such a beautiful act, so very helpful to the seekers, we give here below the most popular one practised widely in the South.

This “Installation Ceremony” declares to the devotees that the enchanting form of Vishnu is to be ultimately realised as One Infinite Reality without names or forms-in which the recognition of even the distinction of the meditator-meditated- meditation is to cease. Beside this deep significance, even though it be only for the time being, the student is also given a sense of purity and sanctity in himself. Just as a devotee feels highly inspired in the divine atmosphere of a sacred temple, so too, after the Anga-Nyaasa, however shattered we might have been, before we entered the Pooja-room, we can artificially work ourselves up into a divine mood of peace and purity.

The body itself is rendered as the temple of the Lord, wherein the various limbs become the altars upon which, with a heart of love and faith, the devotee invokes and installs various deities. In this process, in order to bring the full blast of the sacred suggestions to him, the repetition of each of these mantras is emphasised by a corresponding physical sign. The idea is only, as we have already explained, to establish the cor

A. asya Vishnu-sahasranaama-stotrasya veda-vyaasa Rishih

For this sacred chant, the “Thousand Names of Lord Vishnu”, Sri Veda Vyaasa is the divine Rishi.

Great mantras of deep spiritual significance and sublime Vedic dignity are not mere poetic compositions by mortal fallible intellects. When a. mastermind through meditation transcends the lower levels of his personality and soars into the higher mental altitudes, through his contemplation, there he ‘receives’ certain ‘revelations’ that are faithfully repeated by them to the world. Such ‘heard’ statements (Srutam) alone have the power to stand against the onslaught of the intellect, the ravages of time, the forces of criticism etc.

Such statements when contemplated upon by lesser seekers, they too, in the spiritual cadence of these mantras, get unconsciously uplifted into realms unknown, and there they come to live a world of experiences unfrequented by the ordinary multitudes. The ‘author of the mantra’ is thus termed in our Vedas as the ‘Seer’ (Mantra- Drashtaa). Such Rishis themselves admit that they did not manufacture, compose or create the mantra, but they had a revelation or vision (Darsanam) of the mantra.

The Mantra- Drashtaa, the Rishi, is the guru of the seeker, who is seeking his path with the help of that particular mantra. The Rishi of a mantra is installed at the roof of the head and the seeker, in his seat of Vishnu-Sahasranaama-chanting,

Symbolism: ... chants this mantra in his mind, and, with his right-hand thumb, middle-finger and ring-finger touches the top of his head

B.  Anushtup Chandah

The metre ("chandah") in which the revealed mantra comes to the teacher is also mentioned because it orders the discipline that should be followed while chanting the mantra. Anushtup is the name of the particular metre in which this thousand-name- chant on Vishnu is sung. The chant is to come out through the mouth, and therefore, the ‘altar of the metre’ can be only the mouth.

Symbolism: The fingers that were touching the roof of the head now come down to touch the lips, when the mantra ‘B’ is repeated in the mind by the seeker.

<

C.  Sri Vishvaroopo Mahaavishnur-Devataa

Lord Vishnu of the form of the entire universe of variegated names and forms (Vishva-roopah) is the deity of the mantra. Vishnu is the theme of the chant. The Lord of Vaikuntha is the altar at which the devotee is preparing to offer himself in humble dedication and utter surrender.

Symbolism: Since Lord Vishnu is, to the devotee, the Lord of his heart, the very centre of his personality, while chanting mentally the mantra 'C' the student, installs the Lord in his heart, bringing the fingers from the lips down to touch his bosom.

D. Devakee-nandanah srashteti Saktih

Every deity is a manifestation of the mighty Omnipotency of the Supreme. The creator and sustainer (Srashtaa) of Dharma, the son of Devaki (Devakeenandana), is the manifested power ("shaktih") of the Almighty.

Symbolism: This creative power of righteous-ness and peace is installed at the navel (naabhi) point, and, therefore, the fingers come down from the heart region to the navel.

E. Sankha-bhrit nandakee chakree iti Keelakam

The mighty Creative Power invoked and established on the navel region cannot be as such conceived by the mind. Therefore, to ‘nail’ it down (Keelakam) and establish it in our comprehension, this mantra conceives ("udbavah") the Power as the Lord, who bears the Conch ("shanka"), the Sword, named Nandaka, and the Discus ("chakra"). This is only to show how the total cosmic Power, expressed in terms of our present understanding as creation, sustenance, and destruction, is but a manifestation of the Lord. The conch (Sankha) represents the ‘call’ of the Reality, the Lord’s own declarations stated in the scriptures. Nandaka, the sword that punishes to bring joy (Nandana) into the community and the destruction, without which evolution is impossible, is represented by the concept of the Discus (Chakra).

Here it is also to be noted that the blowing or the conch represents speech; wielding the sword represents action and the discus that takes off from Him at His will, represents his thoughts. Thus this great Power installed at the navel expresses itself in the world through speech, action and thought.

Symbolism: To conceive fully this form is to hold firmly the Lord’s own feet, and, therefore, when this mantra is mentally chanted, the fingers move away from the navel, and with both hands the seeker touches his own feet.

Here it is to be carefully noted how:

the Guru is kept at the roof of the head,

the Veda (metre) in the mouth,

 the Lord in the heart,

 the Power in the navel and, thereby, the seeker himself becomes so sacred that he prostrates unto himself by holding his own feet.

F. Saarnga-dhanvaa-gadaa-dhara iti Astram

The supreme ("uttamam") Purusha, who is ever up and working for the welfare of all, the Lord ("prabhum") of the world ("jagat") the endless ("anantam") – Sri Maha Vishnu.

Thameva chãr chayanth nithyam bhakthya purusha mavyayam   Dhayãyan sthuvan namasyamsha yajamãnas thamevacha    10

By meditating upon ("sthuvan naama"), by ("cha") worshipping ("archayan") and by prostrating at the same Purusha, man can reach true Auspiciousness.

Anãdhinidhanam vishnum sarva lokamahesvaram  Lokãdhyaksham sthuvan nithyam sarva dhukkã thigo bhavéth

The greatest Dharma is the one Vishnu, who has neither a beginning (Aadi) nor an end (Nidhanam), the supreme Lord ("maheshwaram") of the world. All creatures can go beyond the bonds of samsar, “and he goes beyond all sorrows” who daily ("nityam") chants ("stuvan") the sahasranaamas and within glorifies “the knower of the world” (Lokaadhyaksha).

Brahmanyam sarva dharmangyam lokãnãm keerthivardhanam   Lokanãtham mahath bhootham sarva bhootha bhavothbhavam

Esha mé sarvadharmãnãm dharmodhi kathamo mathaha   Yath bhakthyã pundari kãksham sthavai rar-chén nara ssatha

Paramam yo mahath teja paramam yo mahath thapaha  Paramam yo mahath brahma paramam ya parãyanam

He who is the great ("mahat") effulgence ("tejah"); He who is the Great controller ("tapah"); He who is the Supreme All-Pervading Truth; ("brahma") he who is the Highest (Param) Goal (Ayanam)-the Lord Vishnu.

Pavithrãm pavithram yo mangalãnãncha  mangalam   Daivatham dévathãnãncha bhoothãnãm yovyaya pithã    15

He who is ("yo") the very sanctity ("pavitram") that sanctifies all sacred things ("pavitraanaam"); he who is most auspicious ("mangalam"); he who is the god ("devataa") of gods ("daivatam"); he who is the eternal ("avyayah") father ("pitaa") of all creatures ("bhootaanaam") is the one god – VISHNU.

Yatha sarvãni bhoothãni bhavanthyãdhi yugãgamé   Yasmimscha pralayam yãnthi punaréva yugakshayé

Thasya loka pradhãnasya jagan-nãdhasya bhoopathé   Vishnor nama sahasrm mé srunu pãpa bhayãpaham

Yãni nãmãni gounãni vikyãthãni mahãthmanaha   Rushibhi parigeerthãni thãni vakshãyãmi bhoothayé

Rushirnãmnãm sahasrasya védhavyãso mahãmunihi   Chchando-nushtup thadha dhévo bhaghavãn dhévagee-suthaha

Amruthãm soothbhavo bheejam shakthir dhévaki nandhanaha   Thrisãmã hrudhayam thasya shãnthyarthé viniyujyathe    20

Vishnum jishnum mahãvishnum prabhavishum mahéswaram   Anaika roopa dhaithyãntham namãmi purushoth-thamam

Meanings of the Dialogue------------------------------------------------