part 9

Stanza 26

suprasaadah prasannaatmaa visva-dhrik- visvablluk- vibhuh
satkartaa satkritah saadhur jahnur-naaraayano narah.

236. Suprasaadah -One who is full of the Supreme Grace and who, so little, so easily, becomes so entirely satisfied. Even to those who can remember Him, even if it be in a spirit of constant and faithful antagonism, His Grace is readily available. In Bhaagavata we read Pootanaa, who tried to poison Him, Kamsa, who planned to murder Him, or Sisupaala, who falsely accused Him-all of them were ultimately rewarded by the Lord. In the Geeta, He confesses, “with a little am I satisfied, if it is given with sincerity, and with faithful consistency”.

237. Prasannaatmaa -Ever-Pure and All- Blissful Self. The Supreme is ever-pure because, It is untouched by the sorrows lived by matter, when matter is ruled over by its gunas. In Geeta we read that the cause for all the sorrows of the individuality (Jeeva) is the attachment with matter and its various imperfect conditions (Gunas). Since He is untouched by them He is Ever-Pure; and since no identification of matter is in Him, He is all-Bliss.

238. Visvadhrik -As a Mighty Source of all existence in every thing and every being, He is the Supporter (Dhrik) of the total world of all perceptions, all emotions and all thoughts (Visva).

Herein the Supporter and the supported being essentially one, no calamity comes to the Lord by the increase in population. Ocean, the supporter of the waves, can never feel bothered by the stormy surface and the consequent increase in the number of waves.

239. Visvabhuk -The One who enjoys or swallows (Bhuk) all experiences (Visva). The Supreme Consciousness apparently conditioned by the mind and intellect is the experiencer of the joys and sorrows.

The term also means, “the One who absorbs unto Himself all names and forms” at the time of the dissolution (Pralaya) .In the plane of God-consciousness all other experiences, gathered in fields of waking, dream and deep- sleep, are transcended and, therefore, the State of Perfection can be figuratively indicated as “Visvabhuk” the One who swallows all other experiences of plurality”.

240. Vibhuh -One who manifests Himself in an endless variety of forms. Though essentially the Infinite is One, Non-Dual and All-Pervading, the Reality, when viewed through the equipments of mind-and-intellect (Maayaa) seems to have apparently become the pluralistic world. Mundakopanishad (1-6) says, “He is Eternal and Multiform.” Based upon this idea we have in the Puranas, the description of the Lord's incarnations and His play in the world of the many.

241. Satkartaa -One who revels and adores those who are good and wise. His palace is ever lit up with His hospitality and He Himself presides over the loving reception of the righteous.

242. Satkritah  -One who is adored by all good people, not only is He adored and worshipped by great men of wisdom and devotion-as the Sanatkumaaras, Naarada and others-but He is invoked and worshipped consciously by all living creatures. The Upanishad describes every experience of all living creatures as a Yajna in which the stimuli received are the ‘Oblations’ poured at which the inner Consciousness flares up into brilliancy.

243. Saadhuh -One, who functions strictly according to the righteous code of living is a Saadhuh Atman, the Self, is the Mighty Presence, which apparently lends intelligence and capacity to inert matter. The Supreme Saadhu is Vishnu Himself.

244. Jahnuh -leader of men; the One who leads all creatures along the path of an inexorable law-the law of action and reaction, the rhythm of Karma. Irresistibly, the good is led, by his own subjective disharmony, dashes to reach a hell made by himself for himself.

245. Naaraayanah -This simple sacred word has an endless number of direct and indirect meanings, imports and suggestions, and Vyasa seems to have explored almost all its possibilities.

1. The Shelter (Ayanam) for man (Nara) is Naaraayana.

2. The term Nara implies the ego-centric individuality and a large collection of them is called Naara and the One who is the sole refuge for the entire living creatures is called Naaraayanah.

3. Nara also means Eesvara and the elements (Tattvas) born out of Him are called Naara; and One who is the controller, the regulator, the very source of all Existence. in these very Tattvas is called Naaraayanah.

4. Naaraah also mean “waters”. According to the picture painted in the Puranas of the Deluge, wherein the names, and forms devolve themselves into their elemental waters, the Lord is objectively described as lying alone upon the waters, the Eternal baby, floating upon a banyan leaf. “Holding in His Lotus-hand His own Lotus-feet, and sucking His own toe with His Lotus-lips, the Lotus child resting playfully upon a banyan leaf, floating up on the waters of the Deluge-I meditate.”

It is in this sense, we find Manu interpreting the word “Naaraayana”. In the great devotional classic, Bhaagavatam, we find very many suggestions digged out of this sacred name; such as the ‘Self of all bodies’, “the Dynamic Force behind matter”, “the Witness of all good and bad”. All these indicate that Sri Narayana is nothing other than the Glory (Ayanam) of the Self.

246. Narah  -The Guide: One-who guides all creatures strictly according to their actions is none other than the Ancient (Sanaatana) Self.

Stanza 27

asankhyeyo-aprameyaatmaa visishtah sishta-krit-suchih
siddhaarthah siddhasankalpah siddhidah siddhisaadhanah.

247. Asankhyeyah -Sankhyaa means number; Asankhya=numberless. Asankhyeyah is one who has numberless names and forms. The infinite variety of things and beings that constitute the manifested Universe are all His Own Form, and hence He is indeed numberless, whom He expresses Himself as the Universe. In the 11th Chapter of Geeta, we see through Arjuna’s eyes the Cosmic Form of the Lord. Of boundless forms on every side with numberless arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes-neither end nor middle, nor beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe.

248. Aprameya-Atmaa -Prameya=Pramaana Vishaya-anything that can be known through any of the “Sources-of-knowledge”-direct or indirect. Atman, the Self, cannot be apprehended by the intellect through any of the known “Sources-of-Knowledge” (Pramaana) and so He is called as Aprameya. One who has this nature is the Self, Aprameya-Atmaa, Sri Narayana.

249. Visishtah -The One who transcends every- thing, in His Glory is the Supreme (Visishtah). Something that is other than the three bodies, something other than the five kosas, something definitely different from the finite world of perishable things is the Infinite Self-which cannot be defined in terms of either the waking or the dream or the sleep conditions. The Self is something other than all these:

 This Supreme-most Troth is Maha Vishnu.

250. Sishtakrit -One who governs; One who is the Law Maker and the Law that governs the universe. The goal of His administration is the protection of the good (Sishtah). Maha Vishnu is the Governor of all, and the Protector of the good.

251. Suchih -One who is Pure. The immaculate Reality which is never contaminated by the Maayaa and its by- products is Maha Vishnu. When dirt (Mala) exists upon anything, it becomes unclean. In the Absolute Oneness there can be nothing other than itself and therefore the Fourth-plane-of- Consciousness (Tureeyam) is indicated in our Scriptures as the Transcendental Ever-Pure Self, Sri Hari.

252. Siddhaarthah  -One who has gained all that has to be gained and achieved all that has to be achieved. That which has to be achieved in life during an individual’s existence have all been classified under four heads and they are called as the four “aims of life” (Purushaartha). Theyare Righteousness in conduct, (Dharma), Wealth and Possession (Artha), desires and ambitions (Kaama), liberation from imperfections (Moksha). One who has gained all these “four” have nothing more to gain as there cannot be any sense of imperfection in Him. One who has gained (Siddhah) all that has to be gained (Arthah) is Siddhaartha, Lord Vishnu.

253. Siddhasankalpah -Sankalpa means “intellectual willing and wishing”. One who gains all that He wishes for, or One who immediately gains what He wills is called Siddha-sankalpah. Ordinarily we fail to gain what we demand because of the disintegration within ourselves. The Lord, the Perfect, is One who instantaneously gains all that He wishes; hence the Upanishads define Him as the Satya Sankalpavaan. This great Paramesvara of the Upanishads is the Maha Vishnu, the theme of the “Thousand Chants’ (Sahasranaama).

254. Siddhiddah -One who is the Giver of the appropriate reward for all actions, for those who are doing spiritual practices. Lord Narayana is the great Universal Power that brings about the reward for all actions.

255. Siddhi-Saadhanah -One who is the very secret force which enables the seeker to diligently continue all efforts of his seeking. Siddhi ordinarily means “fulfilment”, here it means all efforts at a given fulfilment. It is also interpreted by some as the One Mighty Reality, to worship at whose altar is the very means (Saadhana) for all achievements (Siddhi), and this is Sri Narayana.

Stanza 28

vrishaahee vrishabho vishnur-vrishaparvaa vrishodarah
vardhano vardhamaanascha viviktah sruti-saagarah.

256. Vrishaahee -The term Vrishah is very familiar with the ritualistic portion of the Vedas and it connotes objectively the sacred “Left over” after the Yajna functions. Subjectively, Vrisha means the residual ‘results’ gathered in the personality after each devoted and dedicated act of offering, during all Self-less services (Yajnas). Therefore, Vrishaahee means “One who is a controller of all actions and the dispenser of all results”, in all individual, conscious, intelligent creatures.

257. Vrishabhah -The term Vrisha though not very familiar now is used in the Vedic literature to indicate Dharma-“the essential nature of a thing without which the thing cannot remain as the thing” is its Dharma. One who showers all Dharmas is called Vrishabhah. In short, one who showers glowing health, burning devotion and thrilling silence on all sincere seekers and faithful devotees is Vrishabhah; and He is Sri Narayana.

258. Vishnuh -All-Pervading: Long-Strident. We had already explained this term earlier (2). In Mahabharata we also read the Lord Himself explaining to Arjuna, “Because I stand striding across the Universe (Kramanaat), O Partha, I am known as Vishnu.” -(Mahabharata 12-350-43).

In the Upanishad also we read, “Vishnu has spread Himself and conquered all these three worlds.

259. Vrishaparvaa -We had already explained that Vrisha means Dharma. The term Parvam means “Ladder”, “a flight of steps” that takes us to the Higher floors (Hence Parvata means mountain). Thus, here, the term is explained as a flight of steps on the ladder of life to take one to the Ultimate Reality, the Eternal (Sanaatana) Dharma: “1 am the way”. Vishnu is the One to worship at whose altar will facilitate the devotee’s steady evolution towards the experience of the Higher consciousness.

260. Vrishodarah -Vrisha, that which rains; Udara = belly. The idea here is the seat of all-creative thinking is resting on a psychic, centre, roughly indicated by the navel, and hence we find the description that the total Creator of the universe is sustained and held aloft at the navel of Maha Vishnu. During Pralaya (sleep) the “creative power” merges back to its source, and thereafter, upon waking, the creation again starts; the creative power” manifests itself and continues its creative activities, from the same point of Its merger, (Udara). This culminating point of all creation, during the time of the dissolution-which is also the same from wherein, during creation, the manifestations of names and forms spring forth (shower down = Vrisha)- is Vishnu, the Supreme, and hence, He is called as Vrishodarah, “the Showering Belly.”

261. Vardhanah -One who is the nurturer and nourisher everywhere, at all levels of life, both material and spiritual. In short, from the standpoint of the student, who is studying with devotion these “Thousand names of the Lord”, the term indicates that Vishnu is the Mighty Power that supplies all spiritual growth, provides all well-being and ultimately blesses all His devotees with the final Realization.

262 Vardhamaanah  -One who can grow Himself into any dimensions; ever-growing. Since the names and forms of the universe are ever dynamic and has the unseen movement of progressive evolution everywhere, the Lord is indicated here as this very “dimensional movement of progress” (Vardhana). (The Pauraanikas attribute that this name came to Him because He in His Vaamana incarnation grew

Himself to measure under His three steps the whole universe.

263. Viviktah -Alone=solitary. Every standing apart from everything. With reference to the dream and the dreamer, the waker is, we knew, indeed, separate. Similarly the world of names and forms and its joys and sorrows, passions and lusts, smiles and tears, though they all play in the Self, the Supreme is not affected by them.

The horrid “ghost” cannot affect the innocent “post”. One who thus remains alone and apart, in His Own Majesty and perfection, even when the world-of-Maayaa is heaving about is Viviktah. In the daily happenings of Samsar, in its births and deaths, He remains ever changeless and ever unaffected. This freedom is indicated in the Geeta and the Lord explains: “They are in me; I am not in them

264. Srutisaagarah -The ocean for all the rivers of all scriptural thoughts. All scriptures, irrespective of the age, language, tradition and beliefs, ultimately indicate a Theme which is ever the same. All scriptures are rivulets of thoughts, flowing through different terrains of national character and historical climates, gushing to reach forward the ocean of Perfection, which lies beyond the dark sorrows of mortality. That which is the goal of all Scriptures is the Immortal Bliss of God-consciousness, the Maha Vishnu.

Stanza 29

subhujo durdharo vaagmee mahendro vasudo vasuh
naika-roopo brihad-roopah sipivishtah prakaasanah.

265. Subhujah -He who has graceful arms. This need not be taken as a description of the physical beauty of the anatomical structure of the arms but since those arms are ever working in the service of His devotees on sheltering them (Abhaya) and in blessing them (Varada) they are full of grace and hence graceful.

266. Durdharah  -One who cannot be comprehended even by Great Yogis, who spend long periods of time in meditation. Transcending the mind and intellect is the “experience” of the Supreme and, therefore, the mind and intellect can never comprehend It.

267. Vaagmee -One who is eloquent of His Glory. The full sense or the term should embrace not only the eloquence in speech, but all physical capabilities in the world, all the Glories or the cosmos, all the beauties or the heart, the total might of the intellect-all are eloquent of His Glory. Through the scriptures of the world, it is again He, who speaks to us of our ultimate Harbour beyond the stormy seas; of Maayaa, in the simple words of brilliant suggestions declared by the Saints, Sages, Rishis, Prophets and other Divine Men.

268. Mahendrah -One who is Lord of even Indra, the Lord or gods. In philosophy the “Mind” is called lndra (lndriyaanaam Raajaa) and One who is the Lord of even the “mind” is the Self.

269. Vasudah -Vasu means wealth and, therefore Vasudah means One who enriches all, both in their outer prosperity and in their inner well-being. Once surrendered unto Him man learns to live ever in dynamic success, with all the glories of the loving heart, self-controlled mind, and contemplative intellect.

270. Vasuh –The term Vasu has got three meanings: Wealth (Dhana), Veil (Aacchaadana) and Sun (Aaditya); thus He is the One who manifests Himself in the form of the external wealth, for He, as the very sun, nurtures and nourishes the world. He is the One, who veils Himself from the comprehension and understanding of the unprepared men of evil temperaments and who possess no true devotion.

The term Vasu also can mean “One who lives in” (Vasati iti) all things and beings of the universe; or it can also mean as “One who allows all things and beings to exist in Himself” (Vaasayati iti). In Geeta and in the Upanishads we find the Infinite described as the very Indweller everywhere in His Eesvara status, and as the very substratum for the universe in the Pure Transcendental nature.

271. Naikaroopah -One who is of Infinite forms in his manifestations; the single waker’s mind becomes itself variegated to serve as the endless items of the dream-world. The One Supreme “Cause” of the whole Universe is Vishnu; and all “effects” are but different expressions of their “cause”. In a very familiar chant, traditionally repeated by all devotees, this Idea has been brought out beautifully.

Looking at Him through our distorting instruments of body-mind-intellect, we see the plurality, and only on transcending this equipment can we “experience” the Oneness of the Absolute Reality.

272. Brihadroopah -Vast of Infinite dimensions; pervading all. One whose very form (roopa) is the totality of the universe and therefore as vast as the universe, nay, in the description of the Supreme Person in the Rig Veda (Purusha- sookta) we read the Rishis declaring that Vishnu is not only of the total size and dimension of the Universe but He stands beyond it all by ten digits. – “Atyatishthat Dasaangulam”.

273. Sipivishtah -Sipi is the name given to the “Sacrificial cow”. The term denotes the One who sanctified all dedicated offerings poured into all fields of selfless sacrifices  (Yajna). The root Si has also the meaning of waters; Sipi-‘that which drinks water’ –“The rays of the Sun”.  Thus Sipivishtah would indicate the Supreme, who is the Presiding deity in the Sun, giving it both its energy of heat and light. In Geeta, the Lord confesses: “Understand that the light and energy that expresses themselves through the sun and moon is the Light and Glory essentially belonging to Me”.

274. Prakaasanah –The One who illuminates; expressing Itself as the All-pervading Consciousness in every equipment. He is the knower, knowing everything in each bosom (Sarvavit) and knowing all things that are happening in the universe at one and the same time in His omnisciency (Sarvajnah). He is the Illuminator of all experiences. Just as the One sun illumines everything in the world the Reality illumines both the fields of experiences and the knower-of- the-field.

Stanza 30

ojas-tejo-dyutidharah prakaasa-aatmaa prataapanah
riddhah spashtaaksharo mantras-chandraamsur-bhaaskara- dyutih.

275. Ojas-tejo-dyutidharah  -One who is the possessor (Dharah) of Perfect physical virility (Ojas), all brilliancy (Tejas) and every beauty (dyuti). These three terms indicate perfection at three different levels of personality known to us at present. Ojas is glowing health (physical) due to perfect balance in the constituents (Tattvas) of the healthy body. This virility in us when conserved, disciplined and trained can, through meditation, be converted into intellectual “brilliancy” and perfect personality “integration”.

The shine of an individual, who has thus sublimated Ojas, is termed in our Sastras as tejas. A Yogi, through intelligent living and through a devoted life of continued meditation, has thus gathered to himself ojas and Tejas sufficiently, he, in time, grows to become an experienced Saint of Divine Realization, a Buddha. The enchanting atmosphere of irresistible peace and compassion, love and perfection, knowledge and strength, such a man throws around him, is called the aura of Divinity (Dyuti). In the lOth Chapter of the Geeta, the Geetacharya autobiographically confesses, “I am the Might in all strength; I am the Brilliancy in all that is brilliant.”

Some commentators are found to take these three terms as separate names of the Lord. However, Sankara interprets it as one single term.

276. Prakaasaatmaa  -The Effulgent Self. The One who is the Self in all hearts, who can be experienced as the Consciousness, which is the source of all illumination to shine upon all experiences in the three planes-of-consciousness, in all living creatures, at all times. This Universal and Absolute Self is Maha Vishnu.

277. Prataapanah  -The One who manifests Himself as the Essential Thermal Energy, that lends Life Potential to the very atmosphere around each living creature. In the words of the Geetacharya, we find a confirmation to thus declaration when the Lord declares to Arjuna that He Himself is the Reality that manifests as the heat and light in the Sun and the Moon, and it is He again who warms up the crust of the earth and impregnates it with its fertility. (Geeta XV-12 & 13).

 278. Riddhah -One who is ever full of all prosperity. As the very Lord of Lakshmi, Vishnu should be one who has all glories (Aisvarya). When the entire universe of wealth, strength and beauty is itself a manifestation from Him, He Himself must be the Absolute Glory.

279. Spashta-aksharah -Spashtam=clear. One who is clearly indicated by the Supreme Sound (Akshara), the famous Sound-Symbol of the Eternal Lord Om. In Geeta we read: “One who chants my name Om and leaves his body at the time of death thus remembering Me, he shall go to the Supreme State” In Sanskrit, Kshara means the “Perishable” and Akshara means the “imperishable.” The world of plurality, the “perishable” is no doubt nothing other than the All-Perfect, the Immutable Truth, but due to the imperfections of the instruments-of-perception-body, mind and intellect-the perceiving ego can experience only this world constituted of a plurality-sense objects, emotions and thoughts- The ego peeping through the vehicles can never experience the One co-ordinating Reality, the Divine. When the mind is hushed and the ego thus sublimated, the Immutable Akshara-factor is experienced, wherein we gain the clearest (Spashta) understanding of the Absolute. Since it is thus clear (Spashta) only in Its Immutable nature (Akshara=Kootastha), Vishnu, the Supreme Self, is indicated here as Spashtaaksharah).

280. Mantrah -One who is of the nature of the Mantras of the Vedas. The declarations of the Vedas the mantras are the vehicles that will take us straight into an experience of the Transcendental. The vehicles are often called by the nan1e of their destination. Mantra means that which can save us on being properly meditated upon. Only through the mantras of the Upanishads we ever come to experience the Supreme Nature of the Lord, and so He is named as Mantrah.

281. Chandraamsuh  -Rays of the moon. That the moonlight has got an effect upon the herbs was known to India in the Vedic period. “As the rays of the moon (Soma) I fill the vegetable kingdom with nutrition”, confesses Bhagavan Vaasudeva. Thus the Lord is One who nurtures and nourishes all living creatures instilling into each its particular vitality. Though this is the deep philosophical significance, superficially the beauty, calm and peace that the moon suggests to our mind is but a reflection of the Infinite Peace of Vishnu.

282. Bhaaskaradyutih  -The Effulgence of the Sun. Sun is the centre of the solar system, an eternal exchequer of energy, ever distributing Life and Strength to all living upon the earth; life would have been impossible but for the Sun. At the same time, the Sun stays where he is and he never interferes with life; from afar he blesses life. The Lord who thus from afar blesses by His mere presence is the true Sun of Life, the Atman, the Self- Sree Maha Vishnu.

Stanza 31

amritaamsoodbhavo bhaanuh sasabinduh suresvarah
aushadham jagatas-setuh satya-dharma-paraakramah.

283. Amritaamsoodbhavah  -The moon who has consoling rays that gives the essential food value (Rasa) to the plants and fruits is called in Sanskrit as Amritaamsuh. In the Puranas it is described that the moon was first born from the milky-ocean during its churning. Since Vishnu is described as ever reposing upon His Ananta-bed in Ksheerasaagara, the Lord is Himself termed here as the Begetter of the Moon. Subjectively Moon (Mati) is the Presiding Deity of the intellect, and the discriminating intellect itself arose when our bosom started churning the heart by the two forces, the positive -the good (Deva) -and the negative -Vicious (Asuras). If the Sun is the Presiding Deity of energy, moon represents the world of matter, and the very source from which the world-of-matter, Kshetra, has risen is Amritaam- soodbhavah.

284. Bhaanuh -Self-Effulgent; One who expresses Himself for the blessing of the world in the form of the Sun and presides over the entire solar system.

285. Sasabinduh -The patch in the moon looks like the silhouette of a rabbit for the naked eye; that which has a “beauty-spot” (Bindu) in the shape of a rabbit (Sasa) is called Sasabindu -the moon. Since the Lord is the Nourisher of all and He is Himself the entire world of matter, He Himself is the Moon “that nourishes with essence all plant kingdom”.

286. Suresvarah -Sura means Deva and so the term indicates “the God of all gods”. The word Sura also can be dissolved to mean Giver (Ra) of Plenty (Su); Sura therefore stands for a person of extreme charity .The Lord, Eesvara, who prompts and fulfils the loving kindness of all charitable men is Suresvarah, Lord Vishnu.

287. Aushadham -Medicine. Narayana is the Divine Medicine for the immediate cure for all the burning sorrows of Samsar. Even to consider it more directly as the specific cure for all bodily ailments is not necessarily wrong, for ailments of the body are caused by mental disintegration, and when the inner man has surrendered in devotion to Him, Lord Narayana indeed becomes a specific cure for even all the physical diseases of His devotees.

288. Jagatassetuh  -A reclamation bund thrown across waters connecting distant islands to the main land is called Setu. Sri Ramachandraji built one and reached Lanka. The term Jagatassetuh, therefore, implies that the Lord is Himself the Bridge over which one can safely cross over the realm of egocentric imperfections and reach the joyous realms of the Infinite Perfection.

289. Satyadharmaparaakramah -One who champions heroically for Truth (Satya) and Righteousness (Dharma). It can also imply as One who has Truthfulness (Sat yam), Righteousness (Dharma) and Heroism (Paraakramah) .In short, Lord is One, who fights constantly against the false and the unrighteous to establish Truth and Purity.

Stanza 32

bhoota-bhavya-bhavan-naathah pavanah paavano-analah
kaamahaa kaamakrit-kaantah kaamah kaamapradah prabhuh.

290. Bhoota-Bhavya-Bhavan-Naathah - The Lord of the three periods of time: the past, the present and the future. Lord of Time is the One, in whose presence alone, time concept is possible. “Time” is the interval between “thoughts” and the Awareness that illumines the rise and fall of thoughts is the very Lord of Time. Objectively He is the Lord of all those, that exist in the three periods of time; or He to whom all creatures conditioned by time, pray for comforts, solace and protection.

291. Pavanah  -One who purifies everything. Or One who manifests as the life-giving atmosphere around the world and sustains the existence everywhere.

292. Paavanah -In the earlier term “Pavanah” the Lord is indicated as the One who has, in the form of the atmospheric air, filled the universe. He is the One who sustains life in all living creatures as the life-giving atmospheric air. Here, the present term “Paavanah” means the One who gives this life-sustaining power to the atmospheric air. It is very well-known that the moving air (Breeze) purifies more than any other known thing in the world. This purifying power is acquired by the atmosphere by His Grace. In short, He is the secret glory that lends the atmosphere, the very life-sustaining property for the air, and He is the dynamism that moves the air.

293. Analah  -The term itself means Fire. So He who is in the form of fire, and sustains life. A certain amount of minimum thermal heat is necessary for life to continue, be it in the human body or be it in the Earth itself. This warmth of life in the world around and in the organism itself, without which life cannot continue. that mighty warmth of life is none other than the Lord, and hence, He is called Analah. Also the term ‘Ana’ has the meaning of Praana, and ‘La’ means to receive. Therefore, the term can also imply “One who is the very Self, the very Vital Factor, in the Praana”.

294. Kaamahaa -One who destroys all desires. Desires spring forth from the Vaasanaas. We can experience the Self only on transcending the vaasanaas. Just as the sun is the destroyer of night, similarly, the Pure consciousness, the Atman and the Vaasanaas cannot remain at the one and the same time. The Vaasanaas end when the Atman is experienced. From the devotees’ stand-point, He is the One who fulfils all his desires. Or He who is the father of Kaama, Pradyumna, which again is one of the names of Vishnu.

Desire is the source from which endless series of other sources of sorrows flow into the human life. When a desire arises in the mind, only two things are possible. Either we fulfil the desire or we do not. In case we get our desires fulfilled, it is natural for the human mind to crave for more and thus he becomes restless due to greed. If, on the other hand, the desire is not fulfilled, anger rises and when anger increases, it brings about delusion of the mind and makes the victim see things in others, in himself and the situation he is in, which are not in fact there around him. In such a deluded one, Wisdom slips away and, naturally, therefore, his discriminative power cannot function, since he cannot judge the present situation with reference to any standard ideal that he had in the past. When the rational discriminative power fades away that man falls completely off the dignity of mall and becomes worse than a brute. Geeta charters thus, a steady psychological fall in a spiritual being, and this entire chain of self-destruction springs forth from desire. A devotee, or a meditator, when he approaches this Great Reality, existing in the subjective Core of his own personality, he transcends all the realms of his desires and passions and, therefore, this Great Inner Self is indicated here as the “Destroyer of all Desires”. He is the One who fulfils all desires in His devotees, and thus bring about a calm fullness of joy within.

295. Kaama-krit -One who fulfils all desires. The implications have been indicated in the analysis of the previous term. It can also mean as the Very Creator of the Lord of Love-Kaama Deva. Even though desires spring forth from the realm of the Causal Body, constituted of the Vaasanaas without the thrilling touch of the Self, even Vaasanaas cannot express all by themselves. In that sense of the term, the very agitations of desire, erupt from His Grace. Hence, He is called the Kaama-krit.

296. Kaantah -One who is of enchanting form. Infinite Beauty is the very nature of the Self, and the Upanishads define the Self as Saantam-Sivam-Sundaram.

The aestheticism in man craves for harmony and where we experience the greatest of harmony, there we detect the presence of beauty. In front of beauty, the entire personality of an intelligent man becomes calm and peaceful, hushed in silence, transported to ecstasy. These are moments when the meditator has transcended his Sheaths and is in union with the Pure Self. Naturally therefore, the Pure personality of an intelligent man becomes calm and peaceful. Self is indicated here as Kaantah-Divine Auspicious form of Absolute Beauty.

297. Kaamah  -One who is the beloved. Not only He is the beloved of the devotees, but every activity of all living creatures is an attempt at courting and winning bliss and happiness. The Blissful Self is the goal of all creatures in life. Even insignifical1t unicellular organisms revolt against pain, and they too seek happiness. Man is no exception. The Infinite Bliss which is experienced only on transcending the body, mind and intellect, is that which is constantly demanded by every organism that breathes in this universe. In the ignorance of this All Satisfying Goal, the world suffers. That Lord is the beloved of all devotees, and in fact, He is also the beloved of even those who deny Him and run after the sense- objects. The theist seeks Him through devotion or meditation. The atheist too seeks Him only in and through all his diligent pursuits of the sense-stimuli.

298. Kaamapradah –One who supplies the desired objects; One who fulfils all desires To the devotee, the Lord, is the giver of all desired objects, and to a man of meditation, the Lord is that state-of-mind where all desires are fulfilled- in the sense that no more can any desire linger in his heart after the Experience-Divine

299. Prabhuh -He is the Lord, the Master, the Owner, the proprietor. One who has all powers to do, not to do and to do otherwise is called the Great Lord.

Stanza 33

yugaadi-krit yugaavarto naikamaayo mahaasanah
adrisyo vyaktaroopascha sahasrajit anantajit.

300. Yugaadi-krit -One who is the creator of the divisions of aeons, described in our Puranas, as Yugas. These Yugas are four in number. Kritam, Tretaa, Dvaapara and Kali. In short, He is the Lord of Time. By the term Aadi, it must be understood to indicate all other divisions of Time as Centuries, Years, Months, Weeks, Days, Hours, Minutes and Seconds. He is not only the Lord of the Yugas, but He is the Light of Consciousness that illumines the duration of each experience and the very interval between every pair of subjective experiences.

301. Yugaavartah  -In the previous term the Lord is indicated as the Creator of the Yugas, and here we are told that He is also the Power behind the wheel of time that goes on changing and repeating itself, i.e. not only He is the Lord of Time, but He is the Mighty Administrator of the performances of Time, the very Law behind the constant flow of the flood of time.

302. Naikamaayah -One whose delusory forms are endless and variegated. According to Puranas, for the sake of sustaining the world and maintaining its order and rhythm, the Lord had taken different forms, each of His manifestations well-suited for the times of His arrival. Thus, we have ten in- carnations. Also, in that mighty manifestations of the Lord, as Krishna and Raffia, we find descriptions of how one and the same entity generated different attitudes and emotions in different types of people. In short, one who has realised the Self, can thereafter freely play through all his existing Vaasanaas and none of them can ever entangle him, because he has grown to be the master of his own Vaasanaas. Maayaa, otherwise called as Avidyaa, is constituted of the Vaasanaas in us, forming our Causal Body. One who has transcended this is the One who has realised the Infinite. Lord is therefore, one who is without Maayaa in Him. An individual entity, like us, is one who is under the tyrannies of Maayaa. The Lord is one who can wield Maayaa for His purpose without Himself becoming involved in it.

303. Mahaasanah -This word can be dissolved as He who eats up everything. One who swallows up all perceptions, emotions and thoughts, created by the Vaasanaas, at the various levels of personality, due to our own individual Vaasanaas. At the time of Samaadhi when the limited ego is ended and the Supreme is experienced all the expressions of Vaasanaas are, as it were, swallowed by that Infinite Experience, and therefore, this Great Vishnu is called as the “Consumer of Everything.”

304. Adrisyah -Through the sense-organs, the mind and intellect at this moment, we are aware of the outer objects and our subjective emotions and thoughts. The ultimate Reality is neither the objects perceived by us, nor the instruments of our perception. He is the Subjective Core, the Eternal Essence, wherein, the perceived and the instruments of perceptions are all totally absent. This Subjective Reality must necessarily be, by Its very nature, not an object-of- perception, and hence, It is called as the Imperceptible meaning, He is the very Perceiver in all perceptions.

305. Vyakta-roopah -He who has a form- clearly perceptible to the meditator in his meditation. The contradiction is so smotheringly apparent because of the very placing of the term. It is only just-now, in the above term, that we are told that the Lord is imperceptible (Adrisyah) and the very following term declares that He is perceptible. Here it means that though He is not perceptible with the physical instruments of perceptions, yet on transcending the equipments, the Yogi intimately comes to experience the entire Divine Glory of the Self. Though, ordinarily it is not easy to see Him, in the devotee's heart, the Lord comes to play vividly and drives the devotee mad in his ecstasy.

306. Sahasra-jit -One who vanquishes thou- sands. In all the Puranas everywhere, it is found that the Incarnations manifest to destroy the diabolically fallen (Raakshas) who approach the good in endless hoards to annihilate them. One who conquers over these diabolical forces is the Lord Vishnu.

Subjectively the hosts of passions and lusts, greeds and jealousies which invade the inner bosom, and loot away the seeker’s tranquillity and peace, are all ultimately vanquished by this Higher Consciousness and therefore, the Self is indicated as the one who is ever victorious over all the hoards of our lower impulses.

307. Ananta-jit -Ever-victorious. The victory of the Lord is endless; in every Incarnation, He alone wins in the end. The victory over negative forces becomes complete when once the Higher Consciousness is experienced, and hence, the Self is indicated here as Ananta-jit.

Stanza 34

ishto visishtah sishteshtah sikhandee nahusho vrishah
krodhahaa krodhakrit kartaa visvabaahur maheedharah.

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308. lshtah -This term can be interpreted in two ways. One who is invoked through the different types of Vedic rituals (Yajnas), is Ishtah. Or, it can also mean, One who is loved by all. The Lord being the very centre of all love in everyone. The Brihadaranyakopanishad very clearly indicates this idea in almost unvarnished words: “The man loves his wife not because of the wife, but because of himself. ...etc.”

All love spring from our personal love for the Infinite which is the Self in us.

309. Visishtah -One who is the noblest and the most sacred. Vishnu, the Lord, dwells in the heart of every- one. He is the sole essence presiding over every physical, mental and intellectual activities in every living creature and, therefore, He is indicated by this term.

310. Sishta-ishtah -To all spiritually minded good people and therefore sincere seekers, the Lord is the greatest beloved in-as-much as, He represents the Goal and the Destination of all devoted seekers. In short, He is the Supreme Beloved for all spiritually inclined divine hearts.

He can also mean that the Lord is one who Himself is sincere and ardent lover and courtier of all devotees, sincerely and diligently seeking Him. There are commentators who indicate that the term can also mean: One who is being constantly invoked and help in adoration by all true devotees with their physical, mental and intellectual activities.

311. Sikhandee -One who wears ‘Sikhanda’ meaning “the peacock feather”, Lord Krishna is described in Bhagavat as having adorned with the ‘eye’ of the peacock feather, especially in his early child and boy-hood.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stanza 35

achyutuh prathitah praanah praanado vaasavaanujah
apaam nidhiradhishthaanam apramattah pratishthitah

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

326. Pratishthitah -Everything in the world depends upon something else to serve as its cause. Since all things that we perceive and experience in the world are all effects, they have their own causes, and the effects must necessarily depend upon the cause for their very existence. The Supreme Lord is the One uncaused Cause with reference to whom everything is only an effect. Since He is thus the ultimate Cause, He is not depending upon anything other than Himself. This self-established Reality is indicated by the term Pratishthitah.