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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "champakam" <champakam@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 11:44 PM
Subject: [Oppiliappan] SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 107. nAma-s 998, 
999. rathA'nga-pANiH, akshob


    SrImate SrI ra'nga rAmAnuja mahA deSikAya namaH.

        SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 107 -
      nAma-s 998, 999. rathA'nga-pANiH, akshobhyaH.

998. rathA'nga-pANiH - He Who is armed with the wheel in His hand.

Om rathA'nga-pANaye namaH.

rathA'ngam, cakram pANau yasya iti rathA'nga-pANiH.- He Who has the
discus in His hand.  SrI vAsishTha gives the following derivation:
The word ratha is derived from the root ramu - krIDAyAm - to play, to
sport; by the application of the uNAdi sUtra 2.2, the affix kthan is
added, leading to the word ratha - chariot (ramate = krIDati yasmin
yena vA rathaH).  The word a'nga is derived from the root agi - to
go.  rathah a'ngati yena tad rathA'ngam - That which makes the
chariot go is rathA'ngam or wheel.

In one interpretation for this nAma, the reference is to the wheel or
discus in His hand.  We studied the nAma cakrI (nAma 995), and one
might feel that there is redundancy between the two nAma-s.  SrI
BhaTTar points out that in nAma 995, bhagavAn being the Possessor of
the Ayudham or weapon was described, whereas in the current nAma His
readiness for action (having the cakra ready in His hand for release)
is described, and thus there is no repetition.  It is His readiness
for action at all times that is enjoyed in the current nAma.  In
periya tiruvantAdi-87 this readiness is described by nammAzhvAr
as "eppozhudum kai kazhalA nEmiyAn" - He Who has the discus that
never leaves His hand.

Another interpretation given for the nAma is  a reference to the
incident where bhagavAn jumped from the chariot and rushed towards
bhIshma during the mahA bhArata war with the wheel of the chariot in
His hand, just to make the promise of His devotee bhIshma come true,
even when it involved His breaking His own promise not to take to
weapons during the war.  SrImad SrImushNam ANDavan reminds us of this
incident in explanation of this nAma.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to bhIshma's own description of this
incident:

   sva-nigamam apahAya mat-pratij~nAm Rtam adhikartum avapluto
rathasthaH |
   dhRta ratha caraNah abhyayAt calatguH haririva hantum ibham
gatottarIyaH  ||  (bhAga. 1.9.37)

   "Giving up His promise not to take arms in the battle, and just to
fulfill my promise that I will make Him take arms, He who had
ascended the chariot jumped down and rushed towards me with the haste
that made the earth shake, like a lion that was rushing to kill an
elephant".

SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN also gives the interpretation in terms of
bhagavAn bearing the wheel of the chariot in order to fulfill the vow
of His devotee - bhakta pratij~nA pratipAlakatAm ati-SlAghyatvAt
punarAha rathA'ngapANiriti bhIshmam prati pradarSitam etat.

999. akshobhyaH - He Who is unshakable.

Om akshobhyAya namaH.

We studied this nAma earlier in Slokam 86 - nAma 807.   Please refer
to that write-up for additional insights on bhagavAn's akshobhyatvam.

SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the following derivation for the nAma:
The nAma is derived from the root kshubh kshobh - sa'ncalane - to be
agitated or disturbed.  The application of pANini sUtra 3.1.124 - R-
halor-Nyat, results in the word kshobhyah, giving the sense of
SakyArthe arhArte vA - `one who is capable of', and `or one who is
fit to be'.. Thus, khshobhyah means `one who can be agitated,
perturbed, shaken', and akshobhyaH means "One who cannot be shaken' -
na kshobhayitum = sa'ncalayitum Sakyah akshobhyah.

SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam is - prapanna abhaya dAna dArDhyAt sva-
mahimnA'pi akshobhyaH - He Who cannot be shaken from the firm vow
that He has taken to protect those who have surrendered to Him;  this
vow of His cannot be shaken even by His own Great Self".   One is
reminded of the words of bhagavAn found in SaraNagati gadyam of
bhagavad rAmAnuja:

- anRtam nokta pUrvam me na ca vakshye kadAcana  - I have never
uttered an untruth before, and will never utter one ever.
- rAmo dvir-nAbhibhAshate - rAma never talks with two tongues
- sakRdeva prapannAya tavAsmI ca yAcate   |
abhayam sarva bhUtebhyo dadAmyetad vratam mama   || (yuddha. 18.33)
"It is My vow to protect unconditionally from every living being,
anyone that surrenders to Me even once, or seeks my protection
saying "I am your servant"".
- sarva dharmAn parityajya mAm ekam SaraNam vraja  |
aham tvAsarva pApebhyo mokshayishyAmi mA Sucah  ||  (gItA 18.66)
"Completely relinquishing all Dharma-s, seek Me alone for refuge.  I
will release you from all sins.  Grieve not".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points to the incident where sItA tries to
persuade rAma not to bear arms while in the forest, but to follow the
path of penance instead.  Lord rAma's response is that He had given
His word to the Rshi-s in the forest that they will be protected from
the rAkshasa-s at all costs, and that He won't swerve from His word
even if it involves losing sItA and lakshmaNa:

apyaham jIvitam jahyAm tvAm vA sIte sa-lakshmaNam     |
na tu pratij~nAm samSrutya brAhmaNebhyo viSeshatah  ||  (AraNya.
10.19)

"O sItA! I would rather give up My life, or even you and lakshmaNa,
than break My promise, especially that which has been made to
brAhmins".

      Lord rAma reinforces His commitment to protect anyone who
approaches Him with sincerity, during vibhIshaNa SaraNAgati:

mitra bhAvena samprAptam na tyajeyam katha'ncana   |
dosho yadyapi tasya syAt satAm etat agarhitam  ||
(yuddha. 18.3)

"I will not forsake anyone who has approached Me with a feeling of
true love, even if this person has any faults.  This is the conduct
that will be considered blemish-less by elders".

The write-ups for the nAma satya-sandhah (Slokam 54), acyutah etc.,
give ample support to His akshobhyatvam.

SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is - ata eva aSakya-kshobhaNa iti
akshobhyaH - `thus equipped with the various weapons, He is said to
be unassailable".  In other words, SrI Sa'nkara associates the
unassailability with the previous nAma-s describing His weapons.

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri's anubhavam is that bhIshma is describing the
Lord whom He saw for 10 days in the battlefield through these last
few nAma-s (rathA'nga pANiH - the previous nAma, and akshobhyah - the
current nAma).   SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives essentially the
same interpretation - tyakta Sastro'pi kshobhayitum gharshitum a-
SakyatvAt akshobhyah.

Another anubhavam of His being unshakable, is given by SrI
cinmayAnanda through the following words:  "One Who cannot be
exasperated by anyone, by any act or acts, however blasphemous they
may be; One Whose peace and calm cannot be stormed out by any
happening in his outer world; Ever-peaceful.  The term suggests
Infinite patience, love and kindness towards man and his frailties".

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
(To be continued)





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