I am confused. Basically I do not understand the claim in the enclosed mail that the Vishnu-Sahasranama is in response to Yudhisthira's questions. I thought that the Vishnu-Sahasranama (the main body) of 1008 names is the stothram that Bhishma mentions as a salutation to Shri Krishna when he is lying in the Dharmashetra (Kurukshetra battlefield). --- "M.K.Sudarshan" <sampathkumar_2000@xxxx> wrote: > > > Dear friends, > > The 735th 'nAmA' of Vishnu in the > 'Vishnu-Sahasranamam' is the > one-syllabled Sanskrit name -- "kim". It appears in > the 78th > 'shlOkA': > > ekah naikah sah vah kah kim yat tat > padama~nuttamam > lOka bandhur lokA natha: mAdhavO > bhaktavatsalah > > It's a rather unusual name indeed for anyone to > have. Even God > Almighty, one might say... > > In native India it is common for mothers and fathers > to select a name > for their new-born from the one-thousand hallowed > 'nAmA-s' of God > found in the 'SahasranAma'. Yet I doubt you will > find a single soul > anywhere in the country having "kim" as either first > name or surname. > > > I learn, on the other hand, that 'Kim' is a pretty > common feminine > first name in America and Europe. In Korea I > understand every fourth > man you pass on the street bears the name 'Kim'. My > 13-year old > daughter tells me there is a famous Hollywood > actress by the name of > 'Kim Bassinger'; and my 15-year old son enlightens > me about 'Kim' > being the title of a lesser-known novel written by > an English author > of colonial fame, Sri.Rudyard Kipling. > > God bless children these days! How profoundly > worldwide their > knowledge of trivia is and how well they educate > their ignorant > parents indeed. Thanks to my two children, I have > now made the > important discovery that the western first name > 'Kim' is actually > short for 'Kimberly'. And since then, believe me, I > have lived in > secret dread of the day when 'Kim' might catch on > fast amongst NRIs > everywhere in the world, all clamouring to christen > their new-borns > with a 'tirunAma' found at last to be both hallowed > by the > 'Sahasranamam' and glamourized by Hollywood! > > The Sanksrit "kim", however, is actually a very > common, very ordinary > interrogatory. The Sanskrit word for 'Question' or > 'Query' is > "prashna". A "prashna" cannot be framed without > using an > interrogatory like 'kim'. The whole of the > Vishnu-Sahasranamam, if > you have carefully noticed, is actually a response > to Yudhishtara's > "prashna" beginning with 2 simple but profound > 'kim?': > > "kim Ekam daivatam lOkE? kim vyApEkam > parAyaNam?" > > "Whither God? What is the path unto Him?" > > The Sanskrit 'kim' literally means "what?" or > "which?". In a limited > context, it can also be used as the English > equivalent of > "wherefore?" or "whither?". Most questions, most > 'prashna-s' hence > usually begin with this interrogatory. > > It is because the Sanskrit 'kim' is an interrogatory > that in India it > is considered unfit, in spite of being sacred > 'nAmA', to christen > one's child with it. Otherwise, one can easily > imagine how endless > the embarrassments in life would be for a child > named 'kim' who when > asked, "What's your name?" has to respond saying, > "What?". And the > questioner who, then thinking he hadn't been heard > well, repeats, "I > asked you for your name?". And the child, poor > thing, insisting, "I > already told you -- "What?""... And to this the > bewildered questioner > asking again, "Excuse me, what do you mean?". And > the poor child > having to retort, "I heard you. It's really > "What?""... > > And on and on, so forth thus, would it all probably > go -- a farcical > chain in a theatre of the absurd called 'kim'! > > *********** > > Our ancient Vedic forbears (the great Sage Vyasa, > for instance, the > author of the 'Vishnu-Sahasranama') however had no > compunction at all > giving Lord Almighty the unusual "nAmA" of "kim" > i.e. "What?", > "Which?" and "Whither?". Even if one knew nothing > whatsoever that is > certain about God, the Vedic Masters said, one thing > at least should > be beyond Man's doubt: God remains and shall ever > remain an eternally > unanswered question... Hence, it is quite in order > to call him, > simply, 'kim?'. > > There is a widespread feeling in the world, even and > especially > amongst young Indians today, that the religion of > the Vedas is one > founded on blind, mechanical and credulous faith. It > is thought that > there is really nothing more to this religion called > 'Hinduism' than > ritual, pilgrimage, purificatory bath, > breath-control and chanting > Sanskrit litanies called 'stOtrA-s' that few > understand and fewer > still appreciate... Nothing could be further than > the truth. The > piety of the Vedantic religion does not lie in > parroting. It has its > springs deep in an age-old tradition of unceasing, > relentless > questioning about and after Truth. > > This tradition is called "pari-prashna" and it has > been around in > India for centuries. The word "prashna" means (as > already explained) > "questioning" and the adjective "pari" means "deep", > "unrelenting". > This Vedantic tradition of "pari-prashna" is perhaps > even more > rigorous, uncompromising and single-minded in its > search for Truth > than what we know modern sciences to be. It is this > tradition > precisely that Krishna recommends to Arjuna as a > solution to the > oppressive problems of life: > > "tadvidhi praNipAtEna pari-prashnEna sEvayA > upadEshyanti tE gnyAnam > gnyAninas-tattva-darshinah:" > > (B.Gita IV.34) > > "Seek out the wise men of knowledge", says Krishna > in the > 'Bhagavath-Gita', "They will surely show you the Way > if only they see > you to be truly humble, devoted and unrelentingly > questful". > > Although he embraced Krishna's prescription quickly > enough, Arjuna > seems to have lagged a bit in acting upon it. The > suggestion of > "pari-prashna" was made by Krishna towards the end > of the 4th Chapter > in the 'Bhagavath-Gita' but not very late > thereafter, and not until > the opening of the 8th Chapter, do we see Arjuna > really acting upon > the Lord's cue and counsel. But when Arjuna did > indeed frame his > first serious questions on the problems of life, it > is all put, and > quiet predictably so, with the inevitable "kim?"! > > kim tadh brahma? kim adhyAtmam? kim karma > pUrUshOtama? > adhibhutham cha kim? prOktam~adhidaivam kim > achyutha? > (bhagavath-gita VIII.1) > > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com
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