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    SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 106 - nAma 986. svayam-jAtah.

986.    svayam-jAtaH ? He Who is self-born.

om svayam-jAtAya namaH.  

svayam jAyate ajanishTa iti vA svayam-jAtaH ? He Who is self-born, or 
is not created by anyone else is svayam-jAtaH.  

SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying 
that He takes His incarnations as and when necessary, without waiting 
for those in difficulty to come and pray to Him to take His 
incarnation ? prArthanA nirapekshatayA jAtaH svayam-jAtaH.  In other 
words, He takes the incarnation out of His concern for the protection 
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the preservation of 
dharma (paritrANAya  sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm, dharma 
samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi) ? He Himself takes birth out of His own 
will.    His main concern is the protection of the jIva-s that are 
His children ? it is His Nature to be concerned and to protect 
(kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn ? nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9), 
and so He takes incarnations for this purpose as and when necessary, 
out of His own sa'nkalpam.

Repeated reference has been made to the unique approach of SrI 
BhaTTar in interpreting the nAma-s by emphasizing that all that 
BhagavAn does is for the benefit of His devotees.  Even though the 
outward meaning for the nAma is "One Who is born by Himself", SrI 
BhaTTar takes the opportunity to point out that "He is born by 
Himself as and when necessary to remove the sufferings of His 
devotees", rather than to just say that "Bhagavan has no other 
Creator".  The current nAma is one other instance of SrI BhaTTar's 
unique anubhavam in his interpretation of the nAma-s.

SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes the tiruviruttam pASuram in support:

        uyir aLippAn enninRa yOniyumAip piRandAi ! imaiyOr talaivA  
|  ? (tiruviuttam 1)

"You Who took birth voluntarily in order to liberate us from the 
burden of samsAra".

SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan gives a quote from the gItA in support, and 
notes that bhagavAn gets entangled in the miseries of this world just 
to release us from the same miseries:

        na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki'ncana     |
        nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi    ||   (gItA 3.22)

"For me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought 
to be done, nor is there anything unacquired that ought to be 
acquired.  Yet I go on working".

SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points out that it is for removing the bondage 
of several other women that sItA pirATTi voluntarily lived for ten 
months in the prison of the ten-headed rAvaNa, and it is for removing 
our bondage that Lord kRshNa voluntarily chose to be born in the 
prison of kamsa.  For the Divine Couple, all these voluntary 
sufferings are for the purpose of relieving our sufferings.   
        
In his vyAkhyAnam for the above gItA Sloka, bhagavad rAmAnuja 
explains that bhagavAn still continues to work for the protection of 
the world, even though there is nothing for Him personally to be 
achieved by working ? "  ?. karmaNA avAptavyam na ki'ncid api asti, 
athApi loka rakshAyai karmaNi eva varte".  

SrI Sa'nkara had explained the previous nAma (Atma-yoniH) as 
signifying that bhagavAn is the Material cause of the Universe.  He 
continues this thread in the current nAma, and explains the nAma svam-
jAtaH as signifying that bhagavAn is also the Instrumental cause ? 
nimitta kAraNam api sa eva iti darSayitum svayam-jAta iti.  The 
terms `Material cause' and `Instrumental cause' can be briefly 
explained by reference to the making of a pot by a potter, using the 
mud, the wheel, the water etc.  In this example, the mud is the 
upAdAna kAraNa or the material cause. The nimitta kAraNa or the 
Instrumental cause is the pot maker.  The other supplementary 
materials such as the wheel, the water etc. are called the sahakAri 
kAraNa-s.  SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the previous and the 
current nAma-s are that bhagavAn is both the Instrumental Cause and 
the Material Cause in the process of creation.   He gives support 
from the brahma sUtra (prakRtiSca pratij~nA dRshTAnta anuparodhAt 
(1.4.23)) that declares that bhagavAn is not just the Instrumental 
cause but also the Material cause.  In other words, He performs the 
function of creation with no other help or external means but from 
Himself, by Himself.  This is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in his 
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.4 (tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi tannil mUvar 
mudalAya?.).  

SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as `One Who appeared by 
Himself", and gives the reference from taittirIya upanishad in 
support:  tad-AtmAnam svayam akuruta ? That Brahman created Itself by 
Itself (Anandavalli in taittirIya upanishad).   If it be said that 
devaki `gave birth' to kRshNa, SrI Suka explains that bhagavAn just 
appeared from her womb just as the moon appears in the sky ? devakyAm 
deva rUpiNyAm vishNuH sarva guhASayaH AvirAsIt yathA prAcyAm diSi 
induriva pushkalaH (SrImad bhAgavatam 10.3.8).  Lord kRshNa chose to 
enter devaki's womb for some time, and then chose to come out when He 
chose to come out;  the connection between devaki and kRshNa is just 
the same connection as between the east direction and the moon from 
which it appears.     

-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan

(To be continued)






 
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