You are here: SriPedia - SriRangaSri - Archives - Feb 2004

SriRangaSri List Archive: Message 00075 Feb 2004

 
Feb 2004 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


4. Sri VishNavE SrI VenkatEsaaya nama :

Salutations to the Lord , who pervades every thing in the universe 
without any  exception ( sarva gatha: prathi vasthu poorNan ). 

This is the 31st Naama of SrI Venlatesa in the BrahmANDa PurANam version
that has been covered elsewhere:

http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppiliappan/sva/sva031.html

This is a tirunAmam which is sanctified with universal acceptance--by the 
venerated Shruti, 
the ItihAsAs and the PurANas.

The Shruti, for instance, is full of adulatory references to this Lord--
"VishNO: nukam veeryANi pravOcham" etc.

The Celestials are unable to take their eyes away from the glorious form of 
this Emperuman, says 
the Shruti--"tat VishNO: paramam padam sadA pasyanti sooraya:"

The lotus feet of this VishNu are incredibly sweet and secrete the nectar of 
liberation 
and Bhagavat anubhavam--"VishNO: padE paramE madhva utsa:"

It is this Emperuman who is the personification of all sacrifice or Yagyam 
--"YagyO vai VishNu:"-- and irrespective of which dEvatA the Yagya is addressed 
to, it is VishNu who receives it (Havis)  and responds by showering the desired 
boon on the performer.

Etymologically, this great tirunAmam indicates one who pervades all--"visati 
iti VishNu:". When the Narayana anuvAkam tells us that the Lord pervades all 
that one sees and hears (and those one can't too)--"antar bahischa tat sarvam 
vyApya Narayana: stittha:"--it is to this VishNu that it refers to . For, at 
the end of the anuvAka, it is to VishNu that the prayer is addressed--
"Narayanaya vidmahE VAsudEvAya dheemahi, tannO VishNu: prachOdayAt".

He is the Lord of Seven Hills, the adhi dEvatA of all mountains--"VishNu: 
parvatAnAm adhipati: sa mA avatu" (JayAdi mantram).

It is Vishnu who is responsible for demigods winning their battles against 
inimical forces, be it Indra or Rudra--"Indrasya yujya: sakhA". In RudrA's war 
with the asurAs in the TripurAs, it is VishNu who serves as the arrow and 
destroys the TripurAs which caused such terror to the inhabitants of  all the 
worlds.

The Divine Consort too is identified as the Empress of all worlds, sentient and 
non-sentient, because of Her association with VishNu--"asyEsAnA jagatO VishNu 
patnI". Mother Earth too is adulated as VishNu's mahaishI--"MahIm dEvIm 
VishNupatnIm ajUryAm".

It is this VishNu who took the ten magnificent avatArAs for protection of the 
sAdhUs and destruction of evil. The Shruti eulogises the Trivikramavatara time 
and again as but a leelA of VishNu--"TrEdhA VishNu: vichakramE"

Sri Vishnu is the repository of all valour, bravery and maniliness and triumphs 
over all other deities, especially Rudra, says the Srimad Ramayana--"adhikam 
mEnirE VishNum"
 

Though there are any number of SahasranAma stOtrAs, the mere mention of the 
word "SahasranAmam" indisputably refers only to Sri VishNu SahasranAma. It is 
this Lord who is the One of a Thousand Names ("PEr Ayiram udayAn") and the 
other tirunAmAs in this stotram are but expansions and elaborations of this 
sacred name. It is He who is the Infinite, without a beginning and an 
end--"anAdi nidhanam VishNum" and the Lord of all Worlds and dEvatAs-"Jagat 
prabhum dEva dEvam". He is the only one among thirty three crore dEvatAs, who 
is fit for adulation and veneration--"tamEva cha archayan nityam...dhyAyan 
stuvan namasyamscha yajamAna: tamEva cha". Of all forms of worship, it is that 
of VishNu that is the greatest--
"ArAdhanAnAm sarvEshAm VishNO: ArAdhanam param".

It is to this unparallelled Ultimate, to this matchless warrior, this 
personification of mercy and compassion, that the gem among PurANAs ("PurANa 
Ratnam") is devoted--Sri VishNu PurANa. It is this PurANa that all the 
VEdAntins, irrespective of their particular school of thought, whether they be 
advaitins, visishtAdvaitins or dvaitins, draw upon for inspiration, to expound 
their ideas. It is this PurANa that is hailed as the best among its class, a 
SAtvika PurANa whose every syllable is worth its weight in gold.

Apart from being the subject matter of the Shruti, Smritis, the ItihAsAs and 
the PurANAs, this tirunAma is also enshrined in a potent mantra, the 
Shadaksharam, which is counted among the most magnificent of Bhagavath mantrAs, 
along with the ashtAksharam and the DvAdasAksharam.

According to Sri Nammazhwar, this Emperuman is lotus-like all over: His holy 
feet, His broad and beautiful eyes, His soft and munificent palms--all of these 
are soft, reddish and radiant like a lotus--"vittilangu sem sOthi tAmarai pAdam 
kaigaL kaNgaL". Swami Desikan too concurs with this assessment--"TAmarai dhAtu 
niram koNdaaaa mEnian" (Panniru TirunAmam). His tirumEni is glowing and huge 
like a mountain--"vittilangu karum sudar malayE tiruvudambu". And on this huge 
mountain, there is the incongruous sight of the Sun and the Moon being present 
simultaneously, the brilliant Sudarsana Chakra and the PAnchajanya Shankha with 
its soft, white lumuniscence. It is this Emperuman who confers upon His 
votaries glory and bliss equal to His own--"tan mayyam AkkinAn vallan EmpirAn 
VittuvE".

More than anything else, it is this Lord who gives us our glorious identity as 
"VaishNavA"s.

This Emperuman holds as weapons four "kalappai" (plough) in His hands and 
represents the tirumAN that we wear on 
the right part of our stomach. He protects us from the northern side--"VishNum 
chaturhalam vandE padma kinchalka sannibham" 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/VkWolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SriRangaSri/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     SriRangaSri-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 


[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list