Vishnu Sahasranamam 108 - 117

Vishnu Sahasranamam 108 - 117

108. Sammitaḥ सम्मितः

Sammita means measured. He is measurable by His devotees alone. This nāma is often used as asammitaḥ, which means immeasurable, the quality of the Brahman.

109. Samaḥ समः 

Sama means equal.  He is without partiality. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.29), “I am impartial. There is none dear to Me or hateful to Me.  However, those who seek Me with true devotion reside in Me and I also reside in them.”

Sa denotes Viṣṇu and ma refers to His Consort Lakṣmī. One of Viṣṇu’s famous forms is Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, their combined form. This is considered as the most auspicious form for worship.

110. Amoghaḥ अमोघः

Repetitive nāma at 154.

Amogha means unerring or productive. He does not err, as He is the upholder of virtues. The one, who follows moral excellence in life, never fails. The devotees who worship Him follow only virtuous path and therefore, they do not err from the high principles of life.

This nāma also means, that worshipping Him never goes unnoticed. He rewards His devotees. How does He reward?  According to Chāndogya Upniṣad (VIII.vii.1), He causes the desire to know the Truth (satyakāmaḥ), He causes the commitment to Truth (satyasaṅkalpaḥ).  He makes His true devotees to realise Him and offer them liberation. 

111. Puṇḍarikākṣaḥ पुण्डरिकाक्षः

Puṇḍarikākṣa means lotus eyed.  Viṣṇu’s eyes are grandeur in nature. His eyes look like petals of a lotus flower.

This nāma also conveys that He is realised in the centre of the heart chakra.  This is the seat of the soul.  Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.i.12) says, “Of the size of the thumb, Brahman resides in the centre of the body.”

112. Vṛṣakarmā वृषकर्मा

Vṛṣa means virtues personified. Virtues are prescribed by dharma śāstra-s.  They are do-s and don’t-s for upholding moral excellence. Viṣṇu not only upholds dharma, He Himself acts according to dharma.  He preaches what He practices.

113. Vṛṣākṛtiḥ वृषाकृतिः

Vṛṣa is discussed in the previous nāma. Ākṛti means form.  This nāma says that His various incarnations are only for the purpose of upholding dharma.  It can be observed that all His incarnations are meant to destroy demons.  Demons are nothing but embodiments of evils.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.8), “Whenever virtues (dharma) decline and immorality (adharma) looms, I embody as an avatar.”

114. Rudraḥ रुद्रः

Rudra means the One, who removes pains that cause crying. He is the remover of pains. Rudra is one of the forms of the Brahman, who is intolerant to inferior human qualities such as anger and wrath. Rudra is highly praised in Vedas.  He is invoked (Taittirya Samhitā - IV.5.1 to IV.5.11, popularly known as Śrī Rudraṁ) to avert catastrophes.

Brahman is projected into three types of Gods – Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra.  Brahmā is the later development, who is known as Brahmaṇaspati in Vedas. Factually, Brahmaṇaspati is the Creator of the universe. “For the creative aspect of Brahmaṇaspati, Rudra supplies force. Viṣṇu supplies the necessary static elements and ordered the movements of worlds.  The supreme step of Viṣṇu, His highest seat, is the triple world of bliss and light, the paramam padam which the wise ones see extended in heaven like a shining eye of vision.  It is the highest seat of Viṣṇu that is the goal of Vedic journey.  Here again the Vedic Viṣṇu is the natural precursor and sufficient origin of the PurāṇicNārāyaṇa, preserver and Lord of Love.” (Source – Aurobindo’s writings on the nature of Rudra-Śiva and His relation to Viṣṇu and Brahmā)

115. Bahuśirāḥ बहुशिराः

The one, with many heads. Bahu means many and śirā means head. The omnipresence of the Brahman is described through these characterizations.

Nārāyaṇa Sūktam opens by saying, “sahasraśīrṣaṁ devaṁ”, meaning ‘the One with thousands of heads’.  Having said that, Nārāyaṇa sūktam continues to say, “nārāyaṇaṁ para brahma” which means that Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Brahman.

116. Babhruḥ बभ्रुः

Babhru means a king. He is the ruler of the universe.

117. Viśvayoniḥ विश्वयोनिः

Repetitive nāma at 149.

Yoni generally means a womb. In this context, yoni refers to divine procreative energy. Viśva means universal. Divine procreative energy refers to Prakṛti, the Mother Nature.

Brahma Sūtra (I.iv.27) explains this by saying, “yoniśca hi gīyate”. It says that Brahman is the source of creation.  Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (III.i.2) explains this by saying “brahmayonim”.  

When individual soul conjoins with Prakṛti, an individual being is born. This is individual creation.  The individual creation happens only due to the Divine procreative energy. Without Prakṛti, manifestation of the Brahman is not possible.

Vishnu Sahasranama 99 - 107

99. Sarvādiḥ सर्वादिः

The creation begins from Him.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (X.39), “I am the seed of all beings and none can be mobile or torpid without Me.”

From this Seed sprouts Prakṛti, where the entire evolution takes place.

100. Acyutaḥ अच्युतः

Nāma 318 is also Acyutaḥ.

Acyuta means imperishable. It also means that He upholds dharma.

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad (XIII.i.3) says, “śāśvatam śivam acyutam” which means permanent, auspicious and unchanging. Brahman has all these supreme qualities.

101. Vṛṣākapiḥ वृषाकपिः

The dictionary meaning of vṛṣākapi is semi divine being or very capable. Vṛṣākapi finds a place in Rig Veda (X.86.3) in a an entirely different context. The verse says, “What has this vigorous sportive restless mind done to you that you like a liberal benefactor bestow upon him wealth and nourishment.  The Self is supreme over all.” This verse is in praise of Indra. In this context, this nāma possibly refers to His Supreme stature.

Vṛṣa means a male of any animal.  Possibly this refers to one of the incarnations of Viṣṇu, Varāha avatar. In this incarnation, He lifted the earth (dharma) from waters (ignorance).

102. Ameyātmā अमेयातमा

Nāma 179 is also Ameyātmā.

Ameyātman means the one with immense power of mind. This refers to the Divine Will to create, sustain and absorb. The Divine Will is immeasurable, as from this alone, everything arises.

103. Sarvayoga-viniḥsṛtaḥ सर्वयोग-विनिःसृतः

The One, who is free from all attachments. He can be known only through various yoga-s.  Yoga means union, the union of individual soul with the Supreme Soul.  The Brahman cannot be seen, but can only be realised. 

104.  Vasuḥ वसुः

Nāma-s 270 and 696 are repetitions of this nāma.

Vasu-s are the set of eight gods who establish connection between the beings and nature.  They are a class of gods who are highly benevolent.  Their names differ in various scriptures.  Vasu-s are eight in number and generally known as aṣṭavasu-s.  According to Vishnu Purana the names of these gods are Āpa (Water), Dhruva (the pole star), Soma (moon),  Dhava or Dhara, Anila (wind),  Anala or Pāvaka (fire), Pratyuśa (the dawn), and Prabhāsa (the light). Amongst them Anala or Pāvaka is said to the chief. Kṛṣṇa spoke about Vasu-s in X.23 of Bhagavad Gītā. 

This nāma says that He is the most benevolent. Benevolence is the primary quality of the Brahman.

105.  Vasumanāḥ वसुमनाः

Nāma 697 is the repetition of this nāma.

This nāma is an extension of the previous nāma. He has benevolent mind or pure mind.  Brahman creates a human, endowed with all His very own qualities.  But due to ignorance and the effect of māyā, he is deluded and forgets his inherent nature and struggles in life.  He remembers his Creator after many births, after undergoing untold pains and miseries. He begins to pursue his spiritual path that ultimately leads to liberation.

106.  Satyaḥ सत्यः

Repeated at 212 and 869.

He is the embodiment of Truth. Brahman alone is real and everything else is only illusionary.  His Reality is concealed by māyā. 

Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.1) says, “satyam jñānam anantam brahma” which means, truth, knowledge and everything else is only Brahma (Brahman).  This goes to prove the omnipresent nature of the Brahman. Brahman can be addressed as Truth, or Knowledge or Bliss, etc.  He can be addressed by any attribute, as every attribute originates from Him.

107.  Samātmā समात्मा

Sama means equal.  Brahman is equal to everyone.  He does not differentiate. Differentiation arises in animals and humans because of attachments and desires. These two are the products of spiritual ignorance. He remains as a soul in all the beings.  Soul of a pious man is not different from the soul of a wicked man.  Differentiation arises only in the human mind, afflicted with duality.  To realise the Brahman, the human should be properly trained and tamed.  It should get rid of all impurities.

This nāma says that He is seated as ātman, also known as individual soul in all beings.  Without soul body cannot exist.

Vishnu Sahasranama 92 - 98

92. Vyālaḥ व्यालः

Vyāla means snake. This nāma is used in the sense that He is beyond reach. Generally serpents are difficult to catch, without expertise. He eludes those who are not devout to Him.

Probably this nāma is used to indicate the power of kuṇḍalini, the life force. Kuṇḍalin also means snake. Kṛṣṇa has made a subtle reference to the power of kuṇḍalini in Bhagavad Gītā by referring to the third eye or ājñā cakra. He says that at the time of death one should fix his consciousness at ājñā cakra and think about Him, to attain liberation. The merger of individual consciousness with Supreme Consciousness is liberation.

93. Pratyayaḥ प्रत्ययः

Pratyaya means consciousness, intelligence, intellect, etc. Brahman is the embodiment of all these qualities. Purest form of Consciousness and the highest form of Intellect is the Brahman. Aitareya Upaniṣad (I.i.3) says, “prajñānam brahma” which means Consciousness is Brahman.

Pratyaya also means faith, trust and conviction. One’s spiritual progression purely depends upon his profoundness of faith, trust and conviction on the Brahman. Spiritual progression happens only in the subtle plane and one may lose faith due to the continued prevalence of ignorance, as the Brahman can only be realised and not be seen. Holy Scriptures like this Sahasranāma imparts spiritual knowledge by describing the subtle qualities of the Brahman.

94. Sarva-darśanaḥ सर्व-दर्शनः

Sarva-darśana means a treatise on various systems of philosophies. There are various systems of philosophies and the important ones are dvaita, viśiṣṭādvaita and advaita (dualism, qualified non-dualism and non-dualism). The right approach to realisation is to begin with dualism, where god is kept in a pedestal and worshipped with flowers, offerings, etc. Here god is treated as supreme and different from the worshipper. The concept iṣṭa devata is predominant here. The next is viśiṣṭādvaita, the qualified non-dualism. Here, individual soul is different from the Brahman, but the soul depends upon the Brahman for its existence and has to ultimately become one with the Brahman. Dvaita philosophy is accepted by many and is the philosophy of all the Upaniṣad-s. It says “I am That Brahman” and affirms that Brahman and the soul are not different. An authentic scripture of viśiṣṭādvaita is “Vedārtha Saṅgraha” of Śrī Rāmānuja.

Yet another explanation is possible for this nāma. Sarva means everywhere and dsarśana means seeing. Viṣṇu looks everywhere. This reaffirms an exclusive quality of the Brahman, all pervasiveness, the omnipresent nature. No action goes un-noticed by Him. He notices all the activities of the universe, remaining only as a witness. He does not part take in any of the actions that unfold in the universe.

Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.13) says, “He has many hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths and ears pervading everywhere.” Puruṣasūkttam begins by saying, “sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ | sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt | सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः। सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात्.” This means that the Brahman (Puruṣa) has thousands of heads and thousands of eyes. Thousand means infinity. Omnipresence of the Brahman is being discussed through attributes.

95. Ajaḥ अजः

This nāma is repeated as nāma-s 204 and 521.

He has no parentage. Only the Brahman has no parentage. Brahman is beyond modification. The One, which is beyond modification and is eternal.

Aja also refers to Prakṛti, where māyā prevails. Prakṛti is the creation of the Brahman and māyā is the projecting power of the Brahman that prevails in Prakṛti, causing ignorance and illusion. Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.6), “Though I am eternal, indestructible and Lord of all living beings, abiding in my Prakṛti, I manifest due to my yoga māyā.

96. Sarveśvaraḥ सर्वेश्वरः

He is the Lord of lords. Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (6) says, “eṣa sarveśvara eśa sarvajña एष सर्वेश्वर एश सर्वज्ञ” which means ‘He is the Lord of all; He knows everything”. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (IV.iv.22) also endorses this view by using the same phrase “eṣa sarveśvaraḥ”.

Here, Lord refers to the Supremacy of the Brahman.

97. Siddhaḥ सिद्धः

Siddha means a perfected person, the one who has attained the Highest. The one who has realized the Brahman is known as siddha. As far as this nāma is concerned, it is used to mean the perfect condition of the Brahman. Brahman alone is perfect. Supremacy of the Brahman is repeatedly emphasised to make a spiritual aspirant understand the attribute of the Brahman. Such repeated affirmations are needed to make a spiritual aspirant to progress from dualism to non-dualism.

98. Siddhiḥ सिद्धिः

The reward of being perfect is siddhi. Siddhi generally means attainment of supernatural powers. There is no question of supernatural powers of the Brahman, as all powers originate from Him. In this context siddhi is used to mean the different attributes of the Brahman. When a siddha progresses spiritually, he attains different qualities of the Brahman, broadly said to be of eight types. When a practitioner is very close to realising Him, such supernatural powers are conferred on him to test his temptations. This is an important point in one’s spiritual journey. If the aspirant chooses to indulge in such siddhi-s, he will not be able to complete his spiritual journey. He cannot also become a perfect spiritual aspirant, as discussed in the previous nāma. He continues to undergo transmigrations.

Bhagavad Gītā (XVIII.46) explains this: “A person attains perfection when he worships the Lord, the source of all beings and all pervading.” This is the reason why the Brahman is explained as the Supreme Consciousness.

Vishnu Sahasranama Meaning 86 - 91

Vishnu Sahasranama Meaning 86 - 91

86. Śaraṇaṁ शरणं

He is the ultimate protector, the ultimate sanctuary. Taking shelter in Him gives relief from sufferings and pains. The concept of śaraṇāgati (approach for protection) is considered very important amongst the followers of Viṣṇu.  

Surrender is an important aspect of spiritual path. When a person performs an action without attachment to the fruits of an action, it is known as surrender. Here, the power of ego is overcome by the concept of surrender. By surrendering to the Brahman, one understands his essential nature that was hither to veiled by His projecting power known as māyā.  

Towards the end of Bhagavad Gita (XVIII.65, 66) Kṛṣṇa says, “Fix your mind on Me, worship Me and bow down to Me. By doing so, you will come to Me alone. I promise you. Resigning all dharma, take refuge in Me alone. I shall absolve you of all your sins.” When one surrenders to the Lord, he need not even follow the path of dharma as such a person will have no other thought except the Lord. Such a person walks with Him, eats with Him and sleeps with Him. The one without the other is just not possible. Duality blossoms forth into non-duality.  

87. Śarma शर्म

Śarman means happiness. When this word is used with reference to the Brahman, it means bliss. Brahman is the embodiment of bliss. He is not just the embodiment of bliss alone; He is the embodiment of everything that prevails in the universe. He is also full of anger, rage, pains and miseries. Otherwise, He cannot be omnipresent.  

A jīvanmukta can also be in the state of total bliss. A jīvanmukta is free from fear of death and he is not bound by limitations. He is a liberated person who continues to live merely to wipe out the remains of his karmas. A jīvanmukta always remains in the state of saccidānanda, the eternal bliss.  

Gabriel Pradiipaka explains the state of jīvanmukta thus: “The first obvious difference between a Jīvanmukta and an aspirant occurs when the former remains undisturbed while the latter just cannot. But there is another difference. Even when the Jīvanmukta feels sorry for having had that painful experience (like the rest of human beings do usually), sooner or later Turya emerges and triumphs. A Jīvanmukta lives within the body of his Lord, in the middle of His processes of contraction and expansion. So, here you have him feeling sorry for something, and at the next time you see him and he is full of Joy. For that reason, the scriptures say: "Tajjayati" or "That triumphs". Turya, the state of the Self, always triumphs and overcomes even depression, pain, fear, etc.  

So, the Jīvanmukta lives now like a mere mortal and then like an immortal. He cannot help having pleasant and unpleasant experiences, but his reaction is different. Even when he may react like a mere mortal, in the end Turya appears and shatters his pain. In his case, Turya is more powerful than the external circumstances at the mercy of which his physical body is exposed. He cannot stop behaving like a mere mortal, even though he might act like an immortal now and then. But even after showing how human he is, his Turya is so strong that It will come and snatch his pain from him by force.  

Therefore, people harboring the idea that a Jīvanmukta is like a kind of super human being, unable to feel sorry or pain or fear in all respects, cannot detect the presence of a real Jīvanmukta because he looks so usual. That false idea about Jīvanmukti or Liberation while one is alive was manifested by the Lord for undeserving people not to come near His devotee.  

All in all, Turya can be recovered by a lot of effort in the case of an advanced aspirant, but a Jīvanmukta experiences the emergence of Turya in a pretty autonomous way. It just emerges spontaneously and takes it all! Despite the Jīvanmukta experiences difficulties in his bodily life like the rest of the mortals, Turya always triumphs in his case.”  

88. Viśvaretāḥ विश्वरेताः  

Viśvaretas means the seed of the universe. Viśva literally means universal and retas means seed. Kṛṣṇa beautifully explains this in Bhagavad Gita (XIV.4), “Of all embodied beings, Prakṛti is the Mother, who conceives and I am the seed giving Father.”  

According to Sāṃkhya philosophy, there are two primary aspects of creation. One is the Puruṣa, the masculine energy and another is Prakṛti, the feminine energy. The conjugation between the two causes creation of the universe. Individual puruṣa, which is also known as the individual soul when unites with Prakṛti, an individual being is born.  

This nāma says that Viṣṇu is that Puruṣa, the Brahman. 

89. Prajābhavaḥ प्रजाभवः  

Prajā refers to the subjects of a kingdom. Universe is the God’s kingdom. Bhavaḥ means creation.

He is the cause of creation. The Divine has two aspects; one is the cause and the other is effect. Brahman is the cause and His power of projection known as māyā is the effect. The one who understands that both are the same is jīvanmukta. 

Kṛṣṇa says (Bhagavad Gita X.6) that the entire world has originated from His Will. Ultimately, it is the will of the Brahman that is responsible not only for creation but also for sustenance and absorption of the universe.  

90. Ahaḥ अहः  

Ahar means night and day of twenty four hour period. In this context He is the creator of time factor.  

This nāma also mentions about His Self-luminosity. Brahman alone is Self-illuminating. Other luminaries like sun reflect His light.  

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gita (XVI.16), “Those who set aside ignorance by acquiring true knowledge that shines like the sun, thereby unveiling the Brahman.” Knowledge about the Brahman is always radiant that gets reflected through one’s body, by way of abundant positive energies around him.  

91. Saṁvastsaraḥ संवस्त्सरः

Saṁvastsara refers to a solar year. Sun’s movement from Aries to Pisces, comprising of twelve lunar moths is known as Saṁvastsara. Previous nāma said that He represents twenty four hours of a day and this nāma says that He represents a solar year.  

Typically speaking, these two nāma-s say that He is both tiny and large part of time. This goes well with the concept that Brahman is smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest.