305. Vyaktarūpaḥ व्यक्तरूपः
Vyakta means manifested. Universe is the manifestation of the Brahman. Gross form of the Brahman is the universe. His subtle form cannot be seen as It is minute than the minutest. This is explained in Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.ii.20) which says, “aṇoraṇīyānmahato mahīyānātmā अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयानात्मा” which means that Brahman is smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest.
This nāma not only says that His manifestation is the universe, but also reaffirms His omnipresence. He permeates the entire universe. Realisation happens at the height of spirituality, attained through knowledge, when one realises His omnipresence.
306. Sahasrajit सहस्रजित्
Sahasra means thousand and it is often used to mean countless. Jit means conquering. Viṣṇu incarnates when evil prevails over virtues and slays all the evil elements to uphold dharma. Primary duty of Viṣṇu is to sustain the universe through dharma and He destroys all the impediments while discharging His duty. This nāma refers to Him as the Sustainer of the universe, upholding dharma.
307. Anantajit अनन्तजित्
This is an extension of the previous nāma. To wipe out evil forces as discussed in the previous nāma, this nāma says that He has the necessary powers to overcome the evil forces. Brahman is the embodiment of all powers as all othere powers originate from Him alone.
This nāma refers to His Divine will. Free will originates from the Divine will.
308. Iṣṭaḥ इष्टः
Brahman is an embodiment of love, concern and compassion. We can observe that a person who is soft to everyone, expressing his love and compassion, is loved by all. Individual love and compassion emanates from the Brahman and one can imagine the power of His love. Generally, our love and compassion is limited to certain circle. But Viṣṇu’s compassion, concern and love is different as He loves every single being that exists in the universe. Hence He is loved by all. When our love and compassion cross all the boundaries and become universal love, we realise Him.
Iṣṭa also means sacred rites and in this context, this nāma says that He is worshipped through religious rituals.
309. Aviśiṣṭaḥ अविशिष्टः
Viśiṣṭa means distinguished and pre-eminent. Aviśiṣṭa means the opposite of viśiṣṭa. This nāma is used as a metaphor and means that He is present in all the beings. The individual soul is nothing but the Brahman Himself. One fails to realize the Brahman within because of the inherent ignorance. When knowledge is gained, the ignorance wanes away, paving for the realisation of the Self within. This nāma is poetic parlance. This nāma refers to the position of a seeker before realizing the Him within.
310. Śiṣṭeṣṭaḥ शिष्टेष्टः
Śiṣṭa-s are those who follow the righteousness prescribed by śāstra-s. Śiṣṭa is also explained to mean those who control their senses and knower of Veda-s. Their actions are based on the śāstra-s that are derived from Veda-s. Viṣṇu is known for His righteousness. It is also said that one should worship God, as prescribed by their respective orders and not simply by flowers, etc. Viṣṇu has a great liking for men of knowledge (jñāni-s).
Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gīta (VII.17) “Chief among them is jñāni, ever constant and with one pointed in devotion. I am exceedingly dear to him and he is exceedingly dear to me”. Kṛṣṇa did not stop with this. He proceeds to say “A man so illuminated is hard to find and such a stage is reached after many incarnations” (VII.19).
311. śikhaṇḍī शिखण्डी
Śikhaṇḍ means tuft and also refers to tail of peacock. Probably this nāma refers both. During His famous incarnation as Kṛṣṇa, He wears a peacock feather on His head. Though there are many explanations on Kṛṣṇa’s peacock feather, the appropriate explanation could be that it signifies wisdom. If this nāma is interpreted in terms of nāma 308, then it means the symbol of His Love for the humanity. He depicted His love for humanity in many ways and the best among them is His gift of Bhagavad Gītā.
312. Nahuṣaḥ नहुषः
This nāma formed out of the word nah, which means binding together. Bondage is due to illusionary aspect of the Brahman, known as māyā.
Further reading on māyā: Māyā is illusion. The root of māyā is ma. Ma means ‘to measure’. It also means ‘leading to the idea of illusion’. Brahman is immeasurable but due to the influence of māyā, Brahman appears to be measurable. In other words, Brahman is beyond time and space but due to the influence of māyā Brahman appears as if bound by time and space. For easier understanding, Brahman is said to have two aspects – saguṇa (with attributes) and nirguṇa (without attributes). Nirguṇa Brahman in conjunction with māyā becomes saguṇa Brahman. The appearance of the universe is due to the projection by māyā.
From the point of view of Vedānta consciousness is the subtlest of all existents. Pure consciousness is the basis of varied existence of the universe. All these variations are due to the superimposition of names and forms by māyā which is the principle of appearance that is neither real nor unreal. The Self-illuminating Brahman which is pure and limitless consciousness manifests as manifold souls in living organisms. The manifestation of the Brahman is noticeable only in the living beings, whereas it stands hidden in non-livings. In the case of human beings, the pure and limitless consciousness manifest as self with independent mind. Māyā is a mystery of omnipresent power that works like a supreme faculty of self- transformation. It appears in the form of deceptive masks producing only illusionary effects. Māyā covers the Brahman that exists in all beings in this universe. This covering is like a sheath or a veil. Unless this veil is removed, the Brahman cannot be realized. For removing this veil, knowledge is required. As long as the veil continues to remain, one continues to remain ignorant (avidyā). Macro-cosmic reflection of the Brahman is māyā.
Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gīta (VII.14) “For this most wonderful māyā of Mine, consisting of three guṇa-s (sattva, rajas and tamas), is extremely difficult to break through. Those who constantly adore me are able to cross it.”
313. Vṛṣaḥ वृषः
He is an embodiment of dharma. This nāma also reaffirms His Supremacy, as vṛṣa also means pre-eminent.
314. Krodhahā क्रोधहा
He is the destroyer of anger. Anger is a product of an afflicted mind. A true spiritual seeker should not have any affliction in his mind, as Brahman is to be realized only in his mind.
This also refers to bīja hūṁ हूं. Hūṁ is capable of kindling one’s kundalini, if recited aloud.
315. Krodhakṛtkartā क्रोधकृत्कर्ता
Krodha means anger; kṛt means author (authoring) and karta means the doer. This nāma can be explained in two ways. He causes anger in the minds of evil doers and He ultimately destroys them. He causes anger in those who are true spiritual seekers against worldly afflictions. Spiritual advancement can be achieved only if one is able to transcend all types of worldly afflictions. Worldly afflictions corrupt the mind thereby making it impossible to attain liberation.
316. Viśvabāhuḥ विश्वबाहुः
He has hands everywhere. This nāma reaffirms the omnipresent nature of the Brahman. Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (III.3) explains this. “विश्वतश्चक्षुरुत विश्वतोमुखो विश्वतोबाहुरुत विश्वतस्पात् viśvataścakṣuruta viśvatomukho viśvatobāhuruta viśvataspāt”, which means all eyes are His, all faces are His, all hands are His and all feet are His.
Kṛṣṇa also confirms this in Bhagavad Gītā (XIII.13), “It (the Brahman) has hands and feet on sides, eyes, head and mouth in all directions and ears all around, as It stands pervading all in the universe.” Scriptures repeatedly reaffirm the omnipresence of the Brahman. Realising the omnipresent nature of the Brahman is prelude to realizing the Self.
317. Mahīdharaḥ महीधरः
Repetitive nāma 369.
Mahī means the Supreme and also the earth. Dhara means supporting and this nāma says that He is the supporter of the universe.
Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.13), “I support all beings with My vital power.” The Divine Power pervades the universe in the form of various energies. For example, the gravitational force between two planets is the Divine energy. If this energy is depleted even by a fraction, it will cause coalition of the planets and ultimate annihilation.
318. Acyutaḥ अच्युतः
Repetitive nāma 100.
This nāma can be interpreted as a + cyuta. Cyuta means moved or shaken, which can be explained as modifications. Brahman is beyond modifications, though He is the cause for all modifications in the universe.
319. Prathitaḥ प्रथितः
Prathita means spread, once again a reaffirmation of His omnipresence.
320. Prāṇaḥ प्राणः
Repetitive nāma-s - 66 and 407.
Prāṇa is the life sustaining force and is different from breath. Different types of prāṇa-s are available, like prāṇa of sun, prāṇa of trees, prāṇa of air, etc. Prāṇa is the life sustaining force. This nāma reaffirms the saying of nāma 317.
321. Prāṇadaḥ प्राणदः
Repetitive nāma-s 66, 408, 956.
Brahman is the cause of prāṇa. Without prāṇa life cannot be sustained. This nāma also endorses His omnipresence. By remaining subtle, He pervades the universe.
322. Vāsavānujaḥ वासवानुजः
Vāsavānuja is the younger brother of Indra. In some dictionaries the name is mentioned as Vāsavāvaraja. In His Dwarf incarnation, Viṣṇu was born as younger brother to Indra for sage Kāśyapa and his wife Aditi.
323. Apāṁnidhiḥ अपांनिधिः
Apāṃnidhi means ocean. This nāma is used to mean His compassion. His compassion for the beings is limitless. This nāma can also said to mean His vastness. He is bigger than the biggest, says Kaṭha Upaniṣad.
324. Adhiṣṭhānam अधिष्ठानम्
Adhiṣṭhāna means resting upon. The whole universe rests on Him. Without foundation, a building cannot exist and similarly without Him, the universe cannot exist. Supporting act of the Brahman is described in various nāma-s of this Sahasranāma. Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (IX.4), “matsthani sarvabhūtāni” which means all beings rest on Me.
325. Apramattaḥ अप्रमत्तः
He is always vigilant and careful. He, as the Lord of the universe has given responsibilities to different gods and goddesses. For example, Varuna presides over water; Agni presides over fire, etc. Though He has given responsibilities to different gods and goddesses, He does not rest. He ensures that all the beings are served properly and supervises personally.
Typically speaking, administration of the Brahman is in no way different from the governance that we see today. Brahman is the head of a government and ministers are other gods and goddesses. The constitution is the Law of Lord, also known as the Law of Karma.
326. Pratiṣṭhitaḥ प्रतिष्ठितः
Pratiṣṭhita means rooting or rested. Chāndogya Upaniṣad (VII.24.1) says that Brahman rests on His own power. Brahman does not need anyone else, whereas, all others need Brahman to exist. This nāma conveys the Supremacy of the Brahman.
327. Skandaḥ स्कन्दः
Skanda is the son of Śiva and Pārvati. Skanda means attacker. His other name is kārttikeya. Kṛṣṇa makes a reference to Skanda in Bhagavad Gītā (X.24), where He says, “Among the chiefs of army, I am Skanda.”
Skanda is the force that destroys evil thoughts in the minds of those who pursue the path of spirituality. He always upholds virtues. That is why, worshipping of Skanda is prescribed as one of the significant astrological remedies.
328. Skandadharaḥ स्कन्दधरः
This is an extension of the previous nāma. This nāma says that Viṣṇu is in the form of Skanda. Brahman has different attributes and each attribute is represented by a god. Brahman is the embodiment of all such gods. Skanda represents valour and virtues.
329. Dhuryaḥ धुर्यः
Durya means the one, who is able to bear and in this context, it means that He bears (the universe rests on Him) the whole universe. Durya also means the foremost. Viṣṇu, as the Brahman is the foremost in the whole universe and from Him, all other things originate.
330. Varadaḥ वरदः
Varada means granting boons. Viṣṇu grants boons to His devotees, who truly seek Him through spiritual path and by following the principles laid down in dharma śāstra-s.
331. Vāyuvāhanaḥ वायुवाहनः
Repetitive nāma 856.
There are seven types of winds and they are – avahana, pravahana, vivahana, paramavahana, udvahana, savahana and parivahana (अवहन, प्रवहन, विवहन, परमवहन, उद्वहन, सवहन and परिवहन). Viṣṇu is the controller of these winds. It is interesting observe that there are five types of prāṇa-s and seven types of winds.
332. Vāsudevaḥ वासुदेवः
It is yet another name of Viṣṇu. Vāsu means the indwelling Spirit or the Supreme Self within. The Self within is the cause of existence. The Self is covered by causal body, subtle body and the gross body. The Self, who is the cause of existence, is worshipped as deva or God. Realising the Self within is called as Self-realization.
Vāsudeva is the ultimate destination where the realised souls merge into Him. The ultimate destination can be attained only following spiritual path.
333. Bṛhadbhānuḥ बृहद्भानुः
Bṛhadbhānu means shining brilliantly. Brahman is Self-illuminating. This Self-illumination is beautifully explained in Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.ii.15):
na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṁ
nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto'yamagniḥ |
tameve bhātamanubhāti sarvaṁ
tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṁ vibhāti ||
न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं
नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः।
तमेवे भातमनुभाति सर्वं
तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति॥
The verse says that in the presence Brahman, the sun does not shine, nor do the moon and stars, nor does lightning, let alone this fire. When Brahman shines, everything else follows. By His Light, all these are lighted.
334. Ādidevaḥ आदिदेवः
Lord Viṣṇu is the first among all the creations. From Him alone, all other things have originated.
My commentary of nāma 397. Mūlaprakṛtiḥ of
Lalitā Sahasranāma is reproduced here for better understanding of this nāma.
“This nāma provides the reasoning for the previous nāma. She is the Supreme ruler (Parameśvarī) because She is the root of origin. Prakṛti at best can be explained as Nature. It can also be called as māyā. Prakṛti in combination with the individual soul, mind, intellect and ego form the creation. In fact soul has to depend on prakṛti to manifest. Prakṛti holds the three guṇa-s or qualities, sattva, rajas, and tamas and three types of creative actions icchā, jñāna, and kriya (desire, wisdom and action) śaktī. At the time of manifestation of origin of life, the prakṛti beholds the individual soul by its sheer enticing powers of the guṇa-s and creative actions (the powers of māyā or illusion), makes the soul to manifest. The soul on its own is passive in nature and has to purely depend upon the prakṛti to get the karma-s embedded in it to unfold.
Prakṛti is said to be the kinetic form of energy. This is also known as māyā or the Brahman with attributes or Śaktī or vimarśa form of the Supreme. Without this kinetic Śaktī, the creation can never take place. Apart from playing a significant role in creation, the prakṛti plays a vital role in sustaining the creation. At the time of origin of the universe, the Supreme Self alone prevailed. When the origin manifests into creation, it first becomes space then air, fire, water and earth. From earth plants, animals, man etc unfolded. This is the teaching of Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.1).
Prakṛti in its un-manifested form is called avyakta (next nāma). This is the state of prakṛti where all the three guṇa-s are found in equilibrium. Any change in this equilibrium of guṇa-s in prakṛti leads to desire, wisdom and action. This in combination with ego and intellect give rise to further creation. Therefore, prakṛti is the root of all creations. This is also known as the Brahman with attributes or saguṇa Brahman. This is also known as prakāśa-vimarśa mahā māyā svarūpinī or Śaktī. Since Śiva has to totally depend upon this Śaktī for His creative aspect, She is known as the consort of Śiva. Beyond the state of avyakta there is the Brahman without attributes. Katha Upaniṣad says (III.10) “The Self is beyond thought and speech; the eyes cannot perceive it”. The Brahman is the root of all creations as there in nothing beyond that. Śaktī is called mūlaprakṛtiḥ because She is the part of Brahman or the vimarśa form of Brahman, without which creation is never possible.
Chāndogya Upaniṣad VI.ii.3 says “The Existence (the Brahman) decided, I shall be many, which refers to prakṛti. Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (I.i.8) also confirms the above statements of Katha Upaniṣad and Chāndogya Upaniṣad. It says, “Brahman grows by penance.” Whatever be the sayings of the scriptures, the root of creation is prakṛti on whom Brahman depends extensively to create and sustain the universe. This the meaning of this nāma.
{Further reading on soul and prakṛti: Soul: In the creation of God, there are countless souls (puruṣa-s) that manifest as the living beings. These souls do not undergo any changes at any point of time. They do not have energy and will and are passive in nature. Since it is said to be smaller than an atom, it is not visible even under a powerful microscope. Though clinically the presence of soul has not yet been established, sufficient research is underway to interpret the phenomenon. As the soul is considered as the divine secret, the ultimate result of any clinical study is doubtful. However, elaborate non-clinical studies more or less describe the soul in a unified voice. Soul is considered as the reflection of the transcendental essence of the Brahman. This goes to prove the statement that souls do not have energy and will of their own. This phenomenon of the Brahman – soul concept can be explained like the moon deriving its light from the sun. The light of the moon is illusionary making one to believe that the moon has its own light. However, the fact is that it gets reflected by the light of the sun. Moon is not self illuminating. So, by and large, the soul and the Brahman are not different, though there are certain subtle differences. Probably, the one main difference is the karma. The Brahman is not bound by karma, whereas the individual soul is bound by karma-s. There is another school of thought (The second and most important part of the Mīmāṃsā or third of the three great divisions of Hindu philosophy called Vedānta either as teaching the ultimate scope of the Veda or simply as explained in the Upaniṣad-s which come at the end of the Veda), which advocates that the Brahman takes the form of Ātman or the individual soul, enabling the individual beings to act, but remains unconnected to the actions or to the results of actions. Puruṣa is the term used by Sāṃkhya school of thought (one of the three great divisions of Hindu philosophy and so called either from, discriminating in general, or, more probably, from reckoning up or enumerating twenty-five tattva-s twenty three of which are evolved out of prakṛiti the primordial essence or the first-producer viz. buddhi (intellect), ahaṃkāra (ego), the five tanmātra-s, the five mahābhūta-s (air, fire, etc)and mind and the twenty fifth being puruṣa) and Ātman is the term used by the Vedāntic school of thought. Both these terms refer to the individual soul. The soul continues to exist in a gross body as long as the body functions. Once the gross body ceases to function after death, the soul also leaves the body along with prāṇa which is also known as the vital force. The fate of the soul after death is determined by the law of karma that remains embedded in the soul, wherever it goes. Karma is like a voice recorder in an airplane, where in the results of all the actions and thoughts are recorded. If someone believes that he is doing an action unaware to anybody, he should always bear in mind that his actions are recorded in his karmic account. It is to be understood that karma is the result of various decisions made by the mind that ultimately determines the destiny of the soul after death. That is why pursuing spiritual path and firmly establishing spiritual progress are considered as essential factors in reducing the impact of karma. Karmic account is not only historical but also contains long forgotten evolutionary aspects as well. Therefore, ultimately the soul unfolds its actions in a physical body depending upon its karmic account. In such a situation, the soul does not undergo any change or modification based on the fact that it is a mere reflection of the Brahman or the Supreme Spirit. The soul can manifest only if it is associated with prakṛti.
Prakṛti: The soul or puruṣa can manifest only if it interacts with prakṛti, which is also known as the nature or creative self-unfolding act. This interpretation itself will explain the nature of prakṛti. It is only the prakṛti that unfolds the act of creation. When the soul is associated with prakṛti, the latter unfolds first into the subtle non-materialistic form and later into the gross form. The gross form can be identified under three broad classifications such as sthūla (gross), sūkṣma (subtle), and kāraṇa (casual). A comparison can be drawn between an automobile tyre and the three types of bodies. An automobile tyre has an outer portion made up of rubber, beneath that lies the tube that holds the air inside. A car cannot run without the effective and coordinated functions of all the three. The outer tyre is the gross body, the tube holding the air is the subtle body and the air that is the inner most and invisible is the casual body. Similarly, without these three forms, existence is impossible. These bodies, in reality, are the reflections of the levels of consciousness. The respective bodies can be recognized only if the consciousness level is modified, refined and purified. Purer is the level of consciousness higher is the level of spirituality and finer is the type of body. These three types of bodies are the reflections of the prakṛti and this reflection is known as māyā or illusion.
The gross body reflects the materialistic world, the subtle body reflects the world of vitality and the casual body reflects the casual world. These three stages are realized in the three states of awake, dream and deep sleep. The gross and subtle bodies are the effects of the casual body. The basis of these types of bodies is the casual body, or the casual manifestation of consciousness. In certain schools of thoughts, a reference to another state called the fourth state or turya state is mentioned. In fact, this turya state is to be accepted by all. Only in this state, where the consciousness transcends all bodily afflictions gets purified and becomes fit enough to be called Cit (the Absolute or the foundational consciousness). Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (I.7) authoritatively describes this turya state. “Turya is not consciousness of what is happening within. It is also not the consciousness of what is going on without. It is not consciousness of anything in between. It is not the consciousness of all objects simultaneously. It is not unconsciousness either. It is invisible, not susceptible to any kind of usage, not within the reach of any organ of action. It is beyond perception of any organ, beyond thought and not to be indicated by any sound. In it there is only consciousness of the Self and there is a cessation of the world as such. It is the embodiment of peace and all that is good. It is one without a second. The fourth state is turya. Wise people consider this to be the Self. This Self is to be realised”. The Self in turya state is the purest form of consciousness. In this stage, the consciousness remains all alone, without any affiliations.
The prakṛti is potentially a powerful tool that binds the soul to manifest in the form of bodies discussed above, just to manifest and unfold the karma-s embedded in the soul. When the soul is under the lustful embrace of prakṛti, the soul that was part of the Supreme Brahman forgets its own nature, and identifies itself with ego. The deceptive and illusionary nature of prakṛti engulfs the soul with all sorts of addictions, afflictions and confusions and makes the soul totally discombobulated. This particular stage of the soul is said to be ignorant or the state of avidyā contrary to vidyā or knowledge. The pure soul now stands veiled by the effects of prakṛti called māyā or illusion.”
335. Purandaraḥ पुरन्दरः
It means the One, who destroys the cities of demons. Generally, Purandara is used to address Śiva, who destroyed the dwelling places of demons. Demons mean afflicted consciousness. Brahman is the purest form of consciousness. If one’s consciousness is afflicted with desires and attachments, it loses its purity. In the absence of refined consciousness, Brahman cannot be realized. When one prays to Viṣṇu, He helps His devotee to keep his consciousness free of afflictions. Though one may try to keep his consciousness free, it also requires Divine intervention to achieve complete success. Purifying consciousness is an extremely difficult job.
336. Aśokaḥ अशोकः
Aśoka means not causing sorrow. When one has attachment and bondage, his mental state is subject to extremities such as sorrow and happiness. Where there is modification in one’s mental condition, realisation of the Self is not possible. When one is able to transcend twin states of mind, he is close to realization.
This nāma says that Brahman is beyond any changes in His mind, as Brahman is beyond any modification, be it gross or subtle.
337. Tāraṇaḥ तारणः
He liberates His devotees from saṃsāra (transmigration). Devotees are those who always stay connected with Him. They would have renounced the fruits of all their actions to Him. Since He is the Liberator, He is addressed as Tāraṇa.
338. Tāraḥ तारः
Repetitive nāma 769.
He is the saviour. This nāma is an affirmation of the previous nāma. He saves His devotees from sinking into the deep sea of births and deaths. Birth, existence and death are all highly painful.
The concept of surrender is expounded in these two nāma-s. He saves all those who have surrendered unto Him. Unless one faithfully surrenders unto Him, He will not be a saviour. Kṛṣṇa confirms this Bhagavad Gītā (XII.10), “be intent to work for Me and you shall attain perfection even by performing actions for My sake.”
339. Śūraḥ शूरः
Śūra means strong, powerful, valiant, etc. These are the qualities of the Brahman. Without these qualities, He cannot administer the entire universe single handed.
This nāma explains what happens after one surrenders to Him. He makes them to be strong and powerful to overcome the worst enemies of mankind viz. desires and attachments. To cleanse one’s mind, one has to be brave, as one encounters all sorts of stumbling blocks, when the cleansing process of the mind has begun.
340. Śauriḥ शौरिः
Śauri is the name of Kṛṣṇa, who was born as the son of Vasudeva. Vasudeva’s father is known as Śūra (previous nāma).
341. Janeśvaraḥ जनेश्वरः
Jana – all living beings; Iśvara – chief. He is the Brahman and nobody is beyond Him. He is Lord of creation, sustenance and dissolution and hence He is adored as Janeśvara.
342. Anukūlaḥ अनुकूलः
He is favourable to everyone. He is present as one’s own conscience and nobody acts against one’s own conscience. But the type of conscience differs from person to person. An evil doer too has his own conscience and He also prays to Him to succeed in his evil acts. If his prayers are sincere, He also favours him.
Brahman is not good all the time. He is the combination of both good and bad, though He upholds virtues. If He is not both good and bad, He cannot be omnipresent. The Self within a criminal is also the Brahman and the Self within a sage is also the same Brahman. He is present in all the beings as the soul (Soul).
343. Śatāvartaḥ शतावर्तः
He assumes several avatars, to uphold dharma. Śata means hundred and in this context, it means innumerable and āvarta means repeated births as if in a cycle. Whenever, adharma prevails over dharma, He incarnates in several forms to uphold dharma. Lord Viṣṇu is an embodiment of dharma.
344. Padmī पद्मी
He holds a lotus flower in His hands. Lotus flower signifies various cakra-s in our body. Cakra-s are psychic centers in the path of kuṇḍalinī. Lotus flower also refers to His activity of sustaining the universe.
345. Padmanibhekṣaṇaḥ पद्मनिभेक्षणः
Padma – lotus flower; nibha – resembling; akṣan – eye. This nāma says that His eyes look like lotus flowers.
Viṣṇu is always known for His beauty and in many of His incarnations, He is portrayed as the most handsome. Examples are Rama and Kṛṣṇa.
