MantraOnNet.com: Vishnu Sahasranaama
651. Kaamadevah ? “The Beloved Lord.” One
who is a seeker must necessarily get charmed by the Glory
of Sree Narayana, and by the influence of this captivating
love He is to be worshipped. Thus One Who is to be loved and
worshipped by the seekers who strive for the four “aspira-
tions-in-life”?Purushaarthas. There is also this meaning for the
term: “The One Who is Pradyumnah”?since Pradyumna-
form is an incarnation of Kaama (Love).
652. Kaamapaalah ? “The Fulfiller of Desires
of all His true devotees.” Those who in their sincere attitude and
love for Him alone are surrendered unto Him, their hearts’
inner longings are satisfied by Him. The same idea finds similar
but varied interpretation in that Kaamapaalah can imply “One
Who had taken the incarnation of Balarama,” for Balarama is
called as the “Wielder-of-the-plough” (Hala-ayudhah) or as
Kaamapaalah. Thus it can also mean “Protector (Paalah) of
His devotees” (Kaama, meaning the ‘Desired Ones’^.
653. Kaamee ? One who has fulfilled all His
desires. Desire is an expression of an inherent sense of in-
completeness?and this insufficiency unto oneself is called
ignorance of the Self. The non-apprehension of Reality gives
rise to endless misapprehensions of the same. Sree Narayana
is the Self, the Reality, and so all non-apprehensions must end
in Him, then no desires can ever remain in Him demanding
fulfilment. He is “One of fulfilled desires” … Some commentators give just the opposite explanation, since the term Kaamee
in Sanskrit can also mean “One who has desires.” Here it
would mean that Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Reality who
“desired to create” the world of plurality. The Upanishads
roar: “He desired” (Sah akaamayata). The creative urge in the
Supreme is that which expressed as the apparent illusion of a
playful creation of multiplicity and the endless varieties in
them.
654. Kaantah ? “Of Enchanting-Form;” “Supremely-Handsome;” the “Beauty of Beauty itself.” In all His Incarnations we find Him described as extremely charming
with His Grace and Beauty. In Sanskrit the term Kah
means the Creator, Brahmaaji. In this sense, therefore, Ka-antah
can suggest “One Who destroys even the Creator during the
dissolution.”
655. Kritaagamah ? The author of the
Scriptures (Aagamas). Sruti and Smriti form the Aagamas.
Or in perfect harmony with the preceding term where Lord
is termed as the destroyer of even the Creator at the time of
deluge, some commentators have again interpreted this term
as “The One Who is the inaugurator of the Krita- Yuga.”
This means the Lord is One into Whom the world dissolves
and from Whom the world rises up again.
656. Anirdesya-vapuh ? “Of Indescribable Form;” “Of Indefinable Nature.” Since the Lord transcends the Elements and is the very cause for the three Gunas?
as the pure Self, expressing Itself through the body, mind and
intellect of man?it becomes impossible to describe or define
His Form.
657. Vishnuh ? “All-Pervading.” One Who per-
vades the entire Visvam. In His Visvaroopa-form in Geeta XI
we have from Arjuna a description of the dazzling wonderment of Him as “All-pervading.”
658. Veerah ? “The Valiant;” “The Courageous?
the One of heroic exploits.” The root ‘Vi’ often means
creation, radiance, existence, involution or motion. One who
has all these powers is called Veerah.
659. Anantah ? “Infinite; Endless.” That which
is unconditioned by Time-Space-Substance is ‘Infinite.’ None
can discover the end of such a Truth. Conditioned things will
all have an end?a change from one condition to another. The
Infinite is totally unconditioned, so unlimited, and naturally,
therefore, changeless. Hence Narayana is Infinite.
660. Dhananjuyali ? One Who had gained
through his conquest and his prowess vast wealth for the
enrichment of his country. From his various campaigns,
Arjuna had brought great wealth to the land. In Bhagavad-Gita, Lord
Krishna says: “I am Dhananjaya, among the sons of Pandu.?
661. Brahmanyah ? One Who is a great friend
of Brahman. The term Brahman includes in its connotation
the Scistra, Tapas, Vedas, Truth, Knowledge, etc. Sree Nara-
yana is a protector and friend of all these. Here Brahman
means Jceva?a friend of all individuals.
662. Brahma-krit ? The One Who performs
the Brahman?meaning the one who lives in Truth, who abides
in Tapas, etc. He is the author of Brahman as enumerated in
the explanation of the preceding term.
663. Brahmaa ? “Creator.” As the total Creative-power, it is Narayana Who functions as Creator through Brahmaaji.
664. Brahma ? “The Biggest, the Vastest, the All-Pervading.” Upanishads thunderingly declare the Brahman to be “Existence?Knowledge?Infinite.” The Knowledge which lifts all false perceptions of differences, pure in all its aspects, ever beyond the grasp of the senses, and that which
can be experienced’ only in one’s own Self, is called Brahman”
665. Brahma-vivardhanah ? “One Who
increases the Brahman.” Here, of course, the term Brahman
means “Austerities, Vedas, Truth, Knowledge.” These are
increased in one who has earned the Grace of Sree Narayana
through total surrender and constant devotion.
666. Brahma-vit ? “One Who knows Brahman.” The meaning here is one who has intuited the Vedas
and their full commentaries. In Bhagavad-Gita (XV) we listen to the
Lord declaring that: “I alone am the Author of the Vedas and
the Knower of the Vedas.” Brahman alone can “know”
Brahman just as the “dreamer” can never survive to know the
“waker.” The knower-of-the-waker is the “Waker” alone.
Similarly, the individualised ego conditioned by the equipments
of Body, Mind and Intellect experiences the Brahman only
when it has transcended the entanglements of matter?and then
the ego is no more a Jeeva but “becomes Brahman.” Thus the
Higher is experienced only by the Higher. Sree Narayana is the
Brahman?and, therefore, He alone is the Knower of Brahman.
667. Braahmanah ? One who has realised that the
pluralistic world is a mere superimposition upon the Brahman
caused by an error of judgement, and who experiences the
Supreme Consciousness of the One Reality is a Braahmanah.
His duty is to convey this knowledge to others with a pure
missionary zeal and a higher proselytising enthusiasm. By mere
accident of birth one does not become a Braahmanah. Visva-
mitra and others through their Tapas and Divine Experience
had reached the status of Brahmin-hood, so we read in the
Puranas. Narayana manifests as such mighty men of realisation, serving their generations through their teachings.
668. Brahnu’e ? “0ne Who is with Brahma” The
term Brahma meaning as before?”Austerities, Vedas, Truth
and Knowledge-divine.”
669. Brahma-jnah ? One Who lives ever in
Brahman, and so “knows” the nature of the Brahman. He,
the Lord, being the very Brahman, no one knows His nature
as He Himself can. The “waker” alone knows the waking?
the “dreamer” and “sleeper” can never realise and experience
the waking-state until they “become” the “waker.”
670. Braahmana-priyah ? One Who is the
beloved of and One Who is the lover of true men of full
realisation, the Braahmanas. Not the caste, but the men of
supreme experience-divine. The Lord is dear to them, and they
too are dear to Him.
671. Mahaakramah ? “0f Great-Step.”
Directly we are reminded of the Vamana-Incarnation when
the Lord measured the three worlds by His three steps. It also
indicates the root meaning of the term, Vishnu?”The one who
has the long stride?meaning, “All-pervading.'” Since He is
All-pervading, He reaches everywhere earlier than all others.
672. Mahaakarmaa ? “One Who performs
great deeds.” The creation, the dissolution, the protection and
the spread of the Knowledge-of-Truth, all these are indeed
great undertakings. He alone performs them, through MahaPurushas who have surrendered themselves unto Him?those
who, in total surrender, have indeed become one with the Lord
in love and being.
673. Mahaatejaah ? “Of Great Resplendence.” The Upanishads glorify Him in that even the Sun, Moon, the stars and fire have no light of their own. By Him
they shine, the Giver of Light to all.In the Geeta, the Lord
insists that “The Supreme is the Light of all lights, beyond
all darkness” and again He asserts, “Understand that Light
in the Sun by which the whole world is illumined, and that
Light in the Moon and in the fire to be My own Light.”!
Here the Light of Consciousness, the Self, is indicated.
674. Mahoraguh ? “The Great Serpent.”
Uraga means serpent. In Geeta, Bhagavan says “Among the nagas, the many-hooded serpents, I am Ananta.) Atlanta is the five-headed Great Serpent also
called Sesha, upon which the Lord Vishnu reclines. Again in
Geeta the Lord says ” Among the serpents
I am Vaasuki?. Mythologically, this is the serpent adorning
Lord Siva’s ring finger. Though so small as to become a ring
for the Lord, it was this Vaasuki who offered himself as the
great rope in churning the milky ocean. This paradox reminds
us of the Upanishadic declaration “Smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest?.
675. Mahaukratiih ? “The Great Sacrifice.”
The Supreme cannot be experienced without the greatest sacrifice, the total sacrifice of the Ego, the Jecva-Bhaava. The Great Sacrifice indicates traditionally the Asvamedha Yaaga. There-
fore, some commentators explain this term “as one who is of the
very form of Asvamedha Yaaga.”
676. Mahaayajvaa ? “One Who had performed Great Yajnas.” In the Rama-Incarnation, He had performed Asvamedha- Yaaga. He is the One, by Whose Grace,
all “Sacrifices” are fulfilled successfully. One who performs
sacrifice properly and faithfully is called Yajvaa.
677. Mahaayajnah ? “The Great Yajna.” In
Bhagavat Geeta, the Lord in describing His Immanence in the
world says to Arjuna: “/ am among the Yajnas, the Japa-
Yajna.” Lord Narayana Himself is the greatest Yajna?
therefore, in devotion approach Him and gain His Grace. The
Japa Yajna is glorified by the Lord as the greatest sacrifice
because it is both the essential means of all other Yajnas and
transcends them all as an end in itself, by maintaining a constant
stream of the same divine thoughts in the mind.
678. Mahaa-havih ? “The Great Offering.”
The Yajna is He; the very things offered to the sacred fire,
the Havis, are also He. Geeta tells us, “We offer to Brahman
that which is Brahman, in the fire which is Brahman, and the
act of offering is also Brahman.”
679. Stavyah ? “One Who is the object of all praise” ? meaning, One Who deserves all our praise but One Who has none to praise. He is praised by all and He praises
none. The Jeevu invokes Him; the Self, the Atman, never in-
vokes the ignorant Jeeva.
680. Stuva-priyah ? One Who is invoked
through the loving chants of the devoted hearts. When a
devoted seeker melts away in singing the praise of the Lord,
his physical, mental and intellectual preoccupations with objects, emotions and thoughts silently roll away from him. In
such quiet moments, in their intense love for the Lord, such
seekers come to dwell upon the Nature of the Lord, the Self.
In these moments they rise above their present nature and
explode into the realms of experiences of the Higher State of
Divine Consciousness?Sree Narayana.
681. Stotram ? “The Hymn.” A glorious
hymn, that describes the Lord’s Divine Nature, itself is He,
as the words lift the singer into the experience of the Supreme
Nature of Truth. It is infallible if the singer of the Hymn has
full devotion and ardent aspiration to realise Him. “Naama”
and “Naamee” are one and the same in experience.
682. Stutih ? “The act of praise.” The very
noble, divine “act of invoking the Lord” is by His Grace alone.
683. Stotaa ? “One who adores or praises.” The
true devotee, singing the divine hymns is also of the Nature
of Supreme peace, love, beauty, goodness?the divine qualities
attributed to the Lord in whom he dissolves through his songful
identification. Such a devotee in this at-one-ment with Him,
the Lord praises again and again as “He is the one dear to
Me.”
684. Rana-priyah ? “Lover of Battles.” Hence
we see Sree Narayana ever carrying His mace and discus in
order to destroy the vulgar and thus protect the decent. Here
“battle” is the constant struggle for evolution.
685. Poornah ? “The Full.” The Infinite is ever the
same. Though things are apparently emerging out of It, still
the Supreme remains irreducible and without a change. Lord
Narayana is Ever-Full with His own glories and powers; One
who is full with all the wealth, inner and outer, the Supreme
Laksmi-pati.
686. Poorayitaa ? “The Fulfiller.” Lord Hari
fulfils, surely, all the desires and demands of His true devotees.
687. Punyah ? “The truly-Holy.” When the
devotee’s heart is filled with remembrance of the glorious
Form Divine and Infinite Nature Supreme of the Lord Vishnu,
He then, in that very moment, removes all sin from His devotee’s heart. The Lord is Auspiciousness itself, so where He
is invoked, all inauspiciousness must immediately retire.
688. Punya-keertih ? “0f Holy-Fame.” He
is gloriously renowned as the Holy One. Whoever glorifies him
becomes himself holy. All the unholy animal passions in the
devotee are routed and beaten back when his heart is wholly
in tune with the Lord’s Glory and Form.
689. Anaamayah ? One who has neither the
mental or physical diseases. Of pure unstained divine essence
is His Nature. He is not involved in Karmas, thus the resultant
of the Karmas which visit us in terms of mental restlessness or
physical pangs, never touch Him.
690. Manojavah ? Fleet as the mind is the
Lord’s movement. He is anxious to run and reach the devotee
to remove his suffering and ignorance. All-Pervading is the Lord,
thus He is faster than all those who run after Him?the sense
organs or the mind can only move in Him?and wherever they
reach, the Supreme, He, in the form of Existence, is
already there.
691. Teerthakarah ? “The Teacher of the
Teerthas.” The, term, Teerthas, means Vidyaas. Sree Narayana
is the author of the Vidyaas or auxiliary Sciences. Therefore,
“One Who is the most ancient Teacher of all Vidyaas and
Tantras.”
692. Vasuretaah ? “He Whose Essence is
Golden.” In the beginning of Creation were the primeval
waters. Into this One Ocean the Lord dropped His Essence and
it became a Golden Egg from which Brahmaa, the Creator, first
arose. Thus Lord, as the womb of all Creation, is mentioned
in the Puranas as “Hiranyagarbha,” the Golden Womb.
693. Vasupradah ? “The Free-Giver of
Wealth.” In this context, Vasu means “Worldly-Wealth”?
money, property, grains, possessions, progeny. Lord Vishnu
who nourishes and maintains all beings with the wealth of
His consort, Sree Lakshmi, distributes and patronises His
devotees very liberally.
694. Vasupradah ? Again, the same term as
we read above, but here it means “The Giver of Salvation.”
Liberation (Moksha) is the greatest wealth?whom He chooses,
Moksha is gained by him alone.
695. Vaasudevah ? “The son of Vasudeva,”
Lord Krishna. Or “One Who is Vaasu and Deva.” “Vaasu”
means “One who dwells in all creatures as their ego-centric
individuality (Jeeva-roopa).” ‘Deva’ means “One Who revels.”
Therefore, this name for Lord Krishna has the appropriate
meaning: “One Who revels in every living creature as the
Jeeva-entity in each.”
696. Vasyh ?”The Refuge for all.” The One Who
dwells within, veiled behind Maayaa, the mind. The mind pro-
jects this play of things, beings, emotions and thoughts. The
world is the shadow-show round the Pure Consciousness. Lord
declares in Geeta: “I am the beginning, the middle and also
the end of all beings.” Thus He alone is the Refuge, for there
is no other existence. “All have emerged out from Me, exist
in Me and must come back to Me.”
697. Vasumanaah ? One Who is attentive to,
and, therefore, concerned with every object and being in
this world: “Omnipresent.”
698. Havih ? “The Oblation.” That which we
offer unto Him is also permeated by Him?there is nothing
other than He, Himself, the same everywhere, in all places,
at all times. In Geeta, Lord insists that the “oblations” are
nothing but Brahman.”
699. Sadgatih ? “The goal of good and noble
seekers.” Lord Narayana is the Spiritual Goal to be reached.
“The Good” here means those who know the existence of
Brahman, for the Upanishad says: “If a person knows’Brahman
exists,’ then the wise call him ‘good.”
700. Sat-kritih ? “0ne Who is full of Good
Actions.” Lord Hari is the One Who maintains the rhythm
of creation and the logic of its preservation.