Verse 28

 

वृषाही वृषभो विष्णु: वृषपर्वा वृषोदरः ।

वर्धनो वर्धमानश्च विविक्तः श्रुति-सागरः ।।

vṛṣāhī vṛṣabhō viṣṇurvṛṣaparvā vṛṣōdaraḥ |

vardhanō vardhamānaśca viviktaḥ śrutisāgaraḥ || 

 

257.Vṛṣāhī:

Vrusha means dharma .

This name consist of two parts- Vrusha + aha 

Vrusho dharma punyam tadeva ahah prakaasha saadharmyaat

It means that he reveals to us the light of dharma and enlightens us with its knowledge.

Ahah means light of the sun

We can see only when there is light. In darkness, we cannot see anything.

The principles on which the universe is upheld is Dharma.

The Rigveda also tells us, vrisha agni samidhyate, which means that he is the fire or agni and his brightness is comparable to the fire of the sun.

It is indicative of yagna. Agni also depicts a burning desire to achieve the goal.

 

258. Vṛṣābhaḥ

Vrushabha means an animal particularly an ox. But here, it is paurusha sanketa or indicative of bravery.  

The most common meaning that is taken is

varshaatamanaa bhaati 

varsha means rain, bhati means to show.

Just like the rain showers down on the earth, He showers the knowledge of dharma on those who seek   

He is one who showers on the devotees, all that they pray for.

 

259. Viṣṇuḥ:

We have seen this name in the first verse and understood it as the one who pervades everything. Vyapnoti Vishnuh

Here, it means, Vishnu vikramanat

It means that through our sadhana, siddhi, etc he is yet not manifested before us.

But as Vishnu, in the vibhooti roopa, he is present before our very eyes. Because whatever is there in the universe, he is present in everything. He is omnipresent.  

We can also split it into its root - Vi + sha + nu

Vishista + sarvantaryami + anu

His specialty is such that he is smaller than the molecule (anu) yet his shakti is sarvantaryami, he fills every space.  

 

260.Vṛṣaparva:

Parva means staircase.

He teaches us the steps to realise the path to dharma and attain moksha. 

Vrusha rupani sopaana parvaani aahuh param dhaama aarurukshoh iti atah vrishaparvaa

He is the one who has given as steps (Parvas), observances of the nature of Dharma, to those who want to attain the supreme state.

If we have to unravel the science of life, we must climb steps starting with bhakti, then proceed to karma and finally, we will be able to reach jnana.

Bhakti is devotion. The interest or curiosity to know about him is the first step. There are 9 steps to bhakti – Sravanam (listening), Keerthanam (singing), Smaranam (remembering), Pada Sevanam (serving), Archana (chanting),  Vandanam (offer obeisance), Daasyam (give up aham), Sakhyam (befriending the Lord), and Aatma Nivedanam (complete surrender)

Then we proceed to Karma. It tells us what actions we should perform. It includes pooja, yagna, etc.  

And finally Jnana or obtaining knowledge.

Vrushaparva is the one who shows us these steps to reach Him.

 

261. Vṛṣodaraḥ:

Udara means abdomen. He keeps everyone in his belly and protects them.

Praja varshati iva udaram asya iti.

It means that his belly showers people after one laya is over and the next sristi begins.

Another meaning associates it with Agni. He has agni in his belly which signifies the sun, and stars.

It also means that He receives all offerings of Dharma in the form of a Yagna fire.  

 

262.Vardhanaḥ:

It means Growth

Vardhayati iti vardhanah

One who nourishes for us so that we grow in all aspects.

Vara + dhanah

That which is the best or sresta + wealth or sampatti

He himself is the best wealth or sresta sampatti.

And since he is the wealth, He gives us the best wealth too, which is that of knowledge.

 

263.Vardhamānaḥ:

He who grows/ expands. The universe always keeps expanding.  

The Lord keeps expanding and his manifestaions also keep growing.

Prapancharoopena vardhate iti vardhamanah

We have seen in the Vamana roopa, he kept growing in size and covered the entire creation under his feet.

 

264.Viviktaḥ:

He is unique because there is no one like him.

Ittham vardhamanopi prokthak eva tishthati

He creates the universe and sustains it, yet he is unique as he is separate from all his creations.   

 

265. Śrutisāgaraḥ:

Sagara means Samudra or ocean

Shruthi means nada or sound

Vedas are known as shruthi as they have been created as a sound and passed on as sound or words.

One to whom all the shruti or Vedic words and sentences flow.

Shrutiyah sagarah iva atra nidheeyante iti shruthisaagara.

He is ocean of veda jnana. 

This verse tells us that the Lord is omnipresent and omnipotent. He shows us the path to salvation. He is unique and keeps growing with the universe. He is not touched by any action.

 

 Jai Shri Krishna!

Verse 27

 

असंख्येयो-अप्रमेयात्मा विशिष्टः शिष्ट-कृत्-शुचिः ।

सिद्धार्थः सिद्धसंकल्पः सिद्धिदः सिद्धिसाधनः ।। 

 asaṅkhyeyō prameyātmā viśiṣṭaḥ śiṣṭakṛcchuciḥ |

siddhārthaḥ siddhasaṅkalpaḥ siddhidaḥ siddhisādhanaḥ || 

248. Asaṅkhyeyaḥ:

Sankya means numbering or quantifying in terms of numeric values, Asankhya means he cannot be quantified or measured.

He is one who has no Sankhya or has uncountable names and forms (vibhootis)

Yasmin sankyaa naama rupa bheda adibhih na vidyate iti asankhyeyah.

His forms are infinite and his creations are infinite. Even stars, that are merely a small part of his creations, are uncountable. This gives us an idea of the infiniteness of his creations and his forms.   

Krishna showed his ‘Vishvaroopa darshana’ during the course of the Mahabharata. This defines how limitless and uncountable he is because he is everything!

We find 3 instances in the Mahabharata where we get to witness this quality of being countless.

The first instance occurs during Krishna’s childhood when he is caught by his mother Yashodha while playing in the mud. Yashodha suspects that Krishna has been eating mud and asks him to open his mouth. But she is shocked to see the entire universe in her son’s mouth.

The second instance occurs when Krishna meets Duryodhana for sandhana or compromise before the war. When Duryodhana refuses to budge, Krishna shows him his Vishwaroopa darshana so that Duryodhana might get a chance to surrender to the Lord, which unfortunately he does not understand.

The third instance is outlined in the Bhagavad Gita when The Lord shows his Vishwaroopa to Arjuna during the revealing of the Bhagavad Gita.

These instances reveal to us about the infiniteness of the Lord and his creation.

Also, Sankhya means jnana or knowledge, asankhya means limitless knowledge

 

249. Aprameyātmā:

Prameya means to measure

Aprameya atma swaroopa iti aprameya

Simply put, it means He is like that. His nature is thus. Unmeasurable, beyond our grasp.

One whose nature cannot be grasped by any of the means of knowledge.

 

250. Viśiṣṭaḥ:

In every form he is vishesha, he is special and he excels in every form.

We cannot understand him. One who excels everything. He transcends all others.

Atishesha sarvamatah vishistah

Three quarters or tripardhva,  75%  of his forms are unmanifested. So we don’t know or cannot grasp Him.

 

251. Śiṣṭakṛt:

Sistanam sashanam tat karoti iti sistakrit

One who commands everyone with laws. One who governs.

Sistan karoti palayati iti sistakrt

One who knows the sastras and is well versed in Veda jnana, knows its intricacies, follows it, and ensures its spread by teaching is Sista. The Lord protects the sista, so he’s sistakrut.

If music has to be protected, it is not enough to protect the instruments, we must protect the musicians who are proficient in music. Similarly, if dharma and jnana has to be protected it is not enough to merely protect the books of knowledge, we must protect the sista or the one who is proficient in that knowledge.  

He is the one who protects shishtas.

252. Suciḥ:

Suchi means pure, or Pavitra.

Here it means,

Niranjanah shuchih

He is free of all impurities.

We have seen that He is asankhya, aprameya, and vishista. These qualities are taught to the disciples by the sista. Hence the knowledge given by the sista should be suchi or pure, meaning they should give us perfect knowledge. If they possess purity, they can give us pure jnana. He is the one who bestows the sista with purity.

Purity is not just external. Internal purity is equally important.  Purity in kaya (body), vacha (speech), and manasa (mind).

Sista performs Lord’s chintana, archana, japa, and gets purified by the lord.    

 

253. Siddhārthaḥ:

Siddha means the one who has achieved everything. The one who is in possession of all desirable things that are good for our Unnati is Siddhartha.

We have seen the difference between shreyas and preyas. The former referring to things that are actually beneficial to us and the latter referring to things that we think are beneficial to us. We have no idea what is good for us. So rather than asking for things it is better to leave things in his hands and trust him to do the best for us.

Siddho nirvrittah arthya maanah artha asya asti iti

He has already attained everything so he is siddartha. He helps the sista to achieve their goal.

The 4 purusharthas- Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha are the true wealth. He has already attained the 4 purusharthas. It should be our goal to attain these 4 purusharthas too.   

 

254. Siddhasaṅkalpaḥ:

Sankalpa or iccha shakti or intellectual wish.

His wishes are fulfilled the instance he wishes for them. Hence he is siddhasankalpah. The one who immediately gets what he wishes for.  

When we chant the sankalpa mantra before performing any ritual, we ask for Aishwarya, Arogya, etc. This shows our limited knowledge. 

He knows what we deserve. We should leave it to him. 

For the siddhi sadhana, sankalpa should be good.

Sidhartha signifies the goals that we set in the external world. Siddhasankalpa signifies the goals we set for ourselves by making a wish or sankalpa. The difference is very subtle.

 

255. Siddhidaḥ:

He is the one who gives us siddhi or fulfilment of wishes of all those who follow and practice his disciplines. The fruits are given in accordance with their eligibility.

Siddhim phalam kartribhyah svaadhikara roopatah dadati iti siddhidah.

He gives us fruits of our actions as per what we deserve. He is the phaladaata.

Some equate it with the asta siddhis. But we cannot limit ourselves to merely 8 siddhis, because his grace is much larger. The ultimate fruit or siddhi we could receive is that of moksha.

 

256. Siddhisādhanaḥ:

He gives us the means or sadhana to achieve the fruits of the siddhi. In other words, He shows us the path and gives us the fruits accordingly.

Siddheh kriyaayaah sadhakatvaat siddhisaadhanah

He becomes an instrument in our endeavour to attain moksha.

This verse tells us that we must cleanse our mind from worldly thoughts and concentrate the mind towards him.

Jai Shri Krishna!

Verse 26

सुप्रसादः प्रसन्नात्मा विश्वधृक्-विश्वभुक्-विभुः ।

सत्कर्ता सकृतः साधु: जह्नु:-नारायणो नरः ।।

suprasādaḥ prasannātmā viśvadhṛgviśvabhugvibhuḥ |

satkartā satkṛtaḥ sādhurjahnurnārāyaṇō naraḥ ||

 

237. Suprasādaḥ:

Su means good ; prasada means blessing . He always blesses us with all that is good for us.

Shobhanah prasadah datratvat suprasadah

If we surrender to him, he confers on us, all that is good.

Supra also refers to a jnani or knowledgeable person.

He takes the jnani to moksha and hence he is suprasadah.

We can also understand it as, Supra (bliss)+ sada (bring it to an end)

This tells us that the Lord doesn’t take sides. He is just and fair. He has no attachment. So both creation and destruction brings him happiness as one end of one era marks the beginning of the next one.

One whose Prasada or mercy is uniquely wonderful, because He gives salvation to even those who are ajnani.

 

238. Prasannātmā:

Prassana + atma ; it means one who has a charming face, clarity of thoughts and delightful nature.

Avapta sarva kamatvat

Our face is a reflection of our heart. He is the one who is free of desires and has a pleasing heart and that reflects on his face too. He is not only charming but also has a pleasing nature.

Karunardra svabhavat

He is extremely merciful as he is an embodiment of sattva guna.   

Of the trigunas, rajas signifies aham or ego, tamas signifies laziness.  both are kalmasha or impurities. The Lord’s satvva guna brings charm to his face.

The Srimad bhagvatam also says, Rajas tamobhyam kalilam tato nyatha

He is one whose mind is never contaminated by Rajas or Tamas.

The lesson for us is that we must give up rajas and tamas guna and embrace sattva guna.

 

239. Viśvadhṛg:

Dru means to see ;  

shrk and dhrk are used interchangeable

Vishvam srujati iti visvasruk

The one who has created the universe

Vishvam drusnoti iti visvadruk

He oversees the running of the universe and sustains and protects his creation.

He is the one who holds the universe together by his power.

 

240. Viśvabhug:

Bhug means to eat

Bhunktva means the one who eats or enjoys

We can see that this is an indicator of Laya, it indicates the end of something. He swallows his creations or he absorbs all his creations into himself at the time of pralaya.

Just like we eat what makes us happy, he also enjoys the universe that he creates.

Vishvam bhunkte ;Vishvan bhunakti

He enjoys the creation which he creates

Vyapta bhunkti palayati iti vishvabhug

One who eats up or enjoys and protects the worlds.

 

241. Vibhuḥ:

Vibhuh means Lord

Hirangarbhadi rupena vividham bhavati iti vibhuhu

Different forms came into being from Hiranyagarbha , the golden womb and He is lord of all those creations.   

It also means the one who takes various forms. In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord himself tells us about his many vibhootis or forms and we realise that these vibhootis are infinite.

Both these names taken together –

Vyapya bhunakti palayati iti visvabhug vibhuh

 

242. Satkartā:

Satkaroti pujayati iti satkarta

One who is worthy of worship. He honours those who follow the path of dharma.                                                                     

This tells us that we must perform our deeds such that they are worthy of being honoured by the Lord. Such deeds must be in the service of the Lord.

 

243. Satkṛtaḥ:

He is worshipped by those who we worship or are fit to be worshipped.

Sat is the manifested form that came into being during the creation of the universe. Agni, Jal and Prithvi are the manifestations of sat, these are the forms we can see. Everything in the universe is made of these three elements. Hence they are worshipped.

 

244. Sādhuḥ:

Sadhayati iti sadhu

He completes what he decides. He carries out tasks for the benefit of everyone. He does everything to take care of his devotees.

Sadnoti iti sadhu

He helps us to do what we want to do, whatever we want to achieve.

 

245. Jahnuḥ:

Jahnu means ha tyage or sacrifice or give up

We might wonder what we must give up. We must give up what is not good for us, for our Unnati i.e. Our climb towards him.

Arishatvarga – ari means enemies ; shad means six – kama (lust), krodha (anger), moha (attachment), matsarya (jealousy), lobha (greed), mada (pride).

We must give up these enemies that block our path to salvation.

There is a story from the puranas that tell about sage Jahnu. The Ganges flowed near the ashram of the sage, but one day the force of the Ganga was so great that it washed away the ashram. Jahnu Rishi held the Ganga in check and thereafter, Ganga came to be known as Jahnavi. Taking a dip in the Ganga washes away our sins. She takes away our ‘aham’ when we take a dip in the holy river.  

There can be another interpretation, Ja + hanti .

Ja meaning jayate or to be born. Hanti meaning to destroy.

He destroys being born meaning He gives us moksha and delivers us from the cycle of birth and death.

One who dissolves all beings in himself at the time of dissolution.

 

246. Nārāyaṇaḥ:

The name Narayana is Maha Vishnu himself  mention the Vedas.

Yachha kinchit jagat sarvam drsyate sruyatepi va,

Antar bahischa tat sarvam vyapya narayanah stitah

This shloka tells that Vishnu or Narayana is all-pervading and exists in every particle that exists in the universe.

Narayana sukta is one of the most powerful suktas.  

The name Narayana also denotes the Nara ayana meaning the journey of Nara to Narayana, jeevatma to paramatma.

Taittirya Upanishad - Yat prayantyabhi samvishanti meaning

That from which the universe has originated, that in which the world lives and that in which the world will dissolve, everything is Narayana.

Narayanaam ayanam yasmat tasman narayanah smrtah

Meaning, we find refuge in Narayana.

Ayana means ashraya. He is ashraya for us.

Naram ayanam asya Narayana

 

247. Naraḥ:

We might think that Nara refers to humans. Then why would He be called Nara?

Here, Nara means - Na + ara (imperfection)

The one who has no dosha, no imperfections, and who is imperishable.

Also since he takes us or leads us to moksha, he is Nara. 

We can say, Nayati iti narah. 

Here the meaning is taken as a leader or the one who leads.

Jai Shri Krishna!