Verse 13

 

रुद्रो बहु-शिरा बभ्रु: विश्वयोनिः शुचि-श्रवाः ।

अमृतः शाश्वतः स्थाणु: वरारोहो महातपाः ।। 13 ।।

Rudro bahushira babhruh vishva-yoni shuchi-shravah |

Amrita shashvatah stanuh vararoho maha-tapah ||

 

115. Rudra

Rudra depicts the Laya tattva of the Lord; it means the destroyer.

The main energy for all 3 tattvas is the same energy.

All 3 tattvas sristi, stithi laya, are the same energy manifested as different energies.

Based on the role that they play in the creation, they are called by different names.

It is said, 'Rodayati iti rudra'

The one who makes us cry is Rudra. Why would God make us cry?  

At the time of destruction, we become ‘leena’ meaning we fuse with God. Thus destruction is an auspicious time, the act itself is auspicious.  

But we fear this dissolution as we are not knowledgeable about it. So we are grief-stricken when this dissolution happens.

To take another meaning,

Rudham dhadati iti rudrah

Rudh – auspicious

Dhadati- gives

The one who takes away our grief or destroys our grief to give us his grace or one who is auspicious is Rudra.

During the war of Kurushetra, the adharma of the Kauravas exceeded beyond the limit. It needed to be destroyed. Arjuna was grief-stricken because he knew it would lead to the destruction of his own family. But Lord Krishna explained it to Arjuna through his discourse of the Bhagavad Gita why it was needed for Loka Kalyana and establishing Dharma.

We can also understand it by another shloka-

 'Rudra-va-yati rudrah'

One who eliminates our problems by giving us pain, if it is for our own benefit.  

It can be compared to a child who is unwell, has to be given medications even if it is bitter or painful, for his own well-being. The child may cry but it is for its own benefit

There are 33 Devatas who are responsible for our creation.

The Astha (8) Vasus, the Ekadasha (11) rudra, the Dwadasha (12) Aadityas and 2 Ashwinis.

The Ekadasha rudras are the Pacha vayus : prana, vyana, apana, udana, samana , the 5 senses and 1 manas. Even if one vayu leaves it causes us grief.  

 

116. Bahu Shira

Bahu means many ; Shira means head

Taken literally, it means one who has many heads.

The Purusha Suktha says,

‘Sahasra Sirsha Purusha, Sahasraksha Sahasrapaat,

Sa Bhumim Vishvato Vrtva, Atyatishtad Dasangulam.’

The verse speaks about the Universal being as having thousand heads, eyes and feet. But it signifies innumerable or infinite.  

It means that Vishnu is present everywhere so he has infinite heads.

Seersha can also be interpreted as –

Shri meaning Lakshmi which signifies wealth. The head is the one that holds all the 5 real wealths- the eye, the ear, the mind, the prana or breath (nose), and vaak (speech).

117. Babruhu

The one who supports us (bharta )

The one who supports the entire creation

Bha + bru = bha (bala – strength)  bru (desires )

The one who fulfills all our desires

  

118. Vishvayonih

The one who is the cause of the entire creation

(Earlier we saw Vishvaretha where retha means seed)

The seed is planted in the yoni. (Yoni = womb)

It also means Misrana meaning to unite. He is the one has the quality to unite or merge all of us into Him.

 

119. Suchisravaha

Suchi means pure

Shrava means to hear

The one who listens to words that are pure to be heard.

Listening to them purifies our mind and heart.

Earlier we heard –

Om Apavitrah Pavitro Vaa Sarva-Avasthaam Gato api Vaa |
Yah Smaret-Punnddariikaakssam Sa Baahya-Abhyantarah Shucih |

We become pure outwardly and inwardly by listening to his name.

Suchi or hygiene is very important as per Vedas as cleanliness is next to godliness. It is equally important to cleanse our mind as well as our body.

 

120 – Amrutha

Amrutha means the ‘Nectar of immortality’

He is the one who gives us Amrutha or the ultimate happiness or bliss which has no end.  

Na vidyate mrutam maranam

The one who does not have death or decay

Arjarah- amarah = no birth no death

Mrutah means something gets destroyed. There are four ways in which destruction or death happens.

1. Swaroopa naasha - where some the physical aspect is destroyed.

2. Deha naasha - where the entire structure is destroyed

3. Dukkha prapti - as grief is also a kind of destruction

4. Apoornam - as imperfection also feels like death.

The one who destroys all four kinds of death is Amrutha

 

121. Shasvatah Sthanuh

It means one who is Eternal and firmly established, steady and unchanging.

122. Vararoha –

Varam means ‘srestha’ or glorious

Also, it can be written as, Vara + aroha (to climb)

It means an excellent or glorious ascent. Unto where? To reach up to Him.  

It could also mean the Varaha form or avatar of Vasudeva.

 

These 122 names learnt so far are the Para tattva (unmanisfested tattva) of Vasudeva.

Vaasudeva is Vishnu and we perceive Him in 4 vyuhas (chaturvyuha) – Vasudeva,  Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and  Sankarshana.  

We have also seen that Vashatkara means the 6 gunas of Vishnu.

All the 6 gunas are present in Vasudeva Vyuha and are in avyakta or unmanifested form.

In the remaining 3 Vyuhas : Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Sankarshana , two gunas are manifested in each tattva.  

Whatever happens in Brahmanada(in universe), happens in Pindanda (within us)

The Chatur Vyuhas are present in us in form of Manasu buddhi chitta ahankara

These 122 names are the answer to the first two questions of Yudhistira :

‘kim ekam daivatam loke,  kim vyapekam parayanam’

We have just started our climb towards the lord. We have begun our arohana or climb after answering the first two questions. Now we have understood what we are climbing towards.

 

123. Mahatapah  

Tapaha means tapas or tapasya

It also means Heat

It means that the climb towards Him is difficult and we have started our tapas towards him and towards knowledge.

The Mandukyopanishad says,

‘Yasya jnanamayam Tapaha’

Those whose nature is towards jnana they obtain tapas.

 

Bheesmacharya now takes us from Bhakti towards Jnana in the next shlokas.   

Every avatar of Vishnu has something to teach us. In Krishna avatara, the utmost importance has been given to jnana.

When Bheeshma lay on the bed of arrows, and the Pandavas and Krishna came to pay their obeisance to him, Krishna insisted that Yudhistira gain wisdom from their Pitamaha. Bheeshma was in pain and he felt that when the Lord himself was present, it wouldn’t be wise to give any knowledge. But Krishna explained that whatever knowledge we have gained we should not carry it back with us without imparting it.   

There are other versions of the Bhagawad Gita like :

The Anu Gita which is a retelling of the epic. It contains a summary by Vaisampayana who heard and remembered Krishna's conversation with Arjuna after the Mahabharata war is over. 

The Uddhav Gita which  Krishna spoke to Uddhava shortly before he left the world in order to help console Uddhava after his forthcoming departure. 

Jai Shri Krishna!