ओज: तेजो-द्युतिधरः प्रकाश-आत्मा प्रतापनः ।
ऋद्धः स्पष्टाक्षरो मंत्र:चंद्रांशु: भास्कर-द्युतिः ।।
276. Ōjas-tejō-dyuti-dharaḥ:
Ojas means prana ; Tejas means atma bala
Dyuti means jnana ; and Dhara means the one who bears
He is the one who bears prana, bala and jnana.
He is the one who is endowed with strength, invincibility and brilliance.
The Bhagavad Gita says,
Balam balavataam chaaham (7.11)
and Tejas tejasvinaam aham ( 7.10)
This tells us that the Lord carries the essence of these twin qualities
(naamadvayam) of ojas and tejas
It teaches us that we must imbibe daivi gunas in order to reach him.
Endowed with these 3 qualities, He stays in us as shipivista.
277. Prakāśātmā:
It is his nature to be radiant. His form is radiant.
Ignorance and jnana are both within us. When the light of jnana is lit,
ajnana is destroyed.
The qualities of Ahamkara (ego – the sense of ‘I’) and mamakara
(self-interest - the sense of ‘mine’) clouds our path to knowledge.
The light of the Lord reveals to us the way towards Him by defeating these
asuri qualities.
278. Pratāpanaḥ:
Pra + Tapaha (heat)
Tap means to burn or scorch
Savitraadibhih vibhootibhih vishvam prataapayati iti prataapanah
It means that he burns or scorches the universe in the form of his radiant
forms like the Sun.
The sun is a star, he burns the universe with the heat of the sun.
This name is an indicator of Laya or destruction.
We often speak of ‘burning desire’ if we have to achieve something we must
have a burning desire in us otherwise we fail to put in the desired effort.
279. Ṛddhaḥ:
Obtained from the dhatu rddh, it means prosperity or abundance.
He is abundant or full in all respects.
He gives us ojas, tejas, dyuti, prakashana in abundance.
Dharma jnana vairagyaadibhir upetatvaat riddhah
This shloka also adds vairagya - dispassion or renunciation to the above
qualities and tells us that the he is the one who is rich in or has abundance
of dharma, jnana and vairagya.
The inclusion of vairagya is important because, when we are very focussed
on one activity and want to achieve our goal, vairagya helps us to keep our
focus unwavering.
He gives us all these qualities in abundance that helps us reach our goal.
280. Spaṣṭākṣaraḥ:
Akshara means that which cannot be destroyed
Spashta means clarity (the word spectacles which lets a person see
clearly, comes from spashta)
The indestructible words of the Lord in the form of the Vedas give us
clarity to lead our lives on this earthly plane.
He is so called because Omkara, the manifesting sound of the Lord, is
Spashta.
Spa means bandhana. We are attached to everything in this world. But those
bandhanas or attachments cause us to stay put in this cycle of birth and death
( punarapi jananam punarapi maranam as Adi Shankara says).
The only thing that cannot be destroyed is the Lord himself.
281. Mantraḥ:
Mananat trayate mantrah
Mantras are that which protect those who meditate on it.
When we keep meditating on the spasta akshara continuously, it protects us
(trayate)
Om Namo Narayanah is an Asta Akshari mantra dedicated to Lord Vishnu and
protects us.
Rig Yajus Sama Lakshanah mantrah.
The lord symbolises or manifests the hymns or mantras of the three Vedas
and is hence called Mantrah. We know him through these mantras.
Mantras represent the Vedas, the Vedas represent the Chatur Mukha Brahma,
and Lord Vishnu gave the Veda jnana to Brahma so we may know him through the
mantras.
Mantrabodhyatvaat mantraha
All mantras seek to find him. Hence he is mantrah.
When we do mantra japa or chanting, the kalmasha or muddle in our mind is
washed away. That purifies us internally.
282. Candrāṁśuḥ:
Chandra does not mean just the moon but the Soma loka consisting of the moon
and the 27 nakshatras.
In the Bhagavad Gita 10.21, the Lord says, Nakstranaam aham Shashi which
means, among the stars, I’m Shashi or moon.
Amshu means that which is refreshing as on a cool and pleasant moonlit
night.
He is called 'Chandramshu' or moonlight because just as the moon-light
gives relief to men burnt in the heat of the sun, He gives relief and shelter
to those who are subjected to the heat of Samsara.
It also tells us that our mind (Manas) should be ‘chandramshu’ calm, cool
and collected. Only then we can understand the Lord. If the mind is excited or
agitated, we cannot function properly.
Chandramo manso jatah, may the mind be as cool and pleasant as the moon.
283. Bhāskara-dyutiḥ:
Bhaskara means the Sun ; Dyutihi means to burn
He whose nature has the brilliance and effulgence of the sun.
Bhaskara dyuti saadharmayaat bhaskardyuthih
The nature of Sun is to burn. Hence our intellect (Buddhi) should be on
fire meaning it must active at all times. Our intellect cannot afford to slow
down as it has to keep the mind under its control. it must keep burning so that
it can instruct the mind on the correct action.
Both the names are therefore taken together – May the mind be cool as the
Moon and the intellect, burning like the Sun.
Jai Shri Krishna!
No comments:
Post a Comment