अशोक: तारण: तारः शूरः शौरि: जनेश्वर: ।
अनुकूलः शतावर्तः पद्मी पद्मनिभेक्षणः ।।
338. Aśokaḥ:
Shoka means intense grief
The lord is free from grief as he has no attachment. He has nothing to
lose, so he is not afflicted by grief.
Ahamkara and Mamakara lead to attachment and desires. Both these lead to
grief.
Three types of grief can affect us.
Adhyatmika – the source of this grief is our body and mind itself. We
may be in pain, or suffering from some mental disorder, or it couldbe due to
our laziness or absent-mindedness etc. The shoka or grief is within us. As
Ashoka he dispels grief of the adhyatmika type.
Adhi bhautika - the vibhootis or the obstacles in the environment like
people around us, or wild animals, or natural calamities etc are the source of
grief. The next name ‘Taranah’ is a adhi bhautika grief.
Adhi daivika grief is caused due to obstacles we cannot perceive like
ghosts or spirits, angels or deities. The previous name ‘Purandara’ tells us
about grief caused due to the asuras which is adhi daivika.
This is the reason why we chant ‘Om Shantih’ thrice when we recite any
mantra or complete any worship so that we get mukti from these three types of
grief.
339.Tāraṇaḥ:
Tar means to cross or get across.
The Dhyana shloka of the Vishnu Sahasranaama
tells us that -
Yasya smarana
matrena janma samsara bandhanaat
Vimuchyate namas tasmai vishnave prabha
vishnave
Just by remembering his name he helps us tide
over or cross over the samsara sagara.
340. Tāraḥ:
Tarana means he helps us cross the samsara
sagara and Tarah means he himself holds our hand and take us across.
Garbha janma jara mrityu lakshanaat bhayaat
taarayati iti taarah
When a child is in the womb, it does not want
to be born into this world as it is aware of the sufferings it will have to
undergo. He liberates beings from the fear of residing in the womb, birth, old
age, death etc.
That is why, though the baby carries memory of
the past but once it come out into the world everything is forgotten so that it
may start afresh.
Just like a mother undergoes the prasava vedane
or the pain of labour to bring the child into the world, he also takes care of
us and carries us in this manner.
The two names Tarana and Tarah can be
interpreted using the analogy with the cat and the monkey.
The baby of the monkey clings to its mother
wherever she goes. Hanging on to the stomach of its mother, the baby feels
safe.
This is called Markata Nyaya and aptly
describes the name Taranah.
On the other hand, the kitten is carried by the
cat by the nap of its neck to keep it safe. It might seem to hurt the kitten, but
the mother ensures that her kitten is safe at all times.
This is called Maarjara Nyaya and it describes
the name Tarah.
Depending on whether the devotee will cling on
the Lord like a monkey or has to be carried across like a kitten, the Lord has
been given these two names Taranah and Tarah respectively.
341. Śhūraḥ:
Shurah means brave or the valiant one.
Vikramanaat Shoorah
He is brave and is hence called Shurah.
In every incarnation, he has proven his bravery
and has always won over any kind of obstacles that have come his way.
342. Śhauriḥ:
Shurasya apatyamvasudevasya sutah Shaurih.
Krishna is also called Shaurih as he is the son
Vasudeva who was the son of King Shura.
Shurasya gotrapatyampumaan shaurih
In other words, he is the descendent of the
valiant king, Shaurih.
343. Janeśvaraḥ:
We exhibit the qualities of life (janam
lakshanam) hence we are called janah. In other words, we are janah because we
have birth and hence we have to die.
He is the Lord of the janah or lord of all his
creations. He controls the janah.
Janaanaam jantunaam eshvarah janeshwarah.
344. Anukūlaḥ:
Kulaha means the shore of the ocean or bank of
river
Anukulah means kulam anuvartate anukulam -
The shore is the limit, one cannot cross it. He
is constrained by the limits and acts within it.
Also, he helps his devotees to go towards the
shore to cross the samsara sagara.
Aatmatvena hi sarvesham anukulah na hi svasmin
pratikoolyamsvayam aacharati
We encounter two words that show boundaries or
limits.
Pratikulah – when we want to do something but
the environment is not favourable for it. It is a limit or constraint.
Anukulah– when we are aware of what our limit
is and work according to it.
He being
the soul in everything that he creates, he also creates an environment
favourable for everyone.
345. Śhatāvartaḥ:
Shata means hundred but in context of the Lord,
shata, sahasra etc. all mean infinite.
Avarta means rotations or repetition.
He keeps the cycle of creation and destruction
going on and on.
Also, he takes several Avataras or incarnations
to protect the virtuous.
His incarnations makes everything favourable
for his devotees (anukulah), and to help sadhus and good people to prosper.
The Bhagavad Gita
4.7 and 4.8 says,
yada yada hi
dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
Whenever and
wherever there is a decline in dharma, O descendant of Bharata, and a
predominant rise in adharma — I manifest personally.
paritranaya
sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
In order to deliver
the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the
principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.
Another interpretation is given as,
nadi shate pranaroopenavartate iti vaa,
meaning he circulates in our blood vessels as
prana or the life force and hence is
called shatavarta.
346. Padmī:
Padma means lotus; Padmi means the one who
holds the lotus in his hand.
Padmam haste vidyate iti padmi
He holds a padma or lotus in his hands.
Padma is another name for Lakshmi, and she is
always with the Lord, hence He is Padmi.
Lakshmi also means knowledge. Hence the one who
gives knowledge is Padmi.
Lakshmi also comes from the dhatu ‘luk’ which
means to observe.
We must observe closely what is right and wrong and what is our goal.
Our goal should be moksha.
347. Padma-nibhekṣaṇaḥ:
This name is formed from three words - Padma meaning lotus, Nibhe meaning
to compare and ekshana meaning to see.
His has eyes which are comparable to or resemble a lotus.
Aksha also means an axle for the wheel. It is the pivot.
When the lotus is like a bud, the stem looks like an axle. The bud looks
rounded. It signifies the earth, the planets, stars etc all of which are round.
The lord holds the axle on which the universe stands.
If we see the pic of Vishnu, there is a stem of lotus from his navel on
which is brahma. Thus, lotus signifies creation and destruction.
If we rotate the stalk, the bud blooms. He rotates the axle and the
universe is created.
Aksha also means the eyes; he saw and the earth was created.
It shows the sankalpa shakti of the lord which creates the universe.
Jai Shri Krishna!
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