SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
191) marIchi: (मरीचिः)
The one who shows his faultless divine forms even to those who are born blind is called ‘marIchi:’ – the resplendent one. The root ‘mrug’ (मृङ्) gets the ‘Ichi:’ (ईचिः) adjunct as per the aphorism ‘मृकणिभ्यामीचिः’, resulting in this divine name. The word ‘mrug’ (मृङ्) means the one who enlightens, in this context. The knowledgeable scriptures show him as the one who is resplendent as the blemish-free moon, while contemplating upon him.
Etymology: Since bhagavAn reveals his divine nature when he incarnates as hamsa (the great swan) even to the blind creatures, he is called ‘marIchi:’.
अन्धॆभ्यॊsपि च जन्तुभ्यॊ हंसग्रीवावतारतः |
प्रकाशितस्वरूपत्वात् मरीचिरिति कल्प्यतॆ ||
192) dhamana: (दमनः)
He is further called ‘dhamana:’ – the oppressor, since he subdues the heat of samsAra by his constant stream of charming light.
Etymology: bhagavAn is called ‘dhamana:’ since he subdues the heat of samsAra by his divine charming light.
भवतापस्य दमनात् कान्त्या दमन ईरितः |
193) hamsa: (हंसः)
Who is such a one (dhamana:)? He is ‘hamsa:’ – the great swan.
The one whose walk is extremely charming is called ‘hamsa:’. Also, the one whose smile is very charming is called ‘hamsa:’. (मनॊहरं हन्ति – गच्छति, स्मयतॆ वा इति हंसः).
The maula samhithA interprets this divine name as ‘the one who shears bondages of his devotees’ (हन्ता संगानाम्).
The kAtaka bhashya says: “Since bhagavAn is ever free from all blemishes, and since he is ever qualified with the most auspicious qualities, he is called ‘hamsa:’”. The scriptures hail bhagavAn thus, in this regard: “…to that bhagavAn – who is sentient, embodiment of pure sathva, the auspicious refuge of all (SubhAshrayam), and the supreme soul”
Etymology: The one who shears the bondages of his devotees, and the one who walks and smiles most charmingly is called ‘hamsa:’.
हन्ता संगस्य हसति गच्छतीति मनॊहरं हंसः |
194) suparNa: (सुपर्णः) (also repeated in 859)
The etymologists say that bhagavAn is called suparNa:, since he possesses beautiful wings. Also, he is called so, since he makes the individual souls cross the ocean of samsAra.
Etymology: bhagavAn is called suparNa: since he possesses beautiful wings. Alternately, he is called suparNa: since he takes the individual souls to the other shore of samsAra (makes them cross the samsAra).
शॊभनपर्णत्वात् सुपर्णमिति कथ्यतॆ |
संसारपारनयनात् सुपर्ण इति वा मतः ||
(Note: The SlOkas in the etymologies of ‘suparNa:’ and ‘hamsa:’ are read together in order to satisfy the criteria of the meter (chandhas छन्दस्). They are broken down just to explain the two different names.)
हन्ता संगस्य हसति गच्छतीति मनॊहरं |
हंसः शॊभनपर्णत्वात् सुपर्णमिति कथ्यतॆ |
संसारपारनयनात् सुपर्ण इति वा मतः ||
195) bhujagOththama: (भुजगॊत्तमः)
Thence the divine incarnation as ‘padhmanAbha’ is explained. In the 48th divine name ‘padhmanAbha:’ (padhmanAbhO~maraprabhu:), the vyUha form of anirudhdha was projected as padhmanAbha, showing his creatorship of the four faced brahmA after the vyUha formation. Here, starting from the 195th divine name, bhagavAn’s divine incarnation as padhmanAbha even before such vyUha formation is shown (the primordial incarnation is being said; hence, no fault in ‘repetition’ of name).
The first divine name for the padhmanAbha incarnation is ‘bhujagOththama:’ – the master of the divine serpent. This word ‘bhujagasya’ (भुजगस्य) means ‘of the divine serpent’, and ‘uththama:’ (उत्तमः) means ‘the master’. This, therefore, indicates bhagavAn’s reclining on the holy snake bed of AdhiSEsha.
bhagavAn’s dhyAna manthra says: “…in my mind, he sleeps on the snake bed, with divine knowledge and form. He verily pervades everything”
The AraNya parva of mahAbharatha says thus: “bhagavAn vishNu sleeps on the snake bed all alone in the great milky ocean, will all splendor”
The vaishNava sanmhithA says “bhagavAn sleeps on the divine serpent bed nourishing all the worlds that he swallows at the end of creation”
Etymology: The primordial incarnation of bhagavAn as padhmanAbha is being said now. The master of the divine serpent AdhiSEsha (the one who reclines on the serpent bed) is called ‘bhujagOththama:’.
प्रादुर्भावॆषु प्रथमः पद्मनाभॊsथतूच्यतॆ |
भुजगस्यॊत्तमः शॆषी भुजगॊत्तम उच्यतॆ ||
196) hiraNyanAbha: (हिरण्यनाभः)
That bhagavAn himself is hiraNyanAbha:, since he possesses a beautiful navel that attracts the minds of everyone.
Etymology: The one with a beautiful navel like the gold is called ‘hiraNyanAbha:’.
हिरण्यनाभः सौन्दर्यनाभिर्यस्यॆति स स्मृतः |
197) suthapA: (सुतपाः)
That bhagavAn himself is called as ‘suthapA:’ as well. The word ‘thapas’ refers to knowledge. The one who is witness to all knowledge, and the seat of all knowledge is called ‘suthapA:’. The dhyAna manthra of bhagavAn says thus: “…bhagavAn, who is a personification of supreme knowledge”
Etymology: The word ‘thapas’ refers to knowledge. The one who possesses that itself as his own divine body (and hence hailed as the one full of knowledge) is called ‘suthapA:’.
तपॊ बुद्धिः सैव तनुः सुतपाः यस्य स स्मृतः |
198) padhmanAbha: (पद्मनाभः) (also repeated in 48, 348)
The name padhmanAbha: – the one with a lotus in the navel – comes as explained before (as said in the divine name bhujagOththama:; i.e., this name shows bhagavAn’s primordial incarnation even before the formation of vyUha).
The brahma purAna speaks thus about the divine names ‘hiraNyanAbha’ and ‘padhmanAbha’:
“Long ago, there was a divine sumptuous lotus with eight petals that originated from the navel of that bhagavAn reclining on the serpent bed. The carpel of that great lotus was golden, and that portion itself is said to be the great mEru mountain.”
Etymology: The one from whose navel was born a royal, divine, sumptuous lotus with eight petals, whose golden carpel was itself said to be the ‘mEru’ mountain is called ‘padhmanAbha:’.
पार्थिवं भूरि पद्मं तु नाभावष्टदलं महत् |
यस्य हॆममयी दिव्या कर्णिका मॆरुरुच्यतॆ |
यस्य नाभौ तदुत्पत्तिः पद्मनाभः स उच्यतॆ ||
199) prajApathi: (प्रजापतिः) (also repeated in 70)
The one who is the master of all creatures – right from the four faced brahmA who was born in that lotus in his navel, upto the lowest mortals in this creation – is called ‘prajApathi:’ (the master of all creatures). This is applicable – not only during the creation of four faced brahmA during the prAkrutha Srushti, but also during the destruction and re-creation of the first three worlds (bhU:, bhuva:, suva:) by the four faced brahmA during the naimiththika praLayam and Srushti.
(NOTE: naimiththika praLayam refers to the destruction of up to the three worlds bhU:, bhuva: and suva: at the end of brahmA’s day. The same will be re-created during his next day. No other world would be affected by this. Whereas prAkrutha praLayam refers to the end of the whole creation at the end of brahmA’s age of 100 years, after which a new four faced brahmA is created by bhagavAn and the whole process of creation is repeated again.)
Etymology: The master of all creatures right from the four faced brahmA (created during the prAkrutha Srushti) upto the lowest mortals created during the naimiththika Srushti is called ‘prajApathi:’.
नैमित्तिकॆ तु यॆ सृष्टाः प्रजाः ब्रह्ममुखास्तथा |
तॆषां चैव पतिः स्वामी प्रजापतिरिहॊच्यतॆ ||
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अमृत्युः सर्वदृग्सिंहः सन्धाता सन्धिमान् स्थिरः ।
अजॊ दुर्मर्षणः शास्ता विश्रुतात्मा सुरारिहा ॥ २२ ॥
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200) amruthyu: (अमृत्युः)
Thereafter, the nArasimha incarnation is hailed. The word ‘amruthyu:’ means ‘the one oppressor of death’. This is as hailed in the manthras as ‘mruthyOrmruythyu:’ मृत्यॊर्मृत्युः (the one who is the death of verily the death itself).
Etymology: Thence the divine form of nArasimha is hailed, which wards off all deaths.
नारसिंहमथ स्तौति सर्वमृत्युनिवारणम् |
Thus ends the second centum (dvithIya Sathakam) in SrI bhagavath-guNa-dharpaNa, which is an explanation of SrI vishNu sahasranAma, by the scion of SrI haritha clan, the son of SrIvathsAnga miSra (kUraththAzhvAn) – SrIranganAtha by name, also called SrI parASara bhatta, who wrote this glorious commentary at the behest of SrI rangarAja.
The second centum is completed.
adiyen srinivasa raja ramanuja dasan
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