Monthly Archives: December 2019

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

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701) vasu: (वसुः) (also repeated in 105 and 271)

This divine name ‘vasu:’ indicates residence of bhagavAn in the milky ocean, which he chose as the origin for this incarnation as krishNa. The one who resides in the milky ocean is called ‘vasu:’.

The scriptures have hailed thus:

• “The lord resides in the milky ocean in order to protect all the worlds”
• “He is bhagavAn nArAyaNa – the consort of SrI mahAlakshmi, who resides in the milky ocean. He gave up his enjoyments in the serpent bed in the milky ocean and came down to mathurA (to be born as krishNa)”, etc.

Etymology: Since bhagavAn resides in the milky ocean in order to confer wellness upon all the worlds, he is called ‘vasu:’.

वसतीति वसुर्लॊकहितॆच्छुः क्षीरसागरॆ |

702) vasumanA: (वसुमनाः) (also repeated in 106)

Although residing in the birthplace of SrI mahAlakshmi – the milky ocean, bhagavAn’s mind is fixed on vasudhEva. Hence, he is called ‘vasumanA:’ – the one who fixed his mind in vasu (vasudhEva).

Just as ‘dhEvadhaththa’ is called ‘dhaththa’ in short, and just as ‘sathyabhAmA’ is called ‘bhAmA’ in short, so also ‘vasudhEva’ is called ‘vasu’ in short. This is the opinion of those who have learnt the mahAbhAshya.

Etymology: Although residing in the milky ocean – which is the birthplace of SrI mahAlakshmi herself, since bhagavAn’s mind is (was) always fixed upon vasudhEva (in this world), he is called ‘vasumanA:’.

सिन्धौ लक्ष्मीजन्मभूमौ वसतॊsप्यस्य वै मनः |
वसुदॆवॆ सदाsस्तीति स स्यात् वसुमनाः परम् ||

703) havi: (हवि)

Although bhagavAn desired to stay with dhEvaki and vasudhEva, yet the couple – out of sheer love towards bhagavAn and out of fear of kamsa – gave him away to nandhagOpa and yaSOdha. Hence, he is called ‘havi:’.

Etymology: He who was accepted by nandhagOpa and yaSOdha  in order to pacify kamsa’s intimidations is called ‘havi:’.

नन्दगॊपयशॊदाभ्यां कंसॊपद्रवशान्तयॆ |
आदीयतॆ स्वीक्रियतॆ स हविः परिकीर्तितः ||

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सद्गतिः सत्कृतिः सत्ता सद्भूतिः सत्परायणः ।
शूरसॆनॊ यदुश्रॆष्ठः सन्निवासः सुयामुनः ॥ ७५ ॥
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704) sadhgathi: (सद्गतिः)

bhagavAn removes the sorrows of his dear devotees caused by asuras, even while being just born. Thus, he becomes the refuge for all noble souls. Hence he is called ‘sadhgathi:’.

The scriptures hail this trait of bhagavAn thus: “The hurricanes of distress are pacified by bhagavAn, and the noble souls enjoy enhanced bliss”

Etymology: Since bhagavAn removed all sorrows of noble men caused by kamsa and others even while being just born, and thus showed himself as the only refuge for all such noble souls, he is called ‘sadhgathi:’.

उत्पन्न एव कंसादिकृतबाधापनॊदनात् |
सतां प्राप्यतया चैव सद्गतिः समुदाहृतः ||

705) sathkruthi: (सत्कृतिः)

All the divine deeds such as stealing of butter, getting bound to a grinding stone, crawling with the stone, rAsakrIdA (a dance with the gOpis), etc – which are liberating in nature for every individual soul – are shown by bhagavAn. Thus, he is called ‘sathkruthi:’ – the one who possesses divine actions.

bhagavAn himself declares thus in the bhagavath gIthA: “Oh arjuna, those who realize my birth and divine deeds in their true purport shall attain me at the end of their birth, and shall not cycle again in this samsAra”

Etymology: He who possesses divine actions such as rAsakrIdA, etc., which are liberating in nature, is called ‘sathkruthi:’.

रासकिडादि कृतयः सत्यॊ यस्य स सत्कृतिः |

706) saththA (सत्ता)

bhagavAn krishNa is himself verily the support for his dear devotees’ existence. He is hence called ‘saththA’. It is true to the extent that there is no life for any of his devotees without him.

bhagavAn himself says thus about his devotees: “…he who doesn’t have an existence without me”

Etymology: Since bhagavAn (krishNa) himself is the support for the very existence of his dear devotees, he is called ‘saththA’.

स्वयमॆव सतां सत्ता यस्मात् सत्तॆति कीर्त्यतॆ |

707) sadhbhUthi: (सद्भूतिः)

For all such noble souls who cannot live without him, bhagavAn himself comes as their child, friend, a close relative, messenger, charioteer, and in many other forms (and stays with them at all times). Thus, he is called ‘sadhbhUthi:’ – the wealth of noble people.

Etymology: He who manifests as the wealth of noble souls in the form of wife, children et al. is called ‘sadhbhUthi:’.

सतां पुत्रकलत्रादि भूत्या सद्भूतिरुच्यतॆ |

708) sathparAyaNam / sathparAyaNa: (सत्परायणम् / सत्परायणः)

The dhrONa parva of SrI mahAbhAratha says thus: “pANdavas have krishNa as their refuge, their strength, their master and their destiny”. As shown here, since bhagavAn himself is the destiny for all noble souls, he is called ‘sathparAyaNam’.

bhagavAn also says thus: “…you shall attain me”

This name is generally in the neuter gender (sathparAyaNam). If this name is taken in the masculine gender (sathparAyaNa:), then it means bhagavAn has the noble souls as his destiny! This is also shown in the same scriptures.

bhagavAn declares thus in SrI mahAbhAratha: “pANdavas are verily my life”

It is also hailed thus in SrI mahAbhAratha: “You are the master for the pANdavas. We have taken refuge in you”

bhagavAn declares thus in the bhagavath gIthA: “…such a knowledgeable person is indeed my soul (although the scriptures say otherwise) in my opinion”

Etymology: Since bhagavAn is the ultimate refuge for all noble souls, he is called ‘sathparAyaNam’. Alternately, since bhagavAn considers such noble souls themselves as his ultimate refuge, he is called ‘sathparAyaNa:’.

सतां परं स्यादयनं सन्तॊ यस्यॊत्तमायनम् |
सः सत्परायणं ख्यातः यद्वा स्यात् सत्परायणः ||

709) SUrasEna: (शूरसॆनः)

bhagavAn had pANdavas and yAdhavas as his army in reducing the load on earth (for killing the evil elements). Thus, he is called ‘SUrasEna:’ – the one who had valorous warriors as his army.

Etymology: Since the yAdhavas and pANdavas – who were valorous by nature – were part of bhagavAn’s army in killing bad elements, bhagavAn is called ‘SUrasEna:’.

भूभारहरणार्थाय यादवाः पाण्डवाश्चयॆ |
शूराः सहायास्तॆsस्यॆति शूरसॆनः स कथ्यतॆ ||

710) yadhuSrEshta: (यदुश्रॆष्ठः)

The vishNu purANa hails thus: “Those who are learned in the various scriptures and are knowledgeable about the esoteric meanings therein say gOpAla – bhagavAn krishNa – shall uplift the fallen yAdhava clan.”

Thus, he is called ‘yadhuSrEshta:’ – the best among the yadhu clan.

Etymology: He who uplifted the fallen yadhu clan (which had lost the eligibility for being crowned as the rulers) is called ‘yadhuSrEshta:’. Chanting of this eight syllable manthra shall grant progeny.

मग्नं तु यादवं वंशम् उद्धरिष्यति यश्च सः |
यदुश्रॆष्ठ इति ख्यातॊ वस्वर्णॊ वंशवर्धनः ||

adiyen srinivasa raja ramanuja dasan

archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

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<< Part 69

691) pUrayithA (पूरयिता)

If bhagavAn is ‘pUrNa:’ as seen in the previous divine name, then why would he expect us to even praise him with various hymns? It is because he wants to fulfil all our desires. This is shown in this divine name ‘pUrayithA’ – the one who fulfils all desires.

This clearly shows he doesn’t long for any prayers, but only considers such prayers in order to fulfil one’s desires.

Etymology: He who is always abiding by his nature of fulfilling the desires of all those who praise him is called ‘pUrayithA’.

सदा पूरयितुं शीलं यस्य स्तॊतृमनॊरथान् |
स स्यात् पूरयिता |

692) puNya: (पुण्यः) (also repeated in 925)

Furthermore, bhagavAn even purifies a sinner and makes that soul also eligible for praying unto him. Thus, he is called ‘puNya:’.

The root ‘pUnj’ पूञ् (to purify) loses the ‘dhIrgha’, and gets the ‘Nuk’ and ‘yath’ (णुक् यत्) adjuncts, resulting in this divine name.

Etymology: That bhagavAn himself is called ‘puNya:’, because he purifies sinful souls.

पुण्यः सॊsपि पातकिपावनः |

693) puNyakIrthi: (पुण्यकीर्तिः)

Even the glorification of bhagavAn’s divine names is sufficient to purify a soul. Thus, bhagavAn is called ‘puNyakIrthi:’ – the one whose glorification is purifying.

This is hailed thus in the vishNu purANa:

• “Oh maithrEya, the singing of divine names of bhagavAn itself frees a soul from infinite sins, just as shrubs are burnt down by fire”
• “Even if a person chants his names involuntarily, yet he/she shall be freed of all their sins immediately, with all such sins running away like deer in sight of a lion”
• “That – which is accomplished by meditation in krutha yuga, offering oblations in thrEtha yuga, and by physically worshipping bhagavAn in the dhvApara yuga – shall be accomplished by mere chanting of bhagavAn’s divine names in this kali yuga”, etc.

It is for the same reason that knowledgeable men attribute the purifying capacity to the holy hymns that sing the glories of bhagavAn.

Etymology: He whose praises are themselves purifying is called ‘puNyakIrthi:’.

पुण्यश्लॊकॊsस्ति यस्यॆति पुण्यकीर्तिः स तु स्मृतः |

694) anAmaya: (अनामयः)

Thus, the contact with bhagavAn (or his divine names) itself acts as a divine medicine. Hence he is called ‘anAmaya:’ – the one who is against all diseases. The disease referred to in this context is this samsAra. This means that bhagavAn cures us of the greatest disease called ‘samsAra’.

Why is this samsAra or material world called a disease? It is because it is deterrent to the divine experience of bhagavAn. This is shown in the chAndhOgya upanishath, which says “I am replete with diseases”.

Etymology: Since bhagavAn oppresses the dreaded disease called ‘samsAra’, he is called ‘anAmaya:’.

संसाराख्य महाव्याधॆः विरॊधित्वादनामयः |

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मनॊजवस्तीर्थकरॊ वसुरॆता वसुप्रदः ।
वसुप्रदॊ वासुदॆवॊ वसुर्वसुमना हविः ॥ ७४ ॥
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695) manOjava: (मनॊजवः)

bhagavAn acts very swiftly in purifying the souls and liberating them from samsAra (as shown in the previous divine names). Thus, he is called ‘manOjava:’ – the one with the speed of mind.

bhagavAn himself says thus: “He becomes a noble soul instantly”

The vishNu dharma also says thus: “Irrespective of whether the sins accumulated over the past seven births are little or too much, they all are destroyed at the very instant when the person steps into the temple of vishNu”.

Etymology: He who acts swiftly in benefitting his devotees is called ‘manOjava:’.

भक्तानां सम्पदं शीघ्रं करॊतीति मनॊजवः |

696) thIrthakara: (तीर्थकरः)

Furthermore, bhagavAn creates holy waters such as gangA, pushkara, etc, which are also extremely purifying just upon remembering them or even chanting their names – just as much as bhagavAn himself! Thus, he is called ‘thIrthakara:’ – the creator of holy waters.

Alternately, he is the one who promotes the noble philosophies preached by the vEdhas, smrithis, etc. Thus also he is called ‘thIrthakara:’ – the one who enables the creation of various works based on the right philosophy.

This is shown at the end of this same vishNu sahasranAma chapter, where it is said thus: “yOga, Knowledge about the self as well as this material world … are all born out of janArdhana”

Alternately, he is the one who creates steps – in the form of his incarnations – to enter into himself, who is otherwise very profound and impossible to access – just as a deep ocean (meaning, although he is originally very profound, he makes himself accessible to one and all with his incarnations). Thus also, he is called ‘thIrthakara:’.

Etymology: bhagavAn is called ‘thIrthakara:’, because he is the one who creates holy waters such as gangA, etc., also because he is the one who promotes holy scriptures such as vEdhas and smrithis, and also because he is the one who builds a flight of steps to reach him.

गङ्गादि तीर्थहॆतुत्वात् श्रुतिस्मृत्यॊः प्रवर्तनात् |
आत्मप्रवॆशसॊपानकृत्त्वात् तीर्थकरः स्मृतः ||

697) vasurEthA: (वसुरॆताः)

Thence the glorious krishnAvathAram of bhagavAn is hailed (in more than one hundred ensuing divine names!).

Since bhagavAn himself – in the form of divine light – is the material cause for his incarnation, he is called ‘vasurEthA:’.

The word ‘vasu’ (वसुः) itself is in fact a synonym for light.

The vishNu purANa hails thus: “He removed two strands of his hair – one white and one black – oh great saint…”

It is said thus in the SAnthi parva of SrI mahAbhAratha: “They are said to be the strands of my hair (kESa)”

The word ‘kESa’ has already been explained in the previous divine names.

Etymology: The word ‘vasu’ means light, and ‘rEtha:’ is known to mean the incarnation for which such light is the cause. Since he (krishna) is born out of his own form of divine light, he is called ‘vasurEthA:’.

वसुशब्दॊ ज्यॊतिरर्थॊ रॆतस्तत्कारणं मतम् |
दिव्यज्यॊतिः कारणत्वात् वसुरॆताः प्रकीर्तितः ||

698) vasupradha: (वसुप्रदः) (also repeated in 699)

bhagavAn is called ‘vasupradha:’, since he gave away himself as the biggest wealth unto vasudhEva-dhEvaki couple, in the form of their progeny.

Etymology: Since bhagavAn gave away (gives away) himself completely unto dhEvaki and vasudhEva as their greatest wealth in the form of their progeny, he is called ‘vasupradha:’.

दॆवकीवसुदॆवाभ्याम् आत्मरूपं महद्धनम् |
पुत्रत्वॆन प्रकर्षॆण ददातीति वसुप्रदः ||

699) vasupradha: (वसुप्रदः) (also repeated in 698)

By being born as their son, since bhagavAn – who is the father of all worlds – further bestowed upon dhEvaki and vasudhEva the divine status of being his own parents (which is counted as another wealth), he is again called by the divine name ‘vasupradha:’.

Etymology: Since bhagavAn bestowed upon dhEvaki and vasudhEva another great fortune of being his own parents, he is called ‘vasupradha:’.

दॆवकीवसुदॆवाभ्यां स्वपितृत्वं महद्वसु |
तॆजॊsसौ प्रददातीति वसुप्रद इतीरितः ||

700) vAsudhEva: (वासुदॆवः) (also repeated in 334 and 714)

Since bhagavAn was thus born as the son of vasudhEva, he is called ‘vAsudhEva:’.

Etymology: Since bhagavAn (as krishNa) was born as the son of vasudhEva, he is called ‘vAsudhEva:’.

वसुदॆवापत्यभावात् वासुदॆवः प्रकीर्तितः |

Thus ends the seventh centum (sapthama Sathakam) in SrI bhagavath-guNa-dharpaNa, which is an explanation of SIi vishNu sahasranAma, by the scion of SrI hAritha clan, the son of SrIvathsAnka misra (kUraththAzhwan) – SrIranganAtha by name, also called SrI parASara bhatta, who wrote this glorious commentary at the behest of SrI rangarAja.

The seventh centum is completed.

adiyen srinivasa raja ramanuja dasan

archived in http://divyaprabandham.koyil.org

pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org

SrI:  SrImathE SatakOpAya nama:  SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama:  SrImath varavaramunayE nama:

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<< Part 68

681) mahAyajvA (महायज्वा)

Worshipping bhagavAn is not only simple, but those who worship him are also much superior to the worshippers of other dhEvas. Thus, bhagavAn is called ‘mahAyajvA’ – the one whose worshippers are most superior.

The scriptures have this to say in this regard: “Amongst all such devotees of bhagavAn, those ‘EkAnthis’ – who are singly minded towards bhagavAn alone – are the most superior”.

Etymology: bhagavAn is called ‘mahAyajvA’, since he makes those devotees who single-mindedly worship him alone as much superior to those who worship other dhEvas. This manthra grants the fruits of good deeds upon the chanter.

दॆवतान्तरयाजिभ्यः स्वयाज्युत्कर्षकारकः |
महायज्वा समुद्दिष्टः सत्कर्मफलदॊ मनुः ||

682) mahAyagya: (महायज्ञः)

What makes the worship of bhagavAn superior to the worship of other dhEvathAs? The morning waking ritual, divine bath, decorations, offering of bhOgam (sumptuous food) and sweets, etc make bhagavAn’s worship much superior to the worship of other dhEvas (who are worshipped without much flavour). Thus, bhagavAn is called ‘mahAyagya:’ – the one whose worship is superior to that of other dhEvas.

The scriptures have hailed bhagavAn’s worship in many ways thus:

• “Of all dharmas, indeed the worship of bhagavAn vishNu is the best. bhagavAn vishNu protects his dear devotees just as a soul protects its body”
• “bhagavAn happily accepts with his head (accepts them as the highest offering) all such deeds of his dear devotees who show single minded devotion towards him (such as all those mentioned above including waking up of the lord, giving him a ritual bath, offering decorations and sumptuous food etc)”
• “Behold! All those ‘EkAnthis’ (devotees who possess single-minded devotion towards bhagavAn) please hari with all rituals mentioned in the scriptures, which bhagavAn hari himself accepts with utmost happiness”, etc.

Etymology: He who makes his own worship superior to the worship of other dhEvathAs is called ‘mahAyagya:’. This eight syllable manthra confers verily the worship of bhagavAn hari.

अन्यॆभ्यॊ दॆवयागॆभ्यः स्वयागॊत्कर्षकारकः |
महायज्ञः समाख्यातॊ ह्यष्टार्णॊ हरियागदः ||

683) mahAhavi: (महाहविः)

As shown in the various vEdhic statements such as “There was no killing of animal”, “There was only chanting of AraNyaka (a part of vEdhas)”, etc, bhagavAn doesn’t accept any offering involving violence. Rather, he accepts only those offerings that are sAththvik in nature as expounded in the vEdhas. Thus, he is called ‘mahAhavi:’ – the one who accepts only noble offerings.

The scriptures have said thus:

• “The oblations of ghee, firewood, etc – which are verily the form of supreme brahman – are offered…”
• “Some others worship me with their knowledge alone…”
• “I shall worship that bhagavAn in just the way I am. I shall not distance myself from him – who is my master”
• “I shall offer myself (individual soul) unto that indweller of sUryamaNdala…”
• “I shall only offer myself”, etc.

As seen in these scriptural statements, bhagavAn is worshipped by offering oneself (mind, intellect, senses, soul, etc) unto him (which is the highest offering).

The SAnthi parva of SrI mahAbhAratha hails the greatness of one such devotee named ‘uparichara vasu’, who is hailed as a ‘paramaikAnthi’ परमैकान्ती (the one with a steadfast single-minded devotion towards bhagavAn alone). It says “He always submitted himself to bhagavAn by saying that AthmA (himself / the individual soul), his kingdom, his wealth, his relatives and all his vehicles are all meant for bhagavAn alone”

bhagavAn himself declares thus in the bhagavath gIthA: “Worshipping me with prescribed materials is superior to mere knowledge, oh arjuna”.

Thus, bhagavAn is very easily worshipped merely by the normal actions of mind and body (and does not require any violent offerings).

Henceforth, the verbal means of worshipping bhagavAn shall be expounded.

Etymology: He who accepts noble offerings such as offering of self (AthmA), etc – which are non violent in nature – is called ‘mahAhavi:’.

अहिंस्रमात्मादि हविः यस्य स्यात् स महाहविः |

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स्तव्यः स्तवप्रियः स्तॊत्रं स्तुतः स्तॊता रणप्रियः ।
पूर्णः पूरयिता पुण्यः पुण्यकीर्तिरनामयः ॥ ७३ ॥
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684) sthavya: (स्तव्यः)

bhagavAn is eligible of being praised with hymns. Thus, he is called ‘sthavya:’ – the praiseworthy one. bhagavAn possesses virtuous, auspicious and eternal divine qualities that are always unbounded and fully meant for the sake of his dear devotees alone. There are thousands of divine names that sing his glories thus. He is thus established as the lord of all beings. Thus, he alone is worthy of praises. All other dhEvathAs – which are characterized by qualities contrary to the said nature – are not worthy of it.

The bArhaspathya smrithi says thus: “Just as mundane people praise a wealthy man and beget material benefits, who on earth wouldn’t be liberated from the bonds of samsAra if he praises the creator of all worlds?”

In this same vishNu sahasranAma, it will be said thus, later: “Thus, one thousand out of the unlimited divine names of that great supreme soul kESava – who is truly worth of such praises – have been sung”

Etymology: The ways of physical worship of bhagavAn hari by all souls has been said till now (previous divine name). Thence, the means of verbal worship (by praising him and singing his divine names) of that nArAyaNa shall be expounded. He who is worthy of all praises is called ‘sthavya:’. This six lettered manthra liberates the chanter from all bondages.

चॆतः शरीरयॊर्जन्तॊर्व्यापाराराध्यता हरॆः |
उक्ता नारायणस्याथ वागाराध्यत्वमुच्यतॆ |
स्मृतः स्तुत्यर्हणात् स्तव्यः षडर्णॊ बन्धमॊचकः ||

685) sthavapriya: (स्तवप्रियः)

bhagavAn fondly accepts the hymns praising him, which are sung by anyone who is desirous of singing the glories of his divine qualities, in anyway, and in any language – irrespective of whether such a prayer is laudable or condemnable. Thus, he is called ‘sthavapriya:’ – the one who is fond of prayers.

This is proven beyond doubt in many cases such as that of a person named ‘ghaNtAkarNa’ (घण्टाकर्णः), et al.

(NOTE: ghaNtAkarNa was a staunch devotee of rudhra and dead against bhagavAn. He had a pair of bells tied to his ears. Whenever someone praised bhagavAn, he would shake his head and chime the bells so that he wouldn’t listen to bhagavAn’s names or glories. At some point of time, due to circumstances, he was finally required to praise bhagavAn in order to seek mOksha. Even then, he wouldn’t praise bhagavAn with love, but would pray just for the sake of it – without any flavour. Yet, bhagavAn pleasingly heeded to his prayer)

Etymology: He who is extremely fond of prayers sung by anyone in any language and in anyway (irrespective of whether or not it is a laudable way of praising) is called ‘sthavapriya:’. This eight lettered manthra enhances love amongst the chanters.

यया कयाचिद्भारत्या यॆन कॆनापि जन्तुना |
यथा कथञ्चित्कथितॊ यस्य प्रियतमः स्तवः |
स्तवप्रियः स कथितॊ वस्वर्णः प्रीतिवर्धकः ||

686) sthOthram (स्तॊत्रम्)

Furthermore, bhagavAn only sings his praise using the other individuals as mere tools in his hands. Thus, he is only called ‘sthOthram’ as well.

The ‘sthu’ स्तु (to praise) gets the ‘shtran’ (ष्ट्रन्) adjunct as per grammatical rules, resulting in this divine name.

This can be seen in the case of dhruva mahArAja.

(NOTE: The story of dhruva can be seen in SrI bhAgavatham. dhruva – a small boy – sets out to realize the supreme soul owing to various circumstances. He performs severe penance for about six months, for which bhagavAn gets pleased and appears before him. When dhruva repents for his inability to sing bhagavAn’s glories due to his ignorance, bhagavAn touches his pAnchajanya conch to dhruva’s cheeks, at which instant dhruva starts pouring out an exemplary hymn in praise of nArAyaNa. So it clearly proves that he is the one who enables us to sing his glories as well, and hence this divine name.)

Etymology: Since bhagavAn’s praises are accomplished only because of his grace, he is called ‘sthOthram’.

स्वॆनैव निष्पाद्यतया स्वस्तुतॆः स्तॊत्रमुच्यतॆ |

687) sthutha: (स्तुतः)

bhagavAn gets praised by his devotees with varying ranks, such as AdhiSEsha, garuda, and other liberated and ever-liberated souls, infinite number of bounded souls such as brahmA, indhra and other dhEvas, as well as us – who are living here to this day, and also who would be born in this world in various births for a long time to come. All of these entities glorify bhagavAn in order to attain their desires (befitting their knowledge levels). Thus, bhagavAn is called ‘sthutha:’ – the one who is praised.

• The vishNu dharma says thus: “…the pastimes of whom are glorified by infinite dhEvas including indhra, and all the big time rulers of mankind…”
• The purusha sUktha hails thus: “He who is praised by the four faced brahmA, who is known by indhra et al, and hailed by all the humans…”
• The word ‘pradhiSaScha-thasra:’ (प्रदिशश्चतस्रः) shows bhagavAn’s glorification by all of us – the humans at all places at all times.

Etymology: bhagavAn is called ‘sthutha:’, because he is equally glorified by all souls irrespective of their ranks – such as AdhiSEsha, vishvaksEna and other liberated and ever-liberated souls (present in the nithya vibhUthi), as well as all of the bounded souls including ourselves (present in this leelA vibhUthi).

शॆषशॆषाशनाद्यैर्यः सूरिभिश्चास्मदादिभिः |
स्तुतत्वादविशॆषॆण स्तुत इत्यभिदीयतॆ ||

688) sthOthA (स्तॊता)

Furthermore, bhagavAn possesses such simple character that he himself praises those who praise him. Thus, he is called ‘sthOthA’ – the one who praises.

The vishNu dharma glorifies this by saying thus: “Praising whom one attains the stature of being praised, and prostrating unto whom one attains the status of being prostrated…”

This character of bhagavAn is evident in the context of his praising of Siva during his kailAsa-yAthrA (NOTE: This refers to the story of krishna visiting kailAsa and praying to Siva for progeny).

Etymology: He who possesses the noble character of praising those who praise him is called ‘sthOthA’.

स्वस्तॊतारं परं स्तॊतुं शीलं यस्यास्ति सर्वदा |
स्तॊता स स्यात् पञ्चवर्णः सर्वस्तुत्यत्वदॊ मनुः ||

689) raNapriya: (रणप्रियः)

As seen from the various deeds of bhagavAn recorded in various scriptures such as SrImath rAmAyaNa, mahAbhAratha, etc, he is the one who possesses numerous divine deeds in order to please those who praise him. Thus, he is called ‘raNapriya:’ – the one who is fond of wars!

Particularly, he is called so because he has fought numerous wars in order to please his dear devotees who have prayed to him for various reasons.

This is amply clear from a SlOka in SrI rAmAyaNa that hails thus: “Thence, rAma pleased his dear friend SugrIva as well as the mighty angadha by killing rAvana in the war”

Etymology: He who wars against enemies in order to please his devotees is called ‘raNapriya:’.

सुहृत्प्रियं युद्धकर्म यस्यास्ति स रणप्रियः |

690) pUrNa: (पूर्णः)

Even in the absence of offerings made of expensive materials earned by much effort, bhagavAn is pleased by mere praising alone. How? It is possible because he is ‘pUrNa:’ – the complete one. He is the one who has attained all of his desires, and hence does not have anything that must be supplemented by external sources (this means that he doesn’t need or expect any of his devotees to offer anything to him, because he owns everything; rather, he only looks for pure devotion in his devotees).

Etymology: All of whose desires are ever fulfilled is called ‘pUrNa:’.

अवाप्तसर्वकामत्वं यस्यासौ पूर्ण उच्यतॆ |

adiyen srinivasa raja ramanuja dasan

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