Post by radha on Jul 1, 2012 10:48:41 GMT 5.5
OM SRI GURUPYO NAMAHA:,RESPECTFUL PRANAMS TO SRI KANCHI MAHA PERIVA.
There is a deep connection between the name and the named. The name brings to our mind the image of the person thought and the more one thinks, the more consistent the impressions. The 1000 names of Lord Vishnu are meant to invoke the sense of bonding with the Lord, who is the most intimate one (Gita says He is our friend, grandfather, father, mother, support, the goal etc), whether we realize it or not. Yet how often and how deeply do we call out to Him? The meanings of the names of Vishnu Sahasranamam will help us in understanding the magnitude and the depth of the Godhood.
The Vishnu Sahasranamam was composed by Sri Veda Vyasa, the author of the Puraanaas. The Vishnu Sahasaranamam is a part of Mahabharatham. The prince Yudishtira, the eldest of the Pandavas, at the end of the war approached Bhishma Pitaamahaa when he was lying on the bed of arrows, awaiting the sacred hour of his departure to the feet of the Lord. Krishna advised Yudishtira to know about Dharma from Bhishma before he dies. It is always the glory of the Lord, who always keeps His devotees great and He simply stands behind. Yudishtira, the righteous, asked 6 questions, and the Bhishma, the great devotee of Krishna calmly answered them all. This is how ‘the thousand names of the Lord Vishnu’ introduced in the epic Mahabharatha.
SIX QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE SEEKER YUDISHTIRA TO BHISHMA AND BHISHMA’S ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS:
KIM EKAM DAIVATAM LOKE?
WHO IS THE GREATEST LORD IN THE WORLD?
PAVITRAANAAM PAVITRAM YO MANGALAANAAM CHA MANGALAM
DAIVATAM DEVATAANAAM CHA BHOOTAANAAM YO AVYAYAH PITAA
He who is the very sanctity which sanctifies all sacred things; He who is the most auspicious; He who is the God of gods; He who is the Eternal Father of all creatures is the one god – VISHNU.
KIM VAAPYEKAM PARAAYANAM?
WHO IS THE ONE REFUGE FOR ALL?
PARAMAM YO MAHAT-TEJAH PARAMAM YO MAHAT – TAPAH
PRAMAM YO MAHAT-BRAHMA PARAMAM YAH PARAAYANAM
He who is the Great Effulgence; He who is the great Controller; He who is the Supreme All-Pervading Truth; He who is the Highest (param) Goal (Ayanam) – the refuge for all is THE LORD VISHNU.
STUVANTAM KAM PRAAPNUYUH MAANAVAAH SUBHAM?
BY GLORIFYING WHOM CAN MAN REACH THE AUSPICIOUSNESS (PEACE AND PROSPERITY)?
JAGAT-PRABHUM DEVA-DEVAM ANANTAM PURUSHOTTAMAM
STUVAN NAAMA-SAHASRENA PURUSHAH SATATOTTHITAH
The Supreme Purusha, who is ever up and doing for the welfare of all, the Lord of the world, the Endless – Sri Maha Vishnu when glorified man reaches the auspiciousness.
KAM ARCHANTAH PRAAPNUYUH MAANAVAAH SUBHAM?
BY WORSHIPPING WHOM CAN MAN REACH AUSPICIOUSNESS (PEACE AND PROSPERITY)?
TAMEVA CHA ARCHAYAN NITYAM BHAKTYAA PURUSHAM AVYAYAM
DHYAAYAN STUVAN NAMASYAM CHA YAJAMAANAS TVAM EVA CA
By meditating upon, by worshipping and by prostrating at the same Purusha, man can reach true auspiciousness.
KO DHARMAH SARVA-DHARMAANAAM BHAVATAH PARAMO MATAH?
WHAT IS, IN THY OPINION, THE GREATEST DHARMA?
KIM JAPAN MUCHYATE JANTUH JANMA-SAMSAARA-BANDHANAAT?
BY DOING JAPA OF WHAT CAN “CREATURES” (JANTU) GO BEYOND THE BONDS OF SAMSAARA?
ANAADI-NIDHANAM VISHNUM SARVALOKA-MAHESHWARAM
LOKAADHYAKSHAM STUVAN NITYAM SARVA-DUHKHA-ATIGO BHAVET
Both questions are answered here: – The Greatest Dharma is the one Vishnu, who has neither a beginning (aadi) nor an end (nidhanam), the Supreme Lord of the world. All creatures can go beyond the bonds of Samsara, “and he goes beyond all sorrows” who daily chants the sahasranaamam and within glorifies “the knower of the world” (lokaadhyaksha).
After thus answering the questions of Yudishtira, Bhishma said: “I shall now advise you. Please listen to the thousand names of the Lord with all attention”.
The Supreme Lord, as we all know cannot be defined. He is ‘anirvachaneeyam’ – beyond words, speech, mind, thoughts. He cannot be called by any name or indicated by any term or defined in any language. He is beyond both the “Known” and the “unknown”. He is the inner light which illumines all our experiences.
Yet, He has infinite names in terms of His manifestations. Here we have a thousand indirect definitions with which the Real, the Infinite is being indicated in terms of the unreal and the finite. These thousand names are designed by our ancient Rishis. Sage Vyasaa collected all these beautiful flowers called names, strung together into a Hymn to Vishnu, as a garland of devotion.
The Vishnu Sahasranaamam has got both Bhakti and Jnaanam. When we know the meanings behind each name of the Lord, we are taken into meditation and contemplation.
When Naarada approached Brahmaaji to enquire what is the way out for man to evolve in these hard days of extrovertedness, which is quite natural and unavoidable in the age of Kali. Brahmaaji replied: “Repetition of the names of Naraayana is sufficient enough”.
Shankaraacharya describes in his commentary that the Japa is of three types
That which can be heard by others
That which is heard by ourselves
That which is mental
Vishnu sahasranaamam can be used in performing Japa of all these three kinds.
The Sahasranaamam should be chanted everyday with shraddha and bhakti. When chanted with devotion, it destroys all our troubles, sorrows, incurable diseases and ruthless enemies. All these are felt by us because of lack of knowledge. This chanting gives highest purification to the mind and thus we gain more and more peace. Our mind will have Lord alone and not the world.
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam
There is a deep connection between the name and the named. The name brings to our mind the image of the person thought and the more one thinks, the more consistent the impressions. The 1000 names of Lord Vishnu are meant to invoke the sense of bonding with the Lord, who is the most intimate one (Gita says He is our friend, grandfather, father, mother, support, the goal etc), whether we realize it or not. Yet how often and how deeply do we call out to Him? The meanings of the names of Vishnu Sahasranamam will help us in understanding the magnitude and the depth of the Godhood.
The Vishnu Sahasranamam was composed by Sri Veda Vyasa, the author of the Puraanaas. The Vishnu Sahasaranamam is a part of Mahabharatham. The prince Yudishtira, the eldest of the Pandavas, at the end of the war approached Bhishma Pitaamahaa when he was lying on the bed of arrows, awaiting the sacred hour of his departure to the feet of the Lord. Krishna advised Yudishtira to know about Dharma from Bhishma before he dies. It is always the glory of the Lord, who always keeps His devotees great and He simply stands behind. Yudishtira, the righteous, asked 6 questions, and the Bhishma, the great devotee of Krishna calmly answered them all. This is how ‘the thousand names of the Lord Vishnu’ introduced in the epic Mahabharatha.
SIX QUESTIONS ASKED BY THE SEEKER YUDISHTIRA TO BHISHMA AND BHISHMA’S ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS:
KIM EKAM DAIVATAM LOKE?
WHO IS THE GREATEST LORD IN THE WORLD?
PAVITRAANAAM PAVITRAM YO MANGALAANAAM CHA MANGALAM
DAIVATAM DEVATAANAAM CHA BHOOTAANAAM YO AVYAYAH PITAA
He who is the very sanctity which sanctifies all sacred things; He who is the most auspicious; He who is the God of gods; He who is the Eternal Father of all creatures is the one god – VISHNU.
KIM VAAPYEKAM PARAAYANAM?
WHO IS THE ONE REFUGE FOR ALL?
PARAMAM YO MAHAT-TEJAH PARAMAM YO MAHAT – TAPAH
PRAMAM YO MAHAT-BRAHMA PARAMAM YAH PARAAYANAM
He who is the Great Effulgence; He who is the great Controller; He who is the Supreme All-Pervading Truth; He who is the Highest (param) Goal (Ayanam) – the refuge for all is THE LORD VISHNU.
STUVANTAM KAM PRAAPNUYUH MAANAVAAH SUBHAM?
BY GLORIFYING WHOM CAN MAN REACH THE AUSPICIOUSNESS (PEACE AND PROSPERITY)?
JAGAT-PRABHUM DEVA-DEVAM ANANTAM PURUSHOTTAMAM
STUVAN NAAMA-SAHASRENA PURUSHAH SATATOTTHITAH
The Supreme Purusha, who is ever up and doing for the welfare of all, the Lord of the world, the Endless – Sri Maha Vishnu when glorified man reaches the auspiciousness.
KAM ARCHANTAH PRAAPNUYUH MAANAVAAH SUBHAM?
BY WORSHIPPING WHOM CAN MAN REACH AUSPICIOUSNESS (PEACE AND PROSPERITY)?
TAMEVA CHA ARCHAYAN NITYAM BHAKTYAA PURUSHAM AVYAYAM
DHYAAYAN STUVAN NAMASYAM CHA YAJAMAANAS TVAM EVA CA
By meditating upon, by worshipping and by prostrating at the same Purusha, man can reach true auspiciousness.
KO DHARMAH SARVA-DHARMAANAAM BHAVATAH PARAMO MATAH?
WHAT IS, IN THY OPINION, THE GREATEST DHARMA?
KIM JAPAN MUCHYATE JANTUH JANMA-SAMSAARA-BANDHANAAT?
BY DOING JAPA OF WHAT CAN “CREATURES” (JANTU) GO BEYOND THE BONDS OF SAMSAARA?
ANAADI-NIDHANAM VISHNUM SARVALOKA-MAHESHWARAM
LOKAADHYAKSHAM STUVAN NITYAM SARVA-DUHKHA-ATIGO BHAVET
Both questions are answered here: – The Greatest Dharma is the one Vishnu, who has neither a beginning (aadi) nor an end (nidhanam), the Supreme Lord of the world. All creatures can go beyond the bonds of Samsara, “and he goes beyond all sorrows” who daily chants the sahasranaamam and within glorifies “the knower of the world” (lokaadhyaksha).
After thus answering the questions of Yudishtira, Bhishma said: “I shall now advise you. Please listen to the thousand names of the Lord with all attention”.
The Supreme Lord, as we all know cannot be defined. He is ‘anirvachaneeyam’ – beyond words, speech, mind, thoughts. He cannot be called by any name or indicated by any term or defined in any language. He is beyond both the “Known” and the “unknown”. He is the inner light which illumines all our experiences.
Yet, He has infinite names in terms of His manifestations. Here we have a thousand indirect definitions with which the Real, the Infinite is being indicated in terms of the unreal and the finite. These thousand names are designed by our ancient Rishis. Sage Vyasaa collected all these beautiful flowers called names, strung together into a Hymn to Vishnu, as a garland of devotion.
The Vishnu Sahasranaamam has got both Bhakti and Jnaanam. When we know the meanings behind each name of the Lord, we are taken into meditation and contemplation.
When Naarada approached Brahmaaji to enquire what is the way out for man to evolve in these hard days of extrovertedness, which is quite natural and unavoidable in the age of Kali. Brahmaaji replied: “Repetition of the names of Naraayana is sufficient enough”.
Shankaraacharya describes in his commentary that the Japa is of three types
That which can be heard by others
That which is heard by ourselves
That which is mental
Vishnu sahasranaamam can be used in performing Japa of all these three kinds.
The Sahasranaamam should be chanted everyday with shraddha and bhakti. When chanted with devotion, it destroys all our troubles, sorrows, incurable diseases and ruthless enemies. All these are felt by us because of lack of knowledge. This chanting gives highest purification to the mind and thus we gain more and more peace. Our mind will have Lord alone and not the world.
Sri Kanchi Maha Periva Thiruvadigal Charanam