ParaBrahman thru' VishNuSahasranAma

[ameyAtmA]

|| om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ||
vasudeva sutaM devaM kauMsa chAnura mardanaM |
devakI paramAnandaM KRshNaM vande jagatguruM ||
_/\_


Namaste and Happy New Year

Some wonder if the Universe is a giant neural network. Wonder IF...? SanAtan Hindu Dharma tells us it is so for eons, and the One behind the whole show can be sought internally.
The infinite Purusha described in Purusha SUkta , Rg Ved X.
SahasrasheershA Purushah: SahasrAkshah: sahasrapAd
sa bhUmim vishwato vrutvA tvattishTha dashAngulaM
purusha eva idaM sarvaM yadbhUtaM yaccha bhavyaM.....


The 1000 and 10 are figurative for infinite and completeness.


The VishNusahastranAma stotra is very special because is not a sectarian VaishNav stotra for 'a' Deva called VishNu that is one of many Gods. It is a beautiful description of the Highest , Supreme Being, Supreme Truth, ParaBramha' / Bramhan'


[Conversely, The Bhagavad Geeta, NArAyaN Upanishad, VishNusahasranAma all are very explicit in conveying that Shri KRshNa , VAsudev, is ParaBramhan and Purushottam.
BramhaNyo Devaki putro -- says NArAyaN Upanishad while the rest of it describes how all existence came from NArAyaNa (is this speaking of NArAyaN Rishi who is KRshNa in dwapar yug?) - but since this is not the VaishNav forum we will not go there.]


VishNu SahastranAma stotra (technically the 't' exists in sahastra) is not confined to 'a' God with 4 arms. It speaks about the Source, the cause of all causes. Bramhan', ParaBramha'. [SatyaM jnAnaM anantaM Brahma' - Taittareya Upanishad]


In the end, when Arjun asks for an easier and quicker alternative, Shri KRshNa says He can be glorified with but one shlok and that is equivalent to chanting the Sahasranama stotra. The shlok is recited by BramhA :
namostav anatAya sahasramUrtaye sahasra pAdAksha shirorubAhave |
sahasranAmne purushAya shAshwate sahasrakoTi yuga dhAriNe namah: ||


Naman, obeissances, namaskAra to the endless One Who possesses infinite, 1000(infinite) forms, 1000(infinite) Lotus Feet, Eyes, Heads, Arms, Names, that eternal Being Who holds (unfolds) 1000(infinite) time-cycles.


Also, when YudhishThir asks : WHO is the One and only One (kim ekaM ?) who should be worshipped? What is the utmost righteous Dharma of all dharmas to be maintained and followed?

Bheeshma answers: Jagat Prabhum Deva-devam, anantam, purushottamam, anAdi-nidhanaM, VishNuM...
One must worship the Supreme Lord and guardian of the whole existence, the God of gods, the infinite One by way of space, time and substance (anantaM), the Best of all Beings, the One Who has no beginning, no Source, and no end, is Eternal.


This is the Bramha'-param, the Highest, the Purest, the ultimate Source. [I read that the sanskrit word gUdha (deep mystery) was taken and it got distorted into Gott and God.]


So let us pick a few of the 1000 names for analysis which no one can complain are pointing to mere belief, mythology, sectarian towards VaishNav dharma etc.


1. VishwaM : The world, Universe / multi-verse, all existence , the material creation, manifestation... the vast , vastness, growing -- which is the meaning of "Brahman"
Which also means the Source of this Vishwa, who became all of this.

2. VishNu : The omnipresent One, the all-pervading One. There is no place He is not.

3. bhUta-bhavya-bhavat prabhU : Lord of the Past, Present and Future

4. bhUta-krut : krut can mean to create or destroy, and both are applicable to the Ultimate One.

5. bhUta-bhrut : Sustainer of all beings

6. bhAva : Who is blissfully Himself alone, as well as becomes (bhava) this world, and is the bhAva (expression) that gave rise to this world/appearance.

7. bhUtAmtA : Innermost Self of all beings (BG 10.20 aham AtmA guDAkesha...)

8. bhUta-bhAvanah: : Generator and nourisher of all beings

9. pUtAtmA : Purest Self of everything, the heart and center

10. paramAtmA : The Highest Self, Supreme Self of everything, the heart and center

11. muktAnAm-paramA-gatih: : The Highest goal and destiny of the liberated ones, the highest level to which the liberated ones.

12. avyaya : imperishable, eternal, indestructible. Not only is He imperishable immortal as the AtmA , Highest and innermost Self, but His Nature (avyakta prakruti) is also indestructible owing to the law of thermodynamics.

13. Purushah: : The [innermost, Supreme and really the Only] Being (h: visarga on many sahasranama naams is for grammar)

14. sAkshI : Witness - the Sole real authentic Witness , and the innermost witness of everything manifest and unmanifest.

15. kshetradnya (also written as kshetrajn~a) : Knower of the field -- where field = body of living beings, inorganic bodies, cosmos, cosmic entity, universe, multiverse, time... at each level of identification, he is the knower - kshetradnya.

16. akshar : a-kshar. kshar = perishable. a-kshar = imperishable which He obviously is - as the eternal Self (Spirit) as well as the avyakta prakruti - see avyaya (#12) above.

17. yog : The very connector and the connection between the manifest beings and their Source, Himself. He is the very yog itself, yogeshwar (Ishwar of the yogIs Who Himself connects them to Him), yogI, yogIshwar, the cause of Oneness and Oneness itself.

18. yogavidhAm netA : The leader of the knowers of yoga i.e. Leader of the yogis or yog practitioners.

19. pradhAna-purusheshwhara : The Ishwar (Lord, God and controller) of both the pradhAna (mULa avyakta prakruti - primordial nature, also mAyA) as well as the purushas (jivas: individual entities that identify as that specific individual).

20. ShrimAn : OF Shri, WITH Shri, is all the Shri-ness that can possibly exist, Shelter of Shri, protector of Shri. What (philosophically) or Who (theistically) is Shri? The oppulence, aishwarya, all auspicious, good, divine qualities, wealth-with-goodness, prosperity, is Shri (MahaLakshmi)

21. Purushottamah: : The uttam purush - the Supreme, purest, highest Being (happens to be the innermost Being, the most fundamental source of existence. [theistic: Some take it the simple way, viz. the best among men. However, it means more than that, although this second definition can only apply to the pUrNAvtAr and avatArI svayam bhagavAn Shri KRshNa, the Complete VishNu.]

22. sarvah: : The ALL. He is everything, all manifest and unmanifest entities. He is the cognizer of all, at all times (omniscient, omnipresent).

23. sharvah: : In whom all beings get absorbed at pralay , in whom everything gets dismantled and reconstructed.

24. shivah: : Pure. Hari alone is Shiva. The Supreme is Hari. is Shiv.

25. sthANuh: : eternally unchanging, steady, unwavering - He is the Sat, Satya behind the transient, fluctuating and moving.

26. bhUtAdi : the origin, source of all beings , Adi - the primordial One.

27. nidhiravyayah: : the unchanging (avyay) resting place (nidhi) , destiny and eternal final shelter of all beings, into whom beings get absorbed at pralay, and He alone remains.

28. sambhava : Who manifests at will (BG 4.8 yadA yadA hi dharmasya... descends to protect the good and destroy the evil when it crosses limits).

29. bhAvanah: : Distributes the fruits of actions for the beings (jivas).

30. bhartA : Sustainer, shelter and nourisher of all, supplies the needful. Lord

31. prabhava : the Supreme Origin, Source of everything.

32. prabhU : The most powerful, as evident from His actions.

33. Ishwarah: : The One in charge of the whole Universe and at each level of existence.

to be continued...