This is a book which, besides giving a suitable meaning to each name, gives commentaries of Sri Sankara and Sri Parasara Bhatta, thus enabling the reader to comprehend the full import and significance of every name with different meanings and also the dissenting points of view of the Advaita and Vishishtadvaita philosophies. For instance, a word like sangraha means grasping, guarding, gathering, epitome and a store-room. Thus based on these meanings, the book interprets the word sangraha as “one who holds together the entire universe in a warm embrace; who guards the whole cosmos; at the time of deluge, He makes all things subtle and gathers them unto Himself; He is the epitome – the sum and substance – of all things in this universe; and He is the refuge of all.” This word is interpreted by Sri Sankara as “during pralaya (deluge), He annihilates all beings.” Sri Prasara Bhatta explains it as meaning “one who can be easily grasped by the devotees.”
The Mahabharata is unique in many ways. This magnificent and marvellous epic of the Orient, longer than the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer in Greek put together, is the biggest and greatest of all occidental works of literature. At the beginning of Mahabharata is the world-renowned, adulated and adored Bhagwad Gita and at the other end or at the conclusion is the Vishnu Sahasranama taught by Bheeshma Pitamaha, the embodiment of all Dharma, to his great grandson, Yudhishtira, who is popularly called Dharmaputra. The Vishnu Sahasranama is a garland of multitudinous and many-splendoured names of one God who proclaimed in a thousand ways and in a thousand forms.
The Vishnu Sahasranama is the first and foremost among the sahasranamas of various Hindu deities and occupies the pride of place in the spiritual as well as scriptural literature of the Hindus. Recognising its remarkable nature and importance, scholars have written commentaries on the strota.
This book gives the meaning of each name and illustrates it with a suitable quotation from the ancient Aisha Grantha, like the Upanishads, Gita, Ramayana or Karnamrita of Leelasuka or Mukundananda of Kulasekhara Perumal, who was one of the rulers of Travancore 1,300 years ago and one of the 12 Alwars to propagate the Bhakti cult in India.
In an example, the authors cite the instance of vinayah which means personification of modesty and non-arrogance. Lord Vishnu is generally depicted as possessing an amiable and polite nature. But when dealing with non-virtuous people, he brings them to the right path for which he punishes them, if necessary. On this name, Sri Sankara, comments thus: “Viayam dandam karoati dushtanam itih vinayah”. This means that life punishes the evil-doers.
This book is meant for the pious, the sociologist and the Indologist.
—MG
(Konark Publishers Pvt Ltd, A-149 Main Vikas Marg, Delhi-110092.)
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