Thursday, May 10, 2012

Advaita & vishnusashasranama

Courtesy: Sri.D.Bhuvaneswar
The
beauty of Sahasranaamam lies in the thoughtful stringing of names in a
sequence, that give a meaning when 3 or 4 naamaas are put together, in addition
to their individual meaning.

The
4 naamaas that I have taken up for this discussion are strung as follows, by
Bhishmacharya:

Tathvam Tathvavith Ekaathma Janma-Mrithyu-Jaraadhika:

Tathvam: The one principle that is fit to be cognized –
The Adhvaitha Sathyam - The one brahmam
shines forth as the Jagath – duality is agnana – Brahma tathvam – Atma is
all-pervading and it is the Atma/Brahmam that shows itself as many through maya.

Tathvavith: He that has cognized the Tathvam. He that has
seen what is fit to be seen – He that is aware of the Tathvam (He that knows
Vedam is Vedavith, he that knows the tathvam is tathvavith); Ok, the tathvam is
that everything is Atmaswaroopam only. So, once a man knows that tathvam, he
cognizes that spirit – his own self in everything – so he becomes that which
shines forth as everything – He becomes Brahmam itself, with the destruction of
ajnana – Brahmavith Brahmaiva bhavathi,
Brahmavith param aapnothi, is the Sruthi Vaakyam.

Ekaathma:The single being (Atma) that shines - When
the duality has ceased for the bhaktha, can there be a Jivatma and a Paramatma?
No. His mind has been destroyed and all that shines is the Atmaswaroopa, which
is the Paramaatma. That paramaatma has been there all the while, except that
the bhaktha has been deluded by maya. Now that by Anugraha, that veil has been
torn, he realizes that there is only one Atma – The ever resplendent, joyful
and blissful – Atmaswaroopam. So, he now shines forth as the one and only that
ever existed – Ekaatma (Eka atma).

Janma-Mruthyu-jaraadhika: One who has transcended birth, death and old-age (senility).
Ok.
When he has destroyed his mind, the bhaktha has transcended the mundane existence
where, through his mind, he has the false perception of duality. Now that his ajnana
has been destroyed he has become one with Brahmam. He has crossed the sea of
births and deaths. So, will he be born? No. If he is not born again, will he
die? No. When he has no more births and deaths, will he suffer from Old age and
senility? No. So, he has transcended duality. He has become one with Brahmam.

In
these 4 naamas, Sri Bhishmacharya has packed the essence of Vedaanta and
Adhvaitha tathva.

So,
Sahasranaamam, as I enjoy, is not just a mere packing of 1008 Bhagavan-naamas.
It is much more than that. Each naama has a meaning in itself. When we put a
few of them together, we get a new meaning, just by the sequence of their
individual meanings.

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