Vishnu Sahasranama - Part 1 - Prologue (verses 1-10)

The Meaning : (Our journey starts now!!!!)

This is a part by part attempt to mindfully learn the sloka and hence it is split into many parts and will be updated periodically. Hear the youtube video for practicing, The first ten verses are included here along with the accurate seconds (for youtube).

PROLOGUE 

Verses 1 - 5 : (Hear the youtube video from start to 0.56)

"AUM"  :  Please refer to my previous post (link below) regarding this syllable.

http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2015/03/aum-sound-of-universe.html

"Shuklam baradaram vishnum sashivarnam chaturbujam
Prasanna vadhanam dhyayet sarva vignopa shanthaye" - 1

Shuklam baradaram vishnum - Vishnu, who is dressed in white
Sasi varnam -  Who is in the color of moon
Chaturbujam - Who is having four arms
Prasanna vadhanam - Who has an ever-smiling, happy and pleasant face
Dhyayet - I meditate upon thee
Sarva vignopa shanthaye - Eradicate all obstacles in my way.

"I meditate on the ever-smiling face (roopam) the almighty Vishnu, who is dressed in white, who is in the color of moon and who is having four arms. Let him remove all obstacles in my way".

"Vyasam vasishtanaptharam shaktheh pouthramakalmasham
Parasarathmaajam vandhe shukathatham taponidhim" -2

Vyasam vasishtanaptharam - Vyasa, the great grand son of  sage Vasishta
Sakthe pouthramakalmasham - The grand son of sage Sakthi
Parasarathmaajam vandhe - The son of sage Parashara
Shukathatham taponidhim -  The father of Shuka Rishi

"I bow before great Rishi Vyasa , who is the great grand son of Rishi Vasishta, the grand son of Rishi Sakthi and the son of Rishi Parashara. I bow before Rishi Vyasa who is the father of Shuka Brahma Rishi".

"Vyasaya vishnu roopaya vyasa roopaya vishnave
Namo vai brahma nidhaye vaasishtaya namo namaha" -3

Vyasaya vishnu roopaya - Vyasa who is vishnu  (vyasa is believed to be an incarnation of vishnu)
Vyasa roopaya vishnave - Vishnu who is vyasa
Namo vai brahma nidhaye - I bow before thee, who possess the treasure of vedic knowledge/ Brahmam
Vaasishtaya namo namaha - Many salutations to the one who is born in the family of Vasishta

"I offer my salutations many times to sage Vyasa, who is an incarnation of Vishnu ; and to Vishnu, who has taken the visible roopam of Vyasa, the sage who is born in the family of Vasishta and possess the treasure of "Brahma vidya"

"Avikaraya shudhaaya nithyaaya paramaathmane
Sadhaika roopa roopaya vishnave sarva jishnave" -4

Avikaraaya Shudhaaya - Vishnu, who is pure and not affected by change
Nithyaaya paramaathmane - who is eternal and the supreme soul
Sadhaika roopa roopaya - who has the consistent form in all times and ages
Vishnave sarva jishnave - I bow before thee, one who is the conqueror of all mortals.

"I bow before thee, Lord Vishnu, the pure, immutable, eternal and the supreme soul. I salute thee, who has the consistent form in all ages and one who is the conqueror of all mortal beings."

"Yasya smarana maathrena janma samsaara bandhanaath
vimuchyate nama tasmai vishnave prabha vishnave" -5

Yasya smarana maathrene - The mere contemplation of the name Vishnu
Janma samsaara bandhanaath - Frees one from the terrific cycle of birth and death
Vimuchyate nama tasmai - I bow before thee
Vishnave prabha vishnave - The all powerful Vishnu

"I salute the almighty Lord vishnu, the mere thought of whom, releases one for ever, from the terrific and never ending cycle of birth and death."

"Om namo vishnave prabha vishnave" 

"Salutations to the all powerful deity Vishnu"

Verses 6-10 : (Hear youtube video for practice from 0.56 - 1.50)

"Shri Vaishamphayana uvacha" 

"Sri Vaisamphaya said" (remember this sloka is part of Mahabaratha and will be in conversational style. Vaisamphaya is the sage who narrated the epic "Mahabaratha" to king Janamejaya and thereby to all human beings. Pandavas and Kauravas were king Janamejaya's ancestors.)

"Shrutvaa dharmaana seshaena paavanaani cha sarvashaha
yudishtirah shaanthanavam punare vaabhya baashatha" -6

Shrutvaa dharmaana seshaena - After hearing a lot about all the dharmas 

Paavanaani cha sarvashaha - Which eradicates sins completely, from one's life

Yudishtirah shaanthanavam - Yudhishtira addressed Shanthanu's son (Bhishma)

Punare vaabhya baashatha - The abode of everlasting peace, again (as follows)

"Yudhishtira, after hearing the Dharmas entirely from Bhishma, which are capable of eradicating all the sins in one's life and thereby purify the person, again asked Bhishma, the abode of everlasting peace, as follows"

"Yudhishttira uvacha"

"Yudishtira said"

"Kimekam daivatham loke kim vaapyekam paraayanam
sthuvanthahkam kamarchandham Praapnuyur maanavaashubham" - 7

Kimekam daivatham loke - Who is the one God in this wide world ?
Kim vaapyekam paraayanam - Who is the one ultimate shelter for all ?
Sthuvanthahkam kamarchandham - By glorifying whom and by praising whom with love
Praapnuyur maanavaashubham -  Men attain peace, prosperity and great salvation

"Grandpa! In this vast world, who is the one God ? who is the one shelter?  who is the one beings worship, praise and glorify and obtain peace, prosperity and ultimately, salvation?"

"Khodharmah sarvadharmaanam bhavathahparamo mathaha
Kimjapan muchyatejandhur janmasamsaara bhandhanaadh" - 8

Khodharmah sarvadharmaanam - Which dharma in all dharmas
Bhavathahparamo mathaha - Greatest of all and none is greater than that
Kinjapan muchyatejandhur - By which japa (chanting), living beings go beyond
Janmasamsaara bhandhanaadh - This terrific cycle of birth and death


"Among all the Dharmas, which is the greatest one ? none is greater than that? By chanting on which, can living beings go beyond this terrific cycle of birth and death and attain salvation?"

"Shri Bhishma uvacha"

"Bhishma said"

"Jagathprabhum devadevam anantham purushothamam
sthuvannaama sahasrena purushah sathathothithaha" - 9

Jagathprabhum devadevam - Ruler of the Universe, God of all Gods
Anantham purushothamam - Infinite, endless, supreme person
Sthuvannaama sahasrena - (By) chanting the thousand names
Purushah sathathothithaha - Men, ever engaged in devotion, (are set free)


"Men, by means of chanting the thousand names of the endless supreme lord who is the king of the Universe and God of all Gods and by engaging themselves in pure devotion to this infinite purusha, (are released from this horrible cycle of birth and death.)"

"Thamevacharcha yannithyam bhakthyaa purushamavyayam
Dhyaayan sthuvan namasyancha yajamaanasthameva cha" - 10

Thamevacharcha yannithyam - One who worships and prays every day
Bhakthyaa purushamavyayam - With devotion to that supreme being who is not liable to change
Dhyaayan sthuvan namasyancha -  Meditates and chants
Yajamaanastha meva cha - Submits and surrenders completely, moves beyond (released)

"One who worships the unchanging ultimate lord with utmost love everyday, one who meditates and chants the glory of the supreme lord and surrenders to him completely, moves beyond this cycle of birth and death".

Introduction to Vishnu Sahasranama

In my humble efforts to know the meanings of Mantras,  I have started the section "Mantras and Meanings" in this blog.  When I thought of adding "Vishnu Sahasranama" in this section, the first notion came to my mind was "Who am I to write about this"? There are quite a few reasons for such thinking. On the first hand, I am not a person who is well-versed in Sanskrit; second : this is a lengthy sloka and it will be tough to learn the full meaning in one day and last, there are many translations already available with word by word meanings. Yet, something drives me to post it today and here I am. But let me brief few points beforehand :

• Instead of proceeding with the sloka directly, we will first start with some introductions for better understanding.
• Since this is a lengthy sloka, I am planning to add 5 paragraphs or verses each time for making it easy to understand. As such, this is not a complete blog post, but will be updated as and when and I will notify you when it is done.
• As always, I will be including many web links from where I compiled the information.
• The Manthras are given in English and split up for easy reading. Please do not expect perfect sanskrit way of writing. The numbering of the verses are also given by me only for easy learning and might not match with the numbers in the original sloka.
• I will be very happy if readers share their thoughts and knowledge. It is a collective effort and the ultimate aim is to learn this sloka with its meaning.
• I pray to Shri Maha Vishnu to give me the motivation and determination to complete this post fully and also to enlighten all of us in this journey. 

Vishnu Sahasranamam - A brief overview :

As most of you know, the term "sahasra" in Sanskrit, means 1000. Vishnu Sahasranama literally means the 1000 names of Vishnu . It is found in the "Anushasana parva" of the epic Mahabaratha which continues the theme of "Shanthi Parva". "Anushasana" can be referred as "Book of instructions" of Book of precepts". It has 2 sub parvas and 168 chapters. Bhishma, in his death bed, is surrounded by great sages Vasishta, Maithreya, Sanathkumara, Valmiki, Kapila and Narada and also by the Pandavas. Yudishtra asks for a counsel for which Bhishma gives answers. It includes duties of the King, officials of a kingdom and men and women. It also includes the importance of cows, their importance to household's food security, agriculture and wealth. Chapter 149 of this Anushasana parva recites "Vishnu Sahasranama" and in the list of 1000 names of Vishnu are the names of Shiva, Sharva, Sthanu, Ishana and Rudra.

By Ramanarayanadatta astri (http://archive.org/details/mahabharata
06ramauoft) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anushasana_Parva

The glory of Vishnu Sahasranama is disclosed by the following quote :

Adi Sankaracharya in Bhaja Govindam - Verse 27 :

"Geyam gita nama sahasram dhyeam sripathi rupamajasram
neyam sajjana sange chittham deyam dinajanaya ca vittam"

"Let your mouth chant Bhagavad Gita and Sahasranama everyday,  Let your heart be filled with Vishnu swaroopam, Let your mind be led towards the company of good (satsang) and let your wealth be distributed to the needy".

http://www.avgsatsang.org/hhsvs/pdf/BhajaGovindam_verse27.pdf


"Vishnu Sahasranama" in the divine voice of M.S.Subbulakshmi :


I have included below, the youtube video of "Vishnu Sahasranama" in order to make it easy for us to practice the sloka step by step when we learn the meanings.

Metaphor Between Cosmic Dance Of Shiva And Dance Of Sub Atomic Particles

We all know that Nataraja is the dancing form of Lord Shiva and he is considered as the supreme God of "Naatya" - dance. Tandava, the divine dance performed by him is the source of creation, preservation and destruction. But do we know that this dance has an amazing scientific concept hidden in it? Let us close our eyes for a second and think about Atom and its Spin. Can we draw some amazing connection here?? Yes, we can and that is the base idea of this article. It tries to establish the parallels between Shiva's cosmic dance and Subatomic spin.  As usual, I have already found that I am not the only one to look at mythological concepts from a scientific perspective, but there are many many people who have already thought about these ideas. Hence I have website links to share, which can throw a good insight into the subject matter. Let us proceed further......

QUICK VIEW :

Key concept	Shiva's cosmic dance compared with dance of subatomic particles
Spiritual perspective	Tandava, the dance of Shiva ; Lasya, the dance of Goddess Parvati ; the different kinds of dances, Soundaryalahari - verse 41 which talks about Shivasakthi dance.
Views of modern physics	Atoms, Subatomic particles, Movements inside an atom, Electric Universe, Views of Fritjof Capra, Nataraja statue at CERN, European center of Nuclear research
Parallels	Sub atomic particles compared with "Trinity" Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva ; The spin inside atom compared with the cosmic dance of Shiva which is the source for creation, preservation and destruction

Tandava :

The name "Tandava" actually came from "Tandu" an attendant of Shiva, who taught 108 "karana"s to Baratha, the author of "Natya Shastra". "Karana" is the combination of hand gestures with feet to form a dance posture. These 108 karanas are discussed by Baratha in the 4th chapter ("Tandava lakshanam") of "Natya Shastra". 

Tandava symbolizes the cosmic cycle of creation and destruction. It deals with the following five principle manifestations of eternal energy :

• Shrishti - Creation
• Sthiti - Sustenance
• Samhara - Destruction
• Tirobhava - Illusion
• Anugraha  - Grace, blessing

There are many types of "Tandavas". The most famous among them is "Aananda Thandava" which portraits bliss and ecstasy and "Rudra Thandava" which portraits destruction and violence.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Lasya :

"Lasya" is a gentle form of dance performed by Goddess Parvati. It is filled with grace and beauty She performs this dance in response to Shiva's "Tandava". There are two kinds of this dance namely "Jarita Lasya" and "Yauvaka Lasya".

By Kesavan Muthuvel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Soundaryalahari  (Shloka 41) describes Shivasakthi dance :

Soundaryalahari, is not only a Shloka (prayer) but also a textbook of "Tantra". It describes about many Yantras and gives instructions on Puja and offerings. In that Shloka, verse 41 talks about Shivasakthi dance in Muladhara chakra. According to "Kundalini Yoga" there are six main Chakras in human body where "Kundalini" energy arises from the bottom to the top. In each chakra, Shiva and Sakthi reside in different forms. As such, Sakthi resides as "Samaya" (performing Lasya dance) and Shiva resides as "Aananda bhairava" (performing Tandava dance) in Muladhara chakra. Here it is considered as the creation dance and Shiva Sakthi are termed as Janaka Janani (father and mother). Please click the following link to read the entire text and meaning of this particular verse 41 :

https://sites.google.com/site/soundaryalahare/Home/slokas-41-50

And watch the following video clip (from start to 0.19 seconds) :

Atoms - Basis for everything in the Universe :

Atoms are the tiniest particles which constitute the base for everything in this Universe, from air to water, whale to mobile phone and so on.....Every solid, liquid and gas is made up of atoms. Without atoms, there is no existence of life. Such atoms are further divided into subatomic particles called Protons, Neutrons and Electrons .

By The original uploader was Fastfission at English Wikipedia
 [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)
 or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

Subatomic particles vs. Trinity personification :

Many world traditions make a mention about "Trinity" with reference to God. Specifically, in Sanathan dharma we have the main trinity, "Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva". We always refer them as Mummoorthy. Similarly, we also have a female version of trinity called "Sarasathi, Lakshmi and Parvati". These female Goddesses are termed as energy sources for the male Gods, to perform their tasks, Creation, Sustenance and Destruction respectively. We also talk about Parabrahmam, the Supreme God, who is beyond everything. The trinity gods are only the acting agents of the Supreme formless God. This can be understood from the popular tamil saying "அணுவுக்குள் அணுவான ஆதாரமே ".....

Now let us apply this philosophical thought to the subatomic particles. If atoms are everything in this Universe, and if there could not be any life existence without atoms. then can we say the subatomic particles are symbolically referred as "Trinities called "Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva???? When we look closely into the properties of the subatomic particles, we can somewhat agree to this concept. Among the subatomic particles, Protons have positive electric charge, Electrons have negative electric charge and Neutrons have no electric charge

Let me share the links which provide a connection between Trinity personification and Subatomic particles. Generally they emphasize "Proton" with positive electric charge as "Vishnu ; "Electron" with negative electric charge as "Brahma" and "Neutron" with no electric charge as "Shiva (but there are variations in these).  Please carefully go through the following links to make your own judgement about this concept. This is just an idea...... an attempt to analyze the deep concepts of philosophy in relation with modern science..

http://www.ishafoundation.org/blog/sadhguru/masters-words/devi-a-dynamic-force/
https://sites.google.com/site/vvmpune/essay-of-dr-p-v-vartak/shiva-lingam
http://rootshunt.com/physicswithreligion/physicswithreligion.htm
http://www.oshoworld.com/tantra_medi/otantra.asp?news_id=39
http://www.crystalinks.com/vedic.html

Atomic Spin :

Look at the above video and observe the movements inside an atom. If we say dance is nothing but movement, everything in this Universe dances, Sun, moon, planets, stars and the smallest of small, atoms too. Not only atoms, but even their subatomic particles move. Without such spin, there is no atom at all. And if there is no atom, there is no life at all.

Fritjof Capra :

He is an Austrian born American Physicist and the founding director of "Center for Ecoliteracy" in Berkely, California. He is also an author of many books. His famous work, "The Tao of Physics" which talks about the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism, was written in 1975.
Very recently, he has explained that....

"Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic matter. For the modern physicists, then Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter."

http://www.fritjofcapra.net/shivas-cosmic-dance-at-cern/
http://www.indiainnings.in/108Facts/nataraja

Nataraja Statue at CERN - The European Organization for Nuclear Research :

Kenneth Lu [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This is the statue of Shiva, engaged in dance in the form of Nataraja at CERN in Geneva. This statue, symbolizing Shiva's cosmic dance of creation and destruction, was given to CERN by the Indian Government to celebrate the research center's long association with India. A special plaque next to the Shiva statue explains the significance of the metaphor of Shiva's cosmic dance with quotations from "Fritjof Capra"......

"Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics".

(source : wikipedia)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nataraja

Watch this video clip which talks in detail about Shiva's cosmic dance (The introductory Shloka is Vishnu Sahasranama though.....) :

I am not able to provide certain links as they are very long to copy and paste. But if you type "Shiva cosmic dance atom" in google, you can find lots of interesting information about the same. I encourage you all to search and find more details about this beautiful symbolic representation. This is just a starting point where we have got some parallels between mythology and modern science. But I am very sure that more and more science advances, more and more light will be thrown on our ancient philosophical treasures. Thank you all for reading and please don't forget to share your thoughts.


References :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tandava

http://www.asianart.com/articles/karanas/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/Cosmic-dance-of-Shiva/articleshow/10485316.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom
http://zeenews.india.com/news/west-bengal/veteran-artist-captures-lord-shivas-cosmic-dance-on-canvas_1498954.html
http://www.realityquests.info/shiva-dance/
http://www.quantumdiaries.org/2011/11/10/in-the-shadow-of-shiva/