This edition includes the original Sanskrit text critically edited on the basis of multiple manuscripts, a complete English translation, exhaustive footnotes, an alphabetical index of names, and a foreword by HH Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
Introduction
Among the immense Vedic scriptures,
the sahasra-nāma-stotra, a hymn consisting of a thousand names, is a
genre on its own, despite being usually part of a Purāṇa or other major
text, such as the Mahā-bhārata. Various Vedic devas and devīs
have one or more of such hymns devoted to them, whose recitation is usually
part of the worship in their respective āgamika schools. Different
versions of Lord Viṣṇu’s thousand names are seen in the Padma Purāṇa, Garuḍa
Purāṇa and Skanda Purāṇa. Yet none of these is even slightly as
well-known as the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra found in the Anuśāsana
Parva of the Mahā-bhārata, which is indeed so exalted that it is
often referred to as “the” sahasra-nāma-stotra, just as the Bhagavad-gītā
is unmistakably referred to by the mere word gītā, although there are
countless gītās. Moreover, in spite of being a foremost Vaiṣṇava text,
just as the Bhagavad-gītā is, the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra is
widely recited throughout the world, not only by Vaiṣṇavas, but by people of a
variety of religious and philosophical affiliations— from the layman Hindu to
the Advaitavādī scholars. For thousands of people, the recitation of
this hymn is a daily routine through their whole life, either at home or in a
temple. The prominence of this stotra is further evinced by the fact
that even other religious groups felt the need to have their own versions of
it. Thus, Jain scholars composed various hymns, such as the Arhan-nāma-sahasra-samuccaya
(a collection of a thousand names of Arhat) by Hemacandra (11th- 12th
century AD), and the Jina-sahasra-nāma-stava by Paṇḍita Āśādhara (13th century AD). Buddhists wrote similar
works glorifying Buddha’s names. A modern example is the Buddha-sahasra-nāmāvalī
by S.N. Goenka, written in Pali. A collection of a thousand names of Guru Nānak
(1469-1539 AD), the first Sikh preceptor, is attributed to his son, Śrīcanda.
Interestingly, the Guru Granth Sahib contains multiple hymns on the
names of God, and page 1082 is dedicated to the names of Lord Viṣṇu and His
various avatāras.
Context
After slaying Duryodhana along with
all his brothers and chief warriors, the Pāṇḍava brothers came out victorious
in the Kurukṣetra war. Nevertheless, rather than becoming jubilant, Yudhiṣṭhira,
dharma personified, was feeling utterly despondent and judged himself
accountable for the sins accrued from the killings of scores of friends and
relatives, including his own sons, for the sole purpose of occupying the royal
throne. By the end of the Strī Parva,
it is narrated that, accompanied by the widows of the Kurus, the Pāṇḍavas had
assembled at the bank of Gaṅgā in order to offer oblations for the relatives
who had breathed their last on the battlefield. It was at that moment that
Queen Kuntī, in tears, requested them, “You should also offer oblations for Karṇa,
your eldest brother.” This unexpected revelation left the five brothers
flabbergasted, and it was a devastating blow to Yudhiṣṭhira. Learning now that
they had also slain their own eldest brother, his grief knew no bounds. He then
resolved that instead of ruling the kingdom, he would renounce the world and
lead a life of penance in the forest in order to atone for all his sinful
deeds. Kuntī, Draupadī, and each of his brothers tried to persuade him to stick
to his duty as the sovereign, but to no avail. Nārada Muni also addressed Yudhiṣṭhira
with wise instructions, but he remained immovable. Vyāsadeva then briefly spoke
about the importance of the execution of one’s duties, which prompted Yudhiṣṭhira
to ask him for an elaborate explanation on dharma, particularly for
those in the royal order. The all-knowing sage Vyāsa advised Yudhiṣṭhira that
to be enlightened on the deep intricacies of dharma, he should approach
grandsire Bhīṣma, who was fully conversant with all scriptures and whose wisdom
was unparalleled in this world. However, this suggestion increased Yudhiṣṭhira’s
distress even more, for it reminded him of the deceitful way they had attacked
and defeated Bhīṣma by keeping Śikhaṇḍī in the front line, knowing that the
latter had originally been born as a woman, and as such, Bhīṣma would never
raise a weapon against him. By the incessant showers of arrows from both Arjuna
and Śikhaṇḍī, Bhīṣma now laid on a bed of arrows. How could Yudhiṣṭhira face
him again and ask for instruction on dharma?
Understanding Yudhiṣṭhira’s
predicament, Lord Kṛṣṇa directed him to abide by the words of Vyāsadeva, and at
last he acceded. The very next day, all of them departed from Hastināpura to
the presence of Bhīṣma in Kurukṣetra. Despite having arrows pierced throughout
his body, he was still alive and fully conscious. On account of a boon received
from his father, Śantanu, Bhīṣma would die only at the moment he wished, so he
was merely awaiting an auspicious astrological position to depart, to which
fifty-six days were still left. In fact, that was just a plea to occasion the
monumental instructions then imparted by Bhīṣma through the whole Śānti
Parva up to the end of the Anuśāsana Parva, comprising about one
quarter of the whole Mahā-bhārata. Covering in depth nearly every aspect
of duty, morality, and religiosity, those many thousands of verses are
tantamount to a complete Purāṇa in extension, and to multiple scriptures
in their vastness of knowledge. Towards the conclusion of his speech, Bhīṣma
culminates with the recitation of the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu in response
to Yudhiṣṭhira’s question regarding what a person seeking liberation should
utter.
This whole incident was also meant
to reveal Bhīṣma’s unexcelled qualities, as Kṛṣṇa Himself praised his matchless
virtues and wisdom, and declared that no one else in the three worlds could
baffle death in this way. Bhīṣma was so powerful that he rendered both
Paraśurāma’s and Kṛṣṇa’s words futile: the former when He promised to Ambā that
He would kill Bhīṣma, but could not, and the latter when He promised not to
take a weapon during the battle, but had to pick up a chariot wheel when Bhīṣma
fiercely attacked Arjuna. In his commentary on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.9.46),
Viśvanātha Cakravartī discloses Bhīṣma’s real identity: nitya-pārṣade bhīṣme
vasoḥ praveśāt tasyaiva deha-tyāgo bhagavatā darśitaḥ, yāvad-adhikāram
avasthitir ādhikārikāṇām iti nyāyena tasyaivāṁśena vasutve ca sthitir
bhagaval-loke prāptiś ca, “Since Bhīṣma is actually an eternal associate of the
Lord, his death, as demonstrated by the Supreme Lord, pertains only to an aṁśa
of Bhīṣma that entered one of the Vasus. That aṁśa of Bhīṣma was in the
position of Vasu and attained the Supreme Lord’s abode, in conformity with the
following principle: yāvad-adhikāram avasthitir ādhikārikāṇām (Brahma-sūtra,
3.3.32), ‘Those in a position of authority remain in the universe so long
as they have a duty.’ nitya-pārṣada-bhūtasya bhīṣmasya tv aprakaṭa-līlāyāṁ
pārtha-sārathi-prāptir uktaiva, “Being an eternal associate of the Lord, it is
said that Bhīṣma attained the Supreme Lord in His form as the charioteer of
Arjuna in aprakaṭa-līlā.”
Commentaries
Among the multiple sahasra-nāma-stotras,
the present one is by far the most commented on. Some attribute the great
popularity of the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra to Śaṅkarācārya (7th–
8th century AD), who penned what is today known as its oldest
commentary.[1]
Yet Śaṅkara commented only on a few texts, such as the Brahma-sūtra, Upaniṣads,
and the Bhagavad-gītā, which at that time were already established among
learned circles as the authoritative basis of their philosophical propositions.
On these grounds, it is plausible to conjecture that the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra
was by then a similarly recognised text. Nothing discards the possibility
that multiple commentaries may have existed in the pre-Śaṅkara period and later
disappeared, as it happened to the various Brahma-sūtra commentaries
whose existence is known only through secondary references. There is no doubt
that Śaṅkara’s commentaries have given impetus to subsequent scholars of
different sampradāyas to present their own explanations of the same
texts as a means to both refute his views and establish their respective
conclusions.
Parāśara Bhaṭṭa (11th-12th
century AD), who succeeded Rāmānujācārya as the abbot of the Śrī-sampradāya,
composed a commentary entitled Bhagavad-guṇa-darpaṇa (a mirror of the
Supreme Lord’s qualities), wherein he extensively elaborated on the
transcendental and eternal attributes of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, His kindness
towards His devotees, and the glories of their unalloyed devotion for Him. This
seems to be the oldest extant Vaiṣṇava commentary, and it has been complemented
by a sub-commentary named Nirvacana, attributed to Varadācārya, which
clarifies Bhaṭṭa’s interpretations and exhaustively explains each name
according to Pāṇini’s system of grammar. In the form of verses in the anuṣṭup
metre, a further commentary called Nirukti, whose authorship is unknown,
summarises the meanings given by Bhaṭṭa.
Although Madhvācārya (1238-1317 AD)
did not write a commentary on the sahasra-nāma per se, he often glossed
Lord Viṣṇu’s names throughout his various works. In the light of these, several
generations of his followers presented a variety of commentaries. Vidyādhirāja
Tīrtha (14th century AD), a prominent disciple of Jaya Tīrtha,
composed a commentary called Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-nirukti.[2]
Vādirāja Tīrtha (15th- 16th century AD) commented on
selected names as part of the Mahā-bhārata-lakṣālaṅkāra, meant to gloss
one hundred thousand important words through the whole Mahā-bhārata.
Raghunātha Tīrtha (18th century AD) and Satyasandha Tīrtha (ibid.)
also penned notable commentaries. All of them were abbots in their respective maṭhas.
There are many other commentaries composed by Vaiṣṇava followers
of Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārkācārya, and Viṣṇu Svāmī, both ancient and
modern, both in Sanskrit and vernacular, and there are dozens of commentaries
written by authors non-affiliated to any Vaiṣṇava school.
Structure
and Exegesis
For the average reader, Lord Viṣṇu’s
names here may seem to appear one after another at random, without any specific
pattern or connection. It can be easily observed that sometimes names that
begin with a particular letter are grouped together, but that is not consistent
throughout the text. On the other hand, through their realisation, insight, and
scholarship, Vaiṣṇavācāryas have unveiled innumerable mysteries hidden within
this text, and that is just a fraction of something that is actually unlimited.
It is said:
trayo’rthāḥ
sarva-vedeṣu daśārthāḥ sarva-bhārate
viṣṇoḥ
sahasra-nāmāpi nirantara-śatārthakam[3]
“Each mantra in the four Vedas
has at least three meanings; each verse in the Mahā-bhārata has at least
ten meanings; and each of Lord Viṣṇu’s thousand names no less than a hundred
meanings.”
There
is indeed no stringent principle to determine only one pattern to be followed
while reading the names. Although in the traditional way, the commentators
divide the whole text in ten cycles of a hundred names, the structure of the
verses is flexible enough to accommodate the interpretation of some forty or
fifty extra names, or even more if one would resort to everything that could be
possibly justified by grammatical norms. The number comes down to an exact one
thousand by either grouping words together as noun and adjective, or by reading
them as compounds, as the case may be. The rules of external euphonic
combination also add to an extra number of varieties. Moreover, there is a
certain amount of alternative readings, and sometimes the commentaries offer
different meanings depending on the reading that is chosen. Thus, each
commentator has his particular way to look into the text and determine where a
single name ends and the next one begins. Consequently, there is a mismatch in
the list of names among various commentaries. Although only a thousand names
appear in this hymn, Lord Viṣṇu has unlimited names, but these thousand names
can have unlimited meanings when interpreted in connection with thousands of
forms and thousands of attributes. At the same time, these unlimited names and
forms converge upon one and the same undivided Supreme Person, and are
non-different from Him.
Many of Lord Viṣṇu’s names are repeated several times in different
verses, which some bigoted writers[4]
deride as a literary flaw called punarukti (tautology). Vaiṣṇava
scholars, however, have totally dismissed such shortsightedness by explaining
each instance of the same name from a variety of distinct perspectives and
interpretations. A similar accusation has been made on the occasional use of
indeclinable words here, all of which are actually full of meaning, in contrast
to what opponents allege to be mere empty words.
There are basically three ways in
which nouns can be interpreted: according to etymology (yoga), to convention
(rūḍhi), and to both (yoga-rūḍha). The etymological meaning of the word kāra
is “doer,” since it is directly formed from the verbal root kṛ (to do).
Literally, ratha-kāra means “chariot-maker,” but conventionally this is
the name of a caste. The word paṅkaja etymologically means “born in the
mud,” and conventionally it means “lotus.” As the lotus is born in the mud,
both senses are correctly applied here. Conventional meanings can be twofold:
ordinary and those given by learned scholars (vidvad-rūḍhi). Etymology is also
twofold: according to grammar (vaiyākaraṇī), and according to the usage of the
sages (ārṣī). Furthermore, the common etymology applied to names of demigods
and so on is here applied to the Supreme Lord in their meta-primary meaning by
meta-etymology (mahā-yoga).[5]
By means of all these, Vaiṣṇava commentators not only shed light on each of the
Lord’s names individually, but also establish contextual connections between
groups of names, interpreting them in relation to various avatāras and
contemplating Their respective pastimes while reading through those names.
Importance
Both the śruti and the smṛti
abound in statements glorifying the Holy Names of Lord Hari as the utmost means
to attain the ultimate goal of life, particularly in the Age of Kali. The
glories of the Holy Names are found throughout the Mahā-bhārata, which
is considered the fifth Veda. The Mahā-bhārata has two crest
jewels: the Gītā delivered by Lord Kṛṣṇa immediately before the battle,
and the thousand names delivered by Bhīṣma soon after the battle ended. The
excellence of the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra has been particularly
praised in the Purāṇas in the following words:
śāstreṣu
bhārataṁ sāraṁ tatra nāma-sahasrakam
vaiṣṇavaṁ kṛṣṇa-gītā
ca taj-jñānān mucyate’ñjasā[6]
“The Mahā-bhārata is the
essence of all scriptures, and the essence of the Mahā-bhārata is the
thousand names of Viṣṇu and the Gītā spoken by Kṛṣṇa. By knowing both of
these, one quickly becomes liberated.”
bhārataṁ
sarva-śāstreṣu bhārate gītikā varā
viṣṇoḥ
sahasra-nāmāpi jñeyaṁ pāṭhyaṁ ca tad dvayam[7]
“The Mahā-bhārata is the best
among all scriptures, and within the Mahā-bhārata, the Bhagavad-gītā
and the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma are the best parts. Both should be recited
and understood.”
viṣṇor
ekaika-nāmāpi sarva-vedādhikaṁ matam
tebhyaś
cānanta-nāmabhyo’dhikaṁ nāmnāṁ sahasrakam
“Every single name of Lord Viṣṇu is
considered superior to all the Vedas, and among His unlimited names, the
Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma is superior.” (Skanda Purāṇa, Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa, 21.53)
In the introduction of his commentary, Parāśara Bhaṭṭa summarises
the importance of the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra into six points in the
following words:
mahābhārata-sāratvād
ṛṣibhiḥ parigānataḥ
vedācārya-samāhārād
bhīṣmotkṛṣṭa-matatvataḥ
parigrahātiśayato
gītādy-aikārthyataś ca naḥ
sahasra-nānmām
adhyāya upādeyatamo mataḥ
“The chapter with the thousand names
of Lord Viṣṇu is considered by us as the most excellent because 1) it is the
essence of the Mahā-bhārata; 2) it is sung by great sages; 3) it is has
been compiled by Vedācārya Vyāsadeva; 4) it presents Bhīṣma’s highest views; 5)
it is exceedingly revered; and 6) it holds the same meaning as the
Bhagavad-gītā and other scriptures.”
As the Mahā-bhārata itself is
the essence of all scriptures, and the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma is the essence
of the Mahā-bharata, it is understood that the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma is
ultimately the quintessence of all scriptures. Its endorsement by great sages
such as Nārada further corroborates its relevance and exalted position among
the scriptures. Having being compiled by Vyāsadeva, Who is Lord Nārāyaṇa
Himself, its authority is beyond any doubt. In the chapter of the thousand
names of Viṣṇu, Bhīṣma presents his final conclusion about the multiple topics
that had been previously discussed for so many days. From time immemorial, the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma
has been given utmost respect by sādhus, scholars, and religious
people in general, and by presenting Viṣṇu as the Supreme Lord of all and His
names as the best means of liberation, it is in full consonance with the whole śruti
and smṛti. Moreover, by the addition of the praṇava and the word namaḥ
to each of Lord Viṣṇu’s names, a thousand different mantras are formed,
which hold the same status as the mantras in the Vedas.
Philosophy
in the Thousand Names
More than merely bringing out various meanings of the names and
the connection between them, commentators found in the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma
a powerful vehicle to impart their philosophical conclusions, and thus their
interpretations are often interspersed with the views of their respective
systems and doctrines. To add more authority to their comments, they also
adopted the traditional dialectical approach of raising possible objections
(pūrva-pakṣa) to their propositions and refuting them, amply quoting from the Upaniṣads,
Purāṇas, Brahma-sūtra, and other scriptures to corroborate their arguments.
This being the case in other philosophical schools, Vaiṣṇavas feel naturally
inclined to gloss this text, wherein Vaiṣṇava siddhānta distinctly
flows. Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is the central topic of the Mahā-bhārata
amidst innumerable other topics, but in the thousand names chapter, He is the
sole topic, without any scope for diversions. Bhīṣma’s answers to Yudhiṣṭhira’s
questions are thus crystal clear: Viṣṇu is the Supreme Being, the God of gods,
and His names are the means to liberation. In fact, without distorting the
literal meaning of the text and applying a good amount of imagination, it is
not possible to come to any understanding apart from this.
Material objects and their names have different natures and
attributes. The mere utterance of the word “water” serves no purpose to a
thirsty person, for it is just a vibration of two syllables in the air, while
the substance, water, consists of molecules of hydrogen and oxygen. This
principle does not apply to God and His names, for neither is a combination of
material elements. The scriptures define śabda-brahma, spiritual sound,
as another aspect of the Supreme Absolute Truth, which is eternal,
transcendental, and immutable. Each of Lord Viṣṇu’s names expresses His forms,
qualities, and pastimes, and there is no limit in what can be expressed by a
single name. The śruti, the smṛti, and the names of God are
non-different from God Himself, sharing the same spiritual attributes:
nāma
cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ
śuddho nitya-mukto’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ[8]
“The Holy Name is Kṛṣṇa Himself, a philosopher’s stone, a form of
consciousness and rasa. It is complete, pure, and eternally free from
the illusory energy, for there is no difference between the name and the
named.”
Rāmānujācārya
defines this relation between the name and the referent, or the quality and the
qualified, in terms of apṛthak-siddhi, while Madhvācārya explains their
apparent difference on the basis of viśeṣa. Following in their
footsteps, subsequent ācāryas explained the thousand names in the light
of these philosophical views. One of the key points in Vaiṣṇava thought, in
clear contrast with other systems, is that Lord Viṣṇu’s names are not only a
means to attain liberation— they are also the goal, Lord Viṣṇu Himself.
Reaching this goal involves the attainment of one’s svarūpa in the
spiritual world, where one eternally maintains an identity different from that
of God, although sharing similar spiritual attributes. Therein, one remains
serving the Lord in various capacities, including the continuous recitation of
His names.
Application
The great popularity of the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra
as an integral part of religious practises around the world is significantly
due to its easiness and lack of requirements or restrictions. In contrast to
the hymns of the four Vedas, which in most traditional circles are
recited only by male brāhmaṇas who properly learnt Vedic intonation
within a particular branch (śākhā), the sahasra-nāma can be recited by
anyone without any considerations of gender, caste, qualification, time, place,
or purity. Contrary to Vedānta philosophy, which is very complex and
takes years of study to be grasped, the sahasra-nāma can be promptly
recited by common people, whether they understand its meanings or not. Contrary
to Vedic sacrifices, which require substantial amounts of money, paraphernalia,
and qualified priests, the sahasra-nāma requires none of these. Even
those who are illiterate or unable to pronounce Sanskrit correctly can still
benefit by hearing others reciting Lord Viṣṇu’s names. Moreover, there are
multiple ways in which one can benefit from the sahasra-nāma: by reading
mentally, by reading aloud, by singing, by hearing, by writing down, by
memorising, by remembering, by meditating on the names, by meditating on the
meanings, by propagating its glories, by arranging a recitation, by gifting it
to others, etc.
In
order to encourage those who are afflicted or materially motivated, the
thousand names are followed by a list of results that may accrue from their
recitation: freedom from inauspiciousness, victory, wealth, happiness, dharma,
sense enjoyment, progeny, fame, prominence, heroism, power, freedom from fear,
freedom from disease, effulgence, strength, beauty, good qualities, and freedom
from sin. Indeed, the sahasra-nāma is well-known as a panacea for all
sorts of miseries, and it has been applied as such in traditional medicine and
astrology for centuries. In the Bṛhat-parāśara-horā-śāstra, an ancient
treatise on jyotiṣa attributed to the sage Parāśara, its recitation is
repeatedly recommended to counteract ailments caused by planetary influence.
For instance:
viṣṇu-nāma-sahasraṁ
ca hy anna-dānaṁ ca kārayet
rajata-pratimā-dānaṁ
kuryād ārogya-siddhaye
“In order to become free from
disease, one should recite the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, give grains in
charity, and present a deity made of silver as a gift.” (Bṛhat-parāśara-horā-śāstra,
54.57)
tad-doṣa-parihārārthaṁ
viṣṇu-sāhasrakaṁ japet
āyur-vṛddhi-karaṁ
caiva sarva-saubhāgya-dāyakam
“In order to counteract such ill-effects, one should recite Lord
Viṣṇu’s thousand names, which yield longevity and all good fortune.” (Ibid.,
58.31)[9]
In
the Caraka-saṁhitā (3.312), a standard text on Ayurvedic medicine
attributed to Caraka (c. 1st century BC), it is said:
viṣṇuṁ
sahasra-mūrdhānaṁ carācara-patiṁ vibhum
stuvan
nāma-sahasreṇa jvarān sarvān apohati
“By glorifying the thousand-headed
Lord Viṣṇu, the almighty Lord of all moving and non-moving beings, with His
thousand names, one heals all sorts of fevers.”
Subsequently, Bhīṣma mentions a few more results that may be
particularly appealing to those seeking spiritual advancement: understanding
the conclusion of the Vedas, self-realisation, tolerance, freedom from
desires, self-restraint, and remembrance of Lord Vāsudeva. In fact, for those
devotees who recite Lord Viṣṇu’s names with the sole purpose of pleasing Him,
the foremost result is increasing and unflinching devotion to Him.
Nāmārtha-sudhā
The context in which Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa (c. 1700-1793 AD)
composed this commentary seems to be the same that led him to comment on the Brahma-sūtra,
the Upaniṣads, and the Bhagavad-gītā: the necessity to legitimise
the Gauḍīyas as a bona fide Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya when their credibility had been
questioned in the court of King Sawai Jai Singh II (ruled 1699-1743 AD) in
Amber. By substantiating the affiliation to the Madhva-sampradāya and proving
that the Gauḍīyas hold valid interpretations of the prasthāna-traya,
Vidyābhūṣaṇa succeeded in demonstrating their legitimacy. Yet the mission was
not over, for the Gauḍīyas still lacked their own versions of other texts that
consolidated the status acquired by prominent religious groups such as the Śaṅkara-sampradāya
and the Śrī-sampradāya. Although not being primarily of philosophical
character, the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra definitely already occupied a
distinct position among scholars and religious leaders, and it is likely that
Vidyābhūṣaṇa envisioned this commentary to corroborate the authoritativeness of
the Gauḍīya line and to propagate its tenets. The date of the composition is
unknown, but it was probably written long after the demise of Jai Singh, and
possibly after other major commentaries. This is corroborated on name 889,
where we see a verse written by Vedāntavāgīśa in his Sūkṣmā-ṭīkā on Govinda-bhāṣya
(4.3.4).
Although the author does not directly acknowledge the names of
other commentators, he often refers to their interpretations, which indicates
that he had access to multiple commentaries. While some of the meanings,
explanations, and quotes are clearly coming from Śaṅkara, Bhaṭṭa, and
Varadācārya, there are several instances in which his sources could not be
traced in the nearly fifteen ancient Sanskrit commentaries consulted in
preparing this edition, some of which are unpublished manuscripts. Even while
taking clues from previous commentaries, Vidyābhūṣaṇa made the Nāmārtha-sudhā
an original and unprecedented work in many respects, managing to extract a Gauḍīya
flavour out of the text in a unique way. Instead of the common trend shown by
other authors in interpreting the names in connection with Nārāyaṇa, the Lord
of Vaikuṇṭha, and the aiśvarya mood, here a large number of names has
been attributed to Lord Kṛṣṇa in connection with His pastimes in Vṛndāvana,
Mathurā, and Dvārakā. The whole text has been divided by Vidyābhūṣaṇa into
sections of names attributed to various avatāras and their respective
pastimes, and the connections and meanings are presented in a very personal and
innovative manner. In several places, he remarks that Viṣṇu is actually an
expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the source of all avatāras, and also corroborates
Śrī Rādhā’s position as the source of all Lakṣmīs. Throughout the commentary,
the author substantiates many of his interpretations by quoting extensively
from the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas, Bhagavad-gītā, Mahā-bhārata, Tantras, etc.
Rather than being directly from their primary sources, some of these scriptural
quotes are actually from the works of Madhvācārya, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana
Gosvāmī, and Jīva Gosvāmī, which also reveals how deeply Vidyābhūṣaṇa had
studied their works. As an accomplished grammarian, Vidyābhūṣaṇa also
occasionally disagrees with other commentators regarding how certain names are
formed and based on which rules. He continuously refers to Pāṇini’s grammar to
explain both the formation and meaning of names.
[1]
It is appropriate to mention that even among his followers, the authorship by Ādi-śaṅkarācārya
is not totally undisputed, as is the case with other works attributed to him
which may have been actually composed by one of his successors.
[2]
Some scholars question the
authorship of this commentary.
[3]
This verse was quoted by Madhvācārya
in the Ṛg-veda-bhāṣya (1) and attributed to the Skanda Purāṇa.
[4]
Such as Bhāskara Rāya (18th
century AD) in the introduction of his commentary on the Lalitā-sahasra-nāma-stotra.
[5] The term ‘mahā-yoga’ was coined by
Madhvācārya to name certain etymological definitions specifically applied to
Lord Viṣṇu. Vide his Nyāya-vivaraṇa (1.4.2).
[6]
Quoted by Madhvācārya in the introduction of the Bhagavad-gītā-tātparya-nirṇaya and credited to the Brahmāṇḍa
Purāṇa.
[7]
Quoted by Madhvācārya in the introduction of the Bhagavad-gītā-bhāṣya and attributed to the Mahā-kūrma
Purāṇa.
[8] This verse was quoted by Rūpa Gosvāmī in the
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.2.233) and attributed to the Padma Purāṇa.
[9]
Similar statements also appear
in verses 55.46, 56.47, 57.39, 58.18, 59.15, 60.5, 61.79, and 62.66.
