Vishnu Sahasra Naamam-Vol III-RR-edit.pub - Ibiblio

sadagopan.org
nAma 670. äüivvxRn> brahma brahma-vivardhanah
brahma vivardhanah
a) He Who makes dharma grow.
b) He Who grows and nurtures everything in a big way.
brahma-vivardhanAya namah.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation here uses the meaning "tapas", whichin itself
includes dharma, for the term brahma. The Sruti text is "tapobrahma", and He
Who makes it grow is brahma-vivardhanah - tapo brahma, tamvivardhayati iti
brahma-vivardhanah.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha givesreference to the Sruti - brahma vai yaj~nah
(aiyt. BrAh. 7. 22).
SrI v. v. rAmAnujan adds that tapas involves getting detached from objects of
sensual enjoyment; the more one grows tapas, the more will be the growth
towards enjoyment of Him.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives the interpretation that because He
nurtures the tattva of brahma in the hearts of His devotees, He is called
brahma-vivardhanah- brahma tattvam, tat viSesheNa vardhayate sva-jana
hRdayeshu itibrahma-vivardhanah.
SrI cinmayAnanda includes austerities, veda-s, truth,and knowledge under the
term tapas, and since He grows these in His devotees, He has this nAma.
b) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives another interpretation which uses the
meaning "big" for brahma. Because He grows things indefinitely and infinitely,
as in the case of a seed yielding a tree, which yields many more seeds, and the
process continue on and on, He is called brahma-vivradhanah -
vivardhanam viSvamidam samastam yatah svayam brahma-vivardhanah sah |
bIjAcca vRksham kurute vivRddham vRkshAcca bIjAn kurute bahUn sah||
The dharma cakram writer includes tapas, dhAnam, and yaj~nam under the
term brahma for this nAma. I have summarized his write-up in the following:
tapas is the means by which one keeps improving his or her own self. When one
sacrifices what one has for the benefit of the society, it is called dhAnam.
96