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

efers inthis context to the current Slokam (78) of SrI vishNu sahasra
nAmam, and observes that it is thus well-known that the term tat refers to
Brahman- “sa vah kah kim yat tat padam anuttamam iti tat-Sabdo hi brahma
vAcIprasiddhah".
In the context of the above gItA Slokam, SrI rAmAnuja interprets the term
tatas referring to Brahman, or to the means of attaining Brahman such as the
study of the Vedas etc.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan links the previous nAma (yatate – takes special efforts to
protect us), with the current nAma (tanoti – increases the bhakti in us towards
Him as part of that effort). While SrI Samkara’s vyAkhyAnam is also “tanoti
iti tat”, in the nAmAvalI, the mantra is “tasmai namah”, signifying that the
nAma is treated again as a sarva nAma or pronoun, meaning “That”, the term
standing for Brahman.
b) The beauty of the diverse anubhavam-s of the great vyAkhyAna kartA-s is
seen in the diverse ways in which they interpret the same explanation “tanoti–
vistRNAti – expands”. We already saw SrI BhaTTar’s interpretation, that He
expands the j~nAnam and bhakti in His devotees.
SrI kRshNa dattabhAradvAj gives the interpretation “tanoti vistArayati svajanAnAm
kIrtim ititat” – “He is called tat because He spread the kIrti or fame
of His devotees”.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the action of bhagavAn in His guNa of tat
as “spreading and pervading into everything”, which is yet another way that He
enables the jIva to function in this world to attain Him.
SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the interpretation that this nAma signifies
that He expands the sUkshma jIva-s into the visible world forms and shapes
(seed below) Whether it is in the form of increasing our j~nAnam and bhakti
about Him so that we can reach Him, or it is in the form of His spreading the
fame and kIrti of His devotees so that others learn from this and follow the
correct path for their attainment of Him, or it is in the form of His spreading
into everyone as their antaryAmi and supporting and guiding them, in the end
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