In these post, we shall closely follow the Śaṅkara-bhāṣya for the Viśṇu Ṣahasranāma. Since transcribing the original Saṃskr̥t text is arduous, I will primarily provide the translation of the bhāṣya where relevant. I am also following the profound commentary of my Gurujī, Śrī Pūjya Swami Dayananda Saraswati. It is a great privilege and honour for me to undertake this work - for my antahkarana shuddhi!
Essentially, Yudhiṣṭhira posed six inquiries in total. In its essence, Yudhiṣṭhira's inquiry is: what is the sādhana or means by which a jīva is released from the bondage of saṃsāra?
The name Bhīṣma signifies one who is "frightening." Bhīṣma is a cause of terror to all his adversaries—those that are external and also those within the mind. These internal enemies, such as desire, anger, greed, and jealousy, are themselves fearful of Bhīṣma and do not approach him. Similarly, external enemies do not come near Bhīṣma because he is truly invincible.
जगत्प्रभु देवदेवमनन्तं पुरुषोत्तमम् ।
स्तुवन् नामसहस्रेण पुरुषः सततोत्थितः ||
Bhişma uvāca
Jagat-prabhum deva-devam anantam puruşottamam
stuvan nāma-sahasreņa puruşah satat'otthitah.
Bhişma replied: "He will be free from all sorrows who always praises by 'the Sahasranāma' (thousand names) that All-pervading, limitless Being who is the master of the worlds, who is The Lord of gods, and who is the Supreme Person.
Yudhiṣṭhira sought to understand, "Who is that one supreme deity?" This one deity is Jagat-Prabhu, the Sovereign of the entire universe. This universe, as we have seen, encompasses our very own body-mind-sense complex. When we offer worship to the Lord, who is simultaneously the efficient cause (nimitta kāraṇa) and the material cause (upādana kāraṇa) of the universe, we primarily invoke Him as the efficient cause. While all forms in the universe constitute the material cause, they serve as sacred symbols through which we worship the intelligent cause or nimitta kāraṇa.
To illustrate, when we congratulate someone by shaking their hand, our appreciation is directed not toward the hand itself, but toward the conscious person behind it. Similarly, Īśvara is the sole ruler of the entire universe, manifest as both the movable and the immovable. He alone is the source of power, delegating authority to the various devatās, who function merely as executives for Parameśvara.
Every devatā is essentially Īśvara. As we have seen, Īśvara is manifest in the form of this entire universe. Through our eyes, we perceive the myriad forms and colors of the world, yet these eyes are themselves an integral part of the universe. The fact that all eyes perceive these forms consistently is due to the governing law—the intelligence—that resides behind the sense of sight. At the total level, Īśvara is not only the eyes but also the law behind the eyes. Thus, when viewed from the standpoint of the phenomenon of sight, Īśvara becomes the presiding devatā, the Sun.
Similarly, the mind is presided over by the Moon, while the intellect, or buddhi, represents the capacity for rational thought and discrimination. When we behold the Lord through such specific manifestations, each phenomenon is recognized as a devatā. Even the vitality inherent in one's hands and legs is presided over by a devatā. When you contemplate Parameśvara through the lens of all these functions, He is seen as the total Law. Parameśvara is truly Deva-deva, the Sovereign of all devatās, for it is His supreme power alone that is delegated to them. In truth, all devatās are contained within Īśvara.
He is Ananta, the limitless Being, who is simultaneously the efficient cause (nimitta kāraṇa) and the material cause (upādana kāraṇa). As the infinite reality, He is unconditioned by the limitations of space, time, and objects. Indeed, one cannot truly conceive of Īśvara plus anything else, for there is absolutely nothing that exists apart from Īśvara.
He is Puruṣottama, the Supreme Person who is all-pervading. Manifest as this phenomenal universe, Īśvara is known as kṣara-puruṣa; however, upon resolution and prior to creation, when the universe exists in its unmanifest, causal state, He is referred to as the akṣara-puruṣa. Yet, in His essential nature, He remains ever transcendent, beyond the realms of both cause and effect.
Satata-utthitaḥ puruṣaḥ—the individual who is ever-steadfast and committed; nāma-sahasreṇa stuvan—by singing His glories through these thousand names, sarva-duḥkhātigo bhavet —shall go beyond all sorrow. This does not suggest that one is simply exempted from worldly hardships or one bypass them; rather, it signifies that one goes through such sorrows remaining unaffected by them.
To offer praise to Parameśvara is to truly understand Him. Wherever any glory is perceived, it must be recognized as the glory of Īśvara alone. This implies that true praise is born only from understanding; without such understanding, praise is not truly praise. Yet, with right understanding, the very act of praising is but knowledge. Indeed, where there is knowledge, there is spontaneous praise. The beauty of understanding Īśvara results in an abiding sense of admiration and awe, leading to the realization that one lacks the capacity to fully extol the glories of the Lord, who is limitless.
The singular altar of all praise is Īśvara, for He alone is the embodiment of all glory. Every excellence that one can speak of belongs inherently to Īśvara. Thus, the only true object of adoration is Īśvara. When one praises Him, any words of praise fall short of His infinite magnitude. How can a limited jīva, restricted in every way, truly extol Īśvara? The only altar of praise is Īśvara, and only a being of total knowledge could truly praise Him. We cannot flatter Īśvara because anything we say is always less than what Īśvara is. Our praise is simply a from the standpoint of our own understanding.
How does the act of praising Īśvara benefit us? It aids in the recognition of a profound reality: any praise received by an individual is, in truth, the praise of Īśvara alone. Extolling the glories of Īśvara allows one to realize that whatever is truly worthy of adoration—not only within oneself but in every other being—is nothing but Īśvara. Thus, by offering praise and prayer to Īśvara, all discerning individuals shall attain śubha, or total auspiciousness. Then, there remains nothing further to be achieved, and there is a cessation of all struggles. The Viṣṇu Sahasranāma is a sacred prayer; it is intended to alleviate the troubles of this world and also is a means to attain mokṣa.
