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

dosham, we will briefly summarize the anubhavam of the current nAma – catur-
AtmA.
a) As pointed out in the previous paragraph, for nAma 139 SrI bhaTTar gives
the interpretation that He manifests Himself in four vyUha forms – vAsudeva,
samkarshaNa, pradyumna, and aniruddha. Here the meaning given for the term
AtmA is rUpam, based on the nirukti description – vAsudevAdi rUpatvAt
caturAtmA itikathyate.
b) For the instance of this nAma in the current Slokam, he gives the
interpretation that bhagavAn makes Himself available for experience of the
devotees both in sthUla and in sUkshma form, in any of the four states of
experience: the waking state, the dream state, the sleep state, and the turIya
state, depending on the capacity of the devotee to meditate on Him.
c) SrI Sa’nkara’s vyAkhyAnam for this nAma in Slokam 15 is that His Sakti is
expressed in a four-fold manifestation in each of His functions of creation,
preservation, and destruction. These four forms are:
1. In creation: brahmA, daksha and others, time, and all creatures
2. In preservation: vishNu, manu and others, time, and all creatures
3. In dissolution: rudra, yama and others, time, and all creatures.
He supports this interpretation from vishNu purANam 1.22.30-32:
brahmA dakshAdayah kAlah tathaiva aklhila jantavah |
vibhUtayA hariretAjagatah sRshTi-hetavah ||
vishNur manvAdayah kAlah sarva bhUtAni ca dvija |
sthiter nimitta bhUtasyavishNoretA vibhUtayah ||
rudrah kAlah antakAdyaSca samastASvaiva jantqavah |
caturdhA pralayAyaitAjanArdana vibhUtayah ||
d) For the current instance of the nAma caturAtmA, SrI Sa’nkara views the
nAma as catrura + AtmA, where he uses the meaning cAturyam for the word
catura. His interpretation here is that He has this nAma because He is skilled
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