The thousand names · page 6 of 12
Ślokas 46 to 54
Names 430 to 517
विस्तारःvistāraḥसात्वतां पतिःsātvatāṃ patiḥ
विस्तारः स्थावरस्थाणुः प्रमाणं बीजमव्ययम्।vistāraḥ sthāvarasthāṇuḥ pramāṇaṃ bījamavyayam|
अर्थोऽनर्थो महाकोशो महाभोगो महाधनः॥ ४६ ॥arthō’narthō mahākōśō mahābhōgō mahādhanaḥ|| 46 ||
430विस्तारःvistāraḥ
the Vast Expanse
From vi-stṛ, to spread out: the worlds are the spreading out of His glory and are His body, and there is no end to how far He extends.
ओं विस्ताराय नमःōṃ vistārāya namaḥ
431स्थावरस्थाणुःsthāvarasthāṇuḥ
the Firm Pillar of the fixed
He stands firm and unmoved as a pillar, and all that stands fixed, from mountain to tree, stands because He upholds it.
ओं स्थावरस्थाणवे नमःōṃ sthāvarasthāṇavē namaḥ
432प्रमाणम्pramāṇam
the Authority, the means of knowing
He is the standard by which truth is known: what the Vēdas say of Him is certain, and by His light everything else is rightly known.
ओं प्रमाणाय नमःōṃ pramāṇāya namaḥ
433बीजम् अव्ययम्bījam avyayam
the imperishable Seed of all
He is the seed from which the worlds spring, age after age; and this seed is never spent, for He remains whole and undiminished.
ओं बीजायाव्ययाय नमःōṃ bījāyāvyayāya namaḥ
434अर्थःarthaḥ
the Goal that all seek
Artha is what is sought: He is the one thing all hearts truly seek, and every lesser aim is, rightly seen, a step towards Him.
ओं अर्थाय नमःōṃ arthāya namaḥ
435अनर्थःanarthaḥ
He who has nothing left to seek
Every wish of His is already fulfilled, so there is nothing He lacks or must gain; whatever He does for the world He does out of love and not out of need.
ओं अनर्थाय नमःōṃ anarthāya namaḥ
436महाकोशःmahākōśaḥ
the great Treasury
He is the vast storehouse of all auspicious qualities and of all that is good, and no giving can ever empty it.
ओं महाकोशाय नमःōṃ mahākōśāya namaḥ
437महाभोगःmahābhōgaḥ
He of great and endless bliss
His bliss is without limit: He delights without end, in His own fullness and in the souls who are His, with Śrī ever beside Him.
ओं महाभोगाय नमःōṃ mahābhōgāya namaḥ
438महाधनःmahādhanaḥ
He whose wealth is great
All the worlds and all their riches are His; and to those who love Him He is Himself the treasure beyond which they seek nothing.
ओं महाधनाय नमःōṃ mahādhanāya namaḥ
He is the Vast Expanse and the firm pillar of all that stands fixed. He is the Authority by which truth is known and the imperishable Seed of the worlds. He is the Goal that all hearts seek, yet He has nothing left to seek Himself; He is the great Treasury, the One of great delight and the One of great wealth.
Bhāvam
The names open on the world as a whole, its expanse, its steady ground and its seed, and then ask what all this is for: the Goal that all seek, and the One who seeks nothing. The śloka closes with three names of riches. He is the highest wealth that anyone can want, and He Himself wants for nothing.
अनिर्विण्णः स्थविष्ठो भूर्धर्मयूपो महामखः।anirviṇṇaḥ sthaviṣṭhō bhūrdharmayūpō mahāmakhaḥ|
नक्षत्रनेमिर्नक्षत्री क्षमः क्षामस्समीहनः॥ ४७ ॥nakṣatranēmirnakṣatrī kṣamaḥ kṣāmassamīhanaḥ|| 47 ||
439अनिर्विण्णःanirviṇṇaḥ
the Undismayed, never weary
He never tires of the long labour of making and guarding the world, and He does not turn from a soul in disgust, however faulty it may be.
ओं अनिर्विण्णाय नमःōṃ anirviṇṇāya namaḥ
440स्थविष्ठःsthaviṣṭhaḥ
the One most full and abundant
Sthaviṣṭha is the highest degree of fullness: no wealth of glory, power or goodness is greater than His.
ओं स्थविष्ठाय नमःōṃ sthaviṣṭhāya namaḥ
441भूःbhūḥ
the Earth, the ground of being
From bhū, to be: He truly is, and all else is because He is. As the earth bears all that walks upon it, He bears every being.
ओं भुवे नमःōṃ bhuvē namaḥ
442धर्मयूपःdharmayūpaḥ
the Post to which dharma is bound
As the sacrificial post is the fixed centre at which a rite is held, He is the firm centre of dharma: righteousness stands upon Him and finds its measure in Him.
ओं धर्मयूपाय नमःōṃ dharmayūpāya namaḥ
443महामखःmahāmakhaḥ
the Great Sacrifice
Every act of worship, from the humblest offering to the grandest rite, is His. He is the sacrifice itself and the Lord who receives and rewards it.
ओं महामखाय नमःōṃ mahāmakhāya namaḥ
444नक्षत्रनेमिःnakṣatranēmiḥ
He who holds the wheel of the stars
The nēmi is the rim that keeps a wheel whole; the whole circle of the stars is held in its round and its order by Him.
ओं नक्षत्रनेमये नमःōṃ nakṣatranēmayē namaḥ
445नक्षत्रीnakṣatrī
the Lord of the stars
The stars are His, and He rules them; among them the moon, their chief, is a glory of His.
ओं नक्षत्रिणे नमःōṃ nakṣatriṇē namaḥ
446क्षमःkṣamaḥ
the Patient, equal to every task
From kṣam, to bear and to be able: He bears with the faults of His creatures, and there is no work too great for Him.
ओं क्षमाय नमःōṃ kṣamāya namaḥ
447क्षामःkṣāmaḥ
He in whom all things dwindle away
Kṣāma is what wears away; the name perhaps recalls that at the dissolution the worlds dwindle and are drawn back into Him, and He alone remains.
ओं क्षामाय नमःōṃ kṣāmāya namaḥ
448समीहनःsamīhanaḥ
He who strives fully for all
From sam-īh, to strive with all one's effort: He works unwearied for the good of His creatures, in making them, guarding them and drawing them to Himself.
ओं समीहनाय नमःōṃ samīhanāya namaḥ
He never grows weary, and nothing is more full than He; He is the ground of being, the post to which dharma is bound, and the great Sacrifice itself. He holds the wheel of the stars and is the Lord of the stars. He is patient and bears all, the One in whom all things dwindle away at the last; and He strives with His whole effort for the good of the world.
Bhāvam
The śloka begins with the One who is never weary and ends with the One who strives, so that His great works are seen as the labour of One who does not tire. In between He is named the support of dharma and the sacrifice itself, and the master of the turning sky.
यज्ञ इज्यो महेज्यश्च क्रतुस्सत्रं सताङ्गतिः।yajña ijyō mahējyaśca kratussatraṃ satāṅgatiḥ|
सर्वदर्शी निवृत्तात्मा सर्वज्ञो ज्ञानमुत्तमम्॥ ४८ ॥sarvadarśī nivṛttātmā sarvajñō jñānamuttamam|| 48 ||
449यज्ञःyajñaḥ
the Sacrifice, worship itself
From yaj, to worship and to give: He is the worship in which all offerings are made, and the Vēdas declare that the sacrifice is Viṣṇu Himself.
ओं यज्ञाय नमःōṃ yajñāya namaḥ
450इज्यःijyaḥ
He to whom worship is due
Ijya is what is to be worshipped: in every rite and under every name the one truly worshipped is He, who is the Self of all the gods invoked.
ओं इज्याय नमःōṃ ijyāya namaḥ
451महेज्यःmahējyaḥ
the Greatest to be worshipped
None is worthier of worship than He, for His greatness has no equal; the worship that reaches Him is the highest.
ओं महेज्याय नमःōṃ mahējyāya namaḥ
452क्रतुःkratuḥ
the Rite and the firm resolve
Kratu is the great rite, and also the firm will that carries a rite through: He is both the sacrifice and the resolve that fulfils it.
ओं क्रतवे नमःōṃ kratavē namaḥ
453सत्रम्satram
the long sacrifice, protector of the good
Satra is the long sacrifice in which many take part; the word also tells of guarding the good (sat, trāyati), and He is the shelter of all who are good.
ओं सत्राय नमःōṃ satrāya namaḥ
454सतां गतिःsatāṃ gatiḥ
the Goal and refuge of the good
The good find their way and their end in Him: He is both the road they walk and the place they reach.
ओं सताङ्गतये नमःōṃ satāṅgatayē namaḥ
455सर्वदर्शीsarvadarśī
the All-seeing
Nothing is hidden from His sight; He sees everything done in the world and every thought in every heart, and He sees too the need of those who call on Him.
ओं सर्वदर्शिने नमःōṃ sarvadarśinē namaḥ
456निवृत्तात्माnivṛttātmā
He whose Self rests, craving nothing
Nivṛtta is turned back from pursuit: no craving drives His Self onward, and from that stillness He turns the hearts of those who seek Him back from the world's passing aims, to rest in Himself.
ओं निवृत्तात्मने नमःōṃ nivṛttātmanē namaḥ
457सर्वज्ञःsarvajñaḥ
the All-knowing
He knows each thing as it truly is, past, present and to come, great and small, in one glance; no mind and no secret lies outside His knowledge.
ओं सर्वज्ञाय नमःōṃ sarvajñāya namaḥ
458ज्ञानम् उत्तमम्jñānam uttamam
the highest Knowledge
He is knowledge in its highest form, the light by which all else is known; and to know Him truly is the greatest knowing of all.
ओं ज्ञानाय उत्तमाय नमःōṃ jñānāya uttamāya namaḥ
He is the Sacrifice, the One to whom worship is due, and the Greatest to be worshipped; and He is the rite with its firm resolve and the long sacrifice that guards the good. He is the goal and refuge of the good, the All-seeing, whose Self rests craving nothing, the All-knowing, and the highest Knowledge itself.
Bhāvam
Names of worship open the śloka and names of seeing and knowing close it, with the refuge of the good standing between them. Worship is offered to One who sees all and knows all, and who is Himself the highest knowledge that worship leads to.
सुव्रतः सुमुखस्सूक्ष्मः सुघोषः सुखदः सुहृत्।suvrataḥ sumukhassūkṣmaḥ sughōṣaḥ sukhadaḥ suhṛt|
मनोहरो जितक्रोधो वीरबाहुर्विदारणः॥ ४९ ॥manōharō jitakrōdhō vīrabāhurvidāraṇaḥ|| 49 ||
459सुव्रतःsuvrataḥ
He of good vows
His vows are good and are always kept; first among them is the vow to protect everyone who comes to Him for refuge.
ओं सुव्रताय नमःōṃ suvratāya namaḥ
460सुमुखःsumukhaḥ
He of the fair, gracious face
His face is lovely and bright with a welcoming smile; none who comes before Him meets a frown.
ओं सुमुखाय नमःōṃ sumukhāya namaḥ
461सूक्ष्मःsūkṣmaḥ
the Subtle, finer than the finest
He is subtler than anything the senses can grasp, finer than the smallest particle, and so He enters into everything; He is seen only by the pure heart.
ओं सूक्ष्माय नमःōṃ sūkṣmāya namaḥ
462सुघोषःsughōṣaḥ
He of the beautiful voice
His voice is deep and beautiful, and every sound that comes from Him, His word in the Vēdas above all, brings good to those who hear it.
ओं सुघोषाय नमःōṃ sughōṣāya namaḥ
463सुखदःsukhadaḥ
the Giver of happiness
He gives joy to those who turn to Him, from the small comforts of this life to the unending bliss of His own presence.
ओं सुखदाय नमःōṃ sukhadāya namaḥ
464सुहृत्suhṛt
the true Friend of all
He wishes every creature well without being asked and without any reason of His own; He is the friend in the heart of all beings.
ओं सुहृदे नमःōṃ suhṛdē namaḥ
465मनोहरःmanōharaḥ
He who steals the mind
His beauty and goodness draw the mind away from everything else and carry it to Him; those who hear of Him find their minds taken captive.
ओं मनोहराय नमःōṃ manōharāya namaḥ
466जितक्रोधःjitakrōdhaḥ
He who has conquered anger
Anger has no rule over Him: whatever wrath He shows is chosen and measured, and is never allowed to overcome His mercy.
ओं जितक्रोधाय नमःōṃ jitakrōdhāya namaḥ
467वीरबाहुःvīrabāhuḥ
He of the hero's mighty arms
His arms are strong to protect and to strike down whatever threatens the good; and they are open to embrace those who come to Him.
ओं वीरबाहवे नमःōṃ vīrabāhavē namaḥ
468विदारणःvidāraṇaḥ
He who tears the wicked apart
He splits asunder the proud and the cruel who trouble the good, and so makes the world safe for those who love Him.
ओं विदारणाय नमःōṃ vidāraṇāya namaḥ
Points to Mōhinī
His vows are good, His face is fair, He is subtle beyond the senses, and His voice is beautiful. He gives happiness, He is the friend of every being, and He steals the mind. Anger He has conquered; His arms are a hero's; and He tears asunder those who do wrong.
Bhāvam
Five of these names begin with su, 'good': good vows, a fair face, a fair voice, the giver of happiness, the friend. Only then come the strong names, the mastered anger, the hero's arms and the tearing apart of evil. In Him sweetness and strength are not opposed: the arms that tear down evil are the arms that guard the good.
In this verseMōhinī
स्वापनस्स्ववशो व्यापी नैकात्मा नैककर्मकृत्।svāpanassvavaśō vyāpī naikātmā naikakarmakṛt|
वत्सरो वत्सलो वत्सी रत्नगर्भो धनेश्वरः॥ ५० ॥vatsarō vatsalō vatsī ratnagarbhō dhanēśvaraḥ|| 50 ||
469स्वापनःsvāpanaḥ
He who lays beings to rest
From svap, to sleep: He gives the rest of sleep to the weary, and when an age is done He draws all beings to rest in Himself.
ओं स्वापनाय नमःōṃ svāpanāya namaḥ
Points to Mōhinī
470स्ववशःsvavaśaḥ
He who is wholly self-governing
He acts by His own will and needs no one's leave; all things are under His control, and He is under the control of none.
ओं स्ववशाय नमःōṃ svavaśāya namaḥ
471व्यापीvyāpī
the All-pervading
He is present in everything, within and without, filling all that is as the inner Self of every being.
ओं व्यापिने नमःōṃ vyāpinē namaḥ
472नैकात्माnaikātmā
He of many forms
He is not bound to a single form: for the sake of His devotees He takes many, and yet He remains the one Self within all beings.
ओं नैकात्माने नमःōṃ naikātmānē namaḥ
473नैककर्मकृत्naikakarmakṛt
the Doer of many deeds
Countless are His works: the making, upholding and drawing back of the worlds, and the deeds of His descents, each one done for the good of the world.
ओं नैककर्मकृते नमःōṃ naikakarmakṛtē namaḥ
474वत्सरःvatsaraḥ
the Home in which all dwell
From vas, to dwell: all beings live in Him as in a home, and no creature lives apart from Him. The word also means the year, whose round He turns.
ओं वत्सराय नमःōṃ vatsarāya namaḥ
475वत्सलःvatsalaḥ
tender towards His own dear ones
As a cow is tender towards her calf, He is tender towards those who are His; their faults do not turn Him away.
ओं वत्सलाय नमःōṃ vatsalāya namaḥ
476वत्सीvatsī
Keeper of His own dear children
Vatsa is a dear child, or a calf: all beings are His own dear ones, and He guards them as a keeper guards his young.
ओं वत्सिने नमःōṃ vatsinē namaḥ
477रत्नगर्भःratnagarbhaḥ
He whose depths are full of jewels
As the sea holds countless jewels in its depths, in Him lies every precious thing there is, and the jewels of all auspicious qualities.
ओं रत्नगर्भाय नमःōṃ ratnagarbhāya namaḥ
478धनेश्वरःdhanēśvaraḥ
the Lord of wealth
Wealth belongs to Him, since Śrī, who is wealth itself, is inseparable from Him; and He gives riches as He wills.
ओं धनेश्वराय नमःōṃ dhanēśvarāya namaḥ
He lays beings to rest, and He is wholly His own master. He is the All-pervading, of many forms, the Doer of many deeds, and the Home in which all dwell. Tender is He as a cow to her calf, the keeper of His dear children; He is a sea of jewels in His depths and the Lord of wealth.
Bhāvam
Three names in a row turn on the sound vats-, and the last two of them speak of love: the One tender to His own and the keeper of His dear children. Power and many deeds come before them and riches come after, so that the Lord of all wealth is shown first as a Lord who cherishes.
In this verseMōhinī
धर्मगुब्धर्मकृद्धर्मी सदक्षरमसत्क्षरम्।dharmagubdharmakṛddharmī sadakṣaramasatkṣaram|
अविज्ञाता सहस्रांशुः विधाता कृतलक्षणः॥ ५१ ॥avijñātā sahasrāṃśuḥ vidhātā kṛtalakṣaṇaḥ|| 51 ||
479धर्मगुप्dharmagup
the Guardian of dharma
From gup, to guard: He protects the righteous order of the world and those who keep it, and comes again and again to restore it when it fails.
ओं धर्मगुपे नमःōṃ dharmagupē namaḥ
480धर्मकृत्dharmakṛt
He who establishes and keeps dharma
He sets dharma as the way and keeps it Himself, showing by His own deeds how it is to be lived.
ओं धर्मकृते नमःōṃ dharmakṛtē namaḥ
481धर्मीdharmī
the Righteous One, upholder of dharma
Dharma is His very nature and all righteousness belongs to Him; He holds up the world by it.
ओं धर्मिणे नमःōṃ dharmiṇē namaḥ
482सत्sat
the Real, He who truly is
He is, always and in His own right, and the world of things that appear has its being from Him; He is the Self of whatever exists.
ओं सते नमःōṃ satē namaḥ
483अक्षरम्akṣaram
the Imperishable
He never wastes or falls from His own nature; when all else passes He remains. Akṣara is also the sacred syllable Oṃ, which names Him.
ओं अक्षरसते नमःōṃ akṣarasatē namaḥ
484असत्asat
the Unmanifest, not yet formed
Before the world takes shape and after it is drawn back, all lies hidden in Him in a subtle state, without name or form; this too is His own, and He is its Self.
ओं असते नमःōṃ asatē namaḥ
485क्षरम्kṣaram
the Perishable
All that changes and passes away is His body, and He dwells in it as its Self, yet He is not worn down by its decay.
ओं असत्क्षराय नमःōṃ asatkṣarāya namaḥ
486अविज्ञाताavijñātā
the Knower no one fully knows
He is the Knower of all things and the Self within every body, yet no other mind can grasp Him as it grasps a thing; He is known only to those to whom He shows Himself.
ओं अविज्ञात्रे नमःōṃ avijñātrē namaḥ
487सहस्रांशुःsahasrāṃśuḥ
the Thousand-rayed
A thousand rays are His; the sun's beams are a spark of His radiance, and by His light all else is lit.
ओं सहस्रांशवे नमःōṃ sahasrāṃśavē namaḥ
488विधाताvidhātā
the Maker of the world's variety
From vi-dhā, to make and to place in many ways: out of one He brings forth this world in all its endless variety.
ओं विधात्रे नमःōṃ vidhātrē namaḥ
489कृतलक्षणःkṛtalakṣaṇaḥ
He who has set each thing's mark
Lakṣaṇa is the mark by which a thing is known: He has given each being its own nature and its own mark, so that every thing is known for what it is.
ओं कृतलक्षणाय नमःōṃ kṛtalakṣaṇāya namaḥ
He guards dharma, makes it and keeps it, and is the Righteous One in whom it dwells. He is the Real and the Imperishable, the Unmanifest and the Perishable: all of these are His, and He is the Self within them. No knower knows Him fully; He is the Thousand-rayed, the Maker of the world's variety, and the One who has set the mark of every thing.
Bhāvam
The śloka begins with three names of dharma and then sets two pairs side by side: the Real and the Unmanifest, the Imperishable and the Perishable. Whatever is, in whatever state, He is the Self of it, and so no mind holds Him whole. The last names, the Maker of the world's variety and the One who has set every mark, show Him as the One who gives the world its order.
गभस्तिनेमिस्सत्त्वस्थस्सिंहो भूतमहेश्वरः।gabhastinēmissattvasthassiṃhō bhūtamahēśvaraḥ|
आदिदेवो महादेवो देवेशो देवभृद्गुरुः॥ ५२ ॥ādidēvō mahādēvō dēvēśō dēvabhṛdguruḥ|| 52 ||
490गभस्तिनेमिःgabhastinēmiḥ
He in whom all light-rays are set
Gabhasti are rays of light and nēmi the rim that holds a wheel together; the rays of the sun and the moon are held in their order by Him, and the brightness in the sun that lights the world is His own.
ओं गभस्तिनेमये नमःōṃ gabhastinēmayē namaḥ
491सत्त्वस्थःsattvasthaḥ
He who abides in goodness
Sattva is purity and light, and He abides there, shining most in pure hearts. The word also names a living being, and He dwells within each one.
ओं सत्त्वस्थाय नमःōṃ sattvasthāya namaḥ
492सिंहःsiṃhaḥ
the Lion who overcomes the mighty
The lion subdues even the elephant and rules the forest by his strength alone; so He overcomes all that is mighty, and to His own He is the strong keeper under whom they rest without fear.
ओं सिंहाय नमःōṃ siṃhāya namaḥ
Points to Narasiṃha, Yama, Lord of death
493भूतमहेश्वरःbhūtamahēśvaraḥ
the great Lord of all beings
Every being, high or low, is under His lordship, and He is the Lord even of those who are themselves lords; yet He rules as a master who loves.
ओं भूतमहेश्वराय नमःōṃ bhūtamahēśvarāya namaḥ
494आदिदेवःādidēvaḥ
the First Divinity, the first to be praised
Dēva is also one who is praised, and every praise offered to any god comes at last to Him, the first and chief of all who are praised.
ओं आदिदेवाय नमःōṃ ādidēvāya namaḥ
495महादेवःmahādēvaḥ
the Great God
He is the greatest of all who shine and rule, the Supreme Deity, to whom no other is equal.
ओं महादेवाय नमःōṃ mahādēvāya namaḥ
496देवेशःdēvēśaḥ
the Lord of the gods
All the gods hold their offices under Him, and they rule their realms by His leave.
ओं देवेशाय नमःōṃ dēvēśāya namaḥ
497देवभृत्dēvabhṛt
the Sustainer of the gods
He bears the gods up in their stations and nourishes them; whatever strength they have is given by Him.
ओं देवभृते नमःōṃ dēvabhṛtē namaḥ
498गुरुःguruḥ
the Teacher who removes darkness
He teaches every soul the way to Himself and removes the darkness of ignorance; the syllables gu and ru are said to mean darkness and its remover.
ओं गुरवे नमःōṃ guravē namaḥ
All the rays of light are set in Him, and He abides in goodness; He is the Lion who overcomes the mighty and the great Lord of all beings. He is the First Divinity, the Great God, the Lord of the gods and their Sustainer, and He is the Teacher who removes the darkness.
Bhāvam
The śloka climbs from light and goodness, through strength, to lordship over beings, and from there to the gods themselves: the First, the Great, the Lord, the Sustainer. It ends with the Teacher; the Lord who rules the gods also instructs the soul.
In this verseNarasiṃhaYama, Lord of death
उत्तरो गोपतिर्गोप्ता ज्ञानगम्यः पुरातनः।uttarō gōpatirgōptā jñānagamyaḥ purātanaḥ|
शरीरभूतभृद्भोक्ता कपीन्द्रो भूरिदक्षिणः॥ ५३ ॥śarīrabhūtabhṛdbhōktā kapīndrō bhūridakṣiṇaḥ|| 53 ||
499उत्तरःuttaraḥ
the Highest, who lifts souls across
Uttara means higher than all, and also that which carries across: He is above everything, and He lifts the soul out of the ocean of birth and death to the farther shore.
ओं उत्तराय नमःōṃ uttarāya namaḥ
500गोपतिःgōpatiḥ
Lord of the cows and the earth
Go means the cow, the earth, and also the senses and speech, and He is the Lord of all of these. The tradition remembers Him as Kṛṣṇa the cowherd among the cows of Gokula.
ओं गोपतये नमःōṃ gōpatayē namaḥ
501गोप्ताgōptā
the Protector of all
From gup, to guard: He guards everything He has made, and shelters those who come to Him for refuge as a guardian who never sleeps.
ओं गोप्त्रे नमःōṃ gōptrē namaḥ
502ज्ञानगम्यःjñānagamyaḥ
He who is reached by knowledge
Not by wealth or force is He reached, but by true knowledge of Him, a knowing that ripens into love.
ओं ज्ञानगम्याय नमःōṃ jñānagamyāya namaḥ
503पुरातनःpurātanaḥ
the Ancient One
He was before every beginning, older than the oldest, and yet He never grows old.
ओं पुरातनाय नमःōṃ purātanāya namaḥ
504शरीरभूतभृत्śarīrabhūtabhṛt
Bearer of the beings who are His body
All beings are His body, and He bears them up as the self bears the body, from within and at every moment.
ओं शरीरभूतभृते नमःōṃ śarīrabhūtabhṛtē namaḥ
505भोक्ताbhōktā
the Enjoyer of the whole world
The whole world, with its souls, is for His enjoyment, as a realm is for its king; He takes joy in all of it, yet is never bound by it.
ओं भोक्त्रे नमःōṃ bhōktrē namaḥ
506कपीन्द्रःkapīndraḥ
the Lord of the monkey chiefs
Kapi is a monkey and indra a chief. The tradition knows Him as Rāma, whom Sugrīva, Hanumān and the host of monkeys served, and who counted them as His friends.
ओं कपीन्द्राय नमःōṃ kapīndrāya namaḥ
Points to Rāma
507भूरिदक्षिणःbhūridakṣiṇaḥ
He of abundant gifts
Bhūri is abundant and dakṣiṇa the gift given at a sacrifice: His generosity is vast, and He gives more than His devotees ask.
ओं भूरिदक्षिणाय नमःōṃ bhūridakṣiṇāya namaḥ
He is the Highest, who lifts souls across, the Lord of the cows and the earth, and the Protector of all. He is reached by knowledge and is the Ancient One; He bears the beings who are His body and enjoys the whole world as His own. He is the Lord of the monkey chiefs, and abundant in every gift.
Bhāvam
Here He is both the farthest and the nearest: the Highest and the Ancient, and also the Lord of the cows and of the monkey chiefs. He is reached by knowing, bears all beings as His body, and takes delight in them; the śloka ends on His open-handedness.
In this verseRāma
सोमपोऽमृतपः सोमः पुरुजित्पुरुसत्तमः।sōmapō’mṛtapaḥ sōmaḥ purujitpurusattamaḥ|
विनयो जयः सत्यसन्धो दाशार्हः सात्वतां पतिः॥ ५४ ॥vinayō jayaḥ satyasandhō dāśārhaḥ sātvatāṃ patiḥ|| 54 ||
508सोमपःsōmapaḥ
the Drinker of the soma
Soma is the sacred juice pressed and offered in the rites, and He is the true drinker of it; every rite reaches Him.
ओं सोमपाय नमःōṃ sōmapāya namaḥ
Points to Rāma
509अमृतपःamṛtapaḥ
the Drinker of nectar
Amṛta, the nectar of immortality, is His drink: He delights in the sweetness of His own bliss, and the love of His devotees is nectar to Him.
ओं अमृतपाय नमःōṃ amṛtapāya namaḥ
510सोमःsōmaḥ
the Moon who nourishes
As the moon, soma, He feeds all the plants with His cooling light, and He is gentle and sweet to those who come to Him.
ओं सोमाय नमःōṃ sōmāya namaḥ
Points to Rāma, Daśaratha, Candra, the Moon
511पुरुजित्purujit
the Conqueror of many
Puru means many: He has overcome multitudes of those who oppose what is right, and none of them can stand before Him.
ओं पुरुजिते नमःōṃ purujitē namaḥ
512पुरुसत्तमःpurusattamaḥ
the Best among the many
Among the multitude of beings and of those who rule beings, He is the very best, the highest of the good.
ओं पुरुसत्तमाय नमःōṃ purusattamāya namaḥ
513विनयःvinayaḥ
He who bows down to His own
Though Lord of all, He humbles Himself before those who love Him, so gentle that He drove Arjuna's chariot as his friend and charioteer.
ओं विनयाय नमःōṃ vinayāya namaḥ
514जयःjayaḥ
Victory itself, the ever Victorious
He is never defeated; victory is always with Him, and with those who hold to Him and to dharma.
ओं जयाय नमःōṃ jayāya namaḥ
515सत्यसन्धःsatyasandhaḥ
He whose resolve is always true
What He resolves comes to pass, and what He promises He fulfils; the pledge of protection He gives to those who surrender is never broken.
ओं सत्यसन्धाय नमःōṃ satyasandhāya namaḥ
516दाशार्हःdāśārhaḥ
He of the Dāśārha line
Dāśārha is the line into which the tradition says He was born as Kṛṣṇa; the word also means one who deserves the gift, for all offerings are due to Him.
ओं दाशार्हाय नमःōṃ dāśārhāya namaḥ
Points to Kṛṣṇa
517सात्वतां पतिःsātvatāṃ patiḥ
the Lord of the Sātvatas, His devotees
The Sātvatas are His devotees, and also the Yādava clan into which He was born as Kṛṣṇa; He is their Lord and Protector.
ओं सात्वताम्पतये नमःōṃ sātvatāmpatayē namaḥ
Points to Kṛṣṇa
He drinks the soma of the sacrifice and the nectar of immortality, and He is the Moon who feeds the world. He is the Conqueror of many and the Best among the many, humble towards His own; victory is His, and His word is always true. He is Dāśārha of the Yādava line, and the Lord of the Sātvatas, His devotees.
Bhāvam
The śloka opens with three names of drinking and sweetness and ends among His own people, the Dāśārhas and the Sātvatas. Between them stand victory, humility and the word kept: the Lord who wins is also the Lord who bows, and He does not break a promise.
In this verseRāmaKṛṣṇaDaśarathaCandra, the Moon
Text: prapatti.com, Śrīmad Āṇḍavan Āśramam edition prepared by Sunder Kidāmbi. Sources.