The thousand names · page 7 of 12
Ślokas 55 to 63
Names 518 to 605
जीवःjīvaḥवृषप्रियःvṛṣapriyaḥ
जीवो विनयिता साक्षी मुकुन्दोऽमितविक्रमः।jīvō vinayitā sākṣī mukundō’mitavikramaḥ|
अम्भोनिधिरनन्तात्मा महोदधिशयोऽन्तकः॥ ५५ ॥ambhōnidhiranantātmā mahōdadhiśayō’ntakaḥ|| 55 ||
518जीवःjīvaḥ
the Life of all that lives
He gives life to every living creature and sustains it; as the Self within each soul, He is the life of the living.
ओं जीवाय नमःōṃ jīvāya namaḥ
519विनयिताvinayitā
He who trains and guides beings
From vi-nī, to lead and train: He rules all beings with wise discipline, curbing those who stray and guiding those who seek the right road.
ओं विनयित्रे नमःōṃ vinayitrē namaḥ
520साक्षीsākṣī
the Witness abiding beside each soul
He abides in the heart beside each soul as its constant companion, looking on while the soul tastes the fruit of its deeds; He is never touched by that fruit Himself.
ओं साक्षिणे नमःōṃ sākṣiṇē namaḥ
521मुकुन्दःmukundaḥ
the Giver of liberation
Mukunda is the one who grants mukti: to those who take refuge in Him He gives release from birth and death, and the joy of His own presence.
ओं मुकुन्दाय नमःōṃ mukundāya namaḥ
522अमितविक्रमःamitavikramaḥ
He of measureless valour and stride
Vikrama is both valour and a stride: His valour has no measure, and the tradition recalls the three strides of Trivikrama, with which He crossed the worlds.
ओं अमितविक्रमाय नमःōṃ amitavikramāya namaḥ
523अम्भोनिधिःambhōnidhiḥ
the Ocean, treasure-house of waters
He is deep and boundless as the sea, the home of the waters; no one can fathom Him, yet He is calm and rich in everything that is good.
ओं अम्भोनिधये नमःōṃ ambhōnidhayē namaḥ
524अनन्तात्माanantātmā
He whose Self has no end
Nothing bounds His Self: it has no end in place, in time or in what it holds. Ādiśēṣa, His couch and servant, is also called Ananta, the Endless.
ओं अनन्तात्मने नमःōṃ anantātmanē namaḥ
Points to Śēṣa
525महोदधिशयःmahōdadhiśayaḥ
He who rests on the great ocean
He reclines on the coils of Ādiśēṣa upon the Milk Ocean, with Śrī beside Him, awake in His care for the world even in His repose.
ओं महोदधिशयाय नमःōṃ mahōdadhiśayāya namaḥ
Points to Śēṣa
526अन्तकःantakaḥ
the Ender of all things
When the age is done He brings all things to their end; and to those who take refuge in Him He brings the end of birth and death.
ओं अनन्तकाय नमःōṃ anantakāya namaḥ
He is the Life of all that lives and the One who trains and guides them; He is the Witness who sees every deed. He is Mukunda, the Giver of liberation, of measureless valour; the Ocean of boundless depth, whose Self has no end, who rests upon the great sea. And He is the Ender, who brings all things to their close.
Bhāvam
The śloka begins with the life of the soul and ends with the ending of the world, and between them stand the Witness who sees every deed and Mukunda who frees. The picture it leaves is of the Lord at rest on the great ocean, calm and awake, holding even the end of all things in His hand.
In this verseŚēṣa
अजो महार्हः स्वाभाव्यो जितामित्रः प्रमोदनः।ajō mahārhaḥ svābhāvyō jitāmitraḥ pramōdanaḥ|
आनन्दो नन्दनो नन्दः सत्यधर्मा त्रिविक्रमः॥ ५६ ॥ānandō nandanō nandaḥ satyadharmā trivikramaḥ|| 56 ||
527अजःajaḥ
the Unborn One
He has no origin: no maker brought Him into being and nothing stood before Him. The worlds begin and end in time, but He is the beginning that has none, and all else arises from Him.
ओं अजाय नमःōṃ ajāya namaḥ
528महार्हःmahārhaḥ
worthy of the greatest worship
Mahā is great and arha is worthy: He is fit to be honoured with the highest worship, and He is of the highest worth, for none is beyond Him.
ओं महार्हाय नमःōṃ mahārhāya namaḥ
529स्वाभाव्यःsvābhāvyaḥ
He of ever-unchanging own nature
His greatness is His own nature, not something gained, lent or lost; He is, and always has been, all that He is.
ओं स्वाभाव्याय नमःōṃ svābhāvyāya namaḥ
530जितामित्रःjitāmitraḥ
Conqueror of enemies
He has overcome every foe of His devotees, and the enemies within, such as desire and anger, that trouble the heart; to the one who clings to Him they have no power.
ओं जितामित्राय नमःōṃ jitāmitrāya namaḥ
531प्रमोदनःpramōdanaḥ
the Giver of great joy
From mud, to rejoice, with pra, greatly: He fills those who come to Him with a gladness that nothing in the world can give.
ओं प्रमोदनाय नमःōṃ pramōdanāya namaḥ
532आनन्दःānandaḥ
Bliss itself
Bliss is not a thing He has but what He is; whatever joy any being knows is a trace of His.
ओं आनन्दाय नमःōṃ ānandāya namaḥ
Points to Kapila
533नन्दनःnandanaḥ
He who makes His own rejoice
Where ānanda is His own bliss, nandana is the joy He gives: those who serve Him and see Him are made glad by His presence.
ओं नन्दनाय नमःōṃ nandanāya namaḥ
534नन्दःnandaḥ
the ever-Rejoicing One
He rejoices and prospers in Himself: lacking nothing and wanting nothing, He is glad in His own fullness.
ओं नन्दाय नमःōṃ nandāya namaḥ
535सत्यधर्माsatyadharmā
He whose dharma is truth
The qualities that make Him what He is are real and unfailing, and His law and His word are true: what He has promised to those who take refuge in Him, He keeps.
ओं सत्यधर्मणे नमःōṃ satyadharmaṇē namaḥ
He is the Unborn, worthy of the greatest worship, whose nature is wholly His own, and the conqueror of every foe. He is the giver of great joy: bliss itself, the One who makes His own rejoice, and the One who is glad in His fullness. His dharma is truth, and He is Trivikrama, who measured the worlds in three great strides.
Bhāvam
The śloka opens with names of majesty and then gathers four names of joy together, as if to say that His greatness is for the gladdening of those who come to Him. It closes with the three strides, where the Lord of such power comes as a petitioner.
महर्षिः कपिलाचार्यः कृतज्ञो मेदिनीपतिः।maharṣiḥ kapilācāryaḥ kṛtajñō mēdinīpatiḥ|
त्रिपदस्त्रिदशाध्यक्षो महाशृङ्गः कृतान्तकृत्॥ ५७ ॥tripadastridaśādhyakṣō mahāśṛṅgaḥ kṛtāntakṛt|| 57 ||
537महर्षिःmaharṣiḥ
the Great Seer
A ṛṣi is one who beholds the truth; He sees all things as they are, and the seers who beheld the Vēdas did so by His grace.
ओं महर्षये नमःōṃ maharṣayē namaḥ
Points to Kapila
538कपिलाचार्यःkapilācāryaḥ
Kapila, the great teacher
The tradition knows Him as the sage Kapila, born to Kardama and Dēvahūti, who taught his mother the way to freedom.
ओं कपिलाचार्याय नमःōṃ kapilācāryāya namaḥ
Points to Kapila
539कृतज्ञःkṛtajñaḥ
Knower of all that is made and done
Kṛta is what has been made or done, and jña the one who knows: the whole of creation and every deed done in it lie open to Him, as a work lies open to its maker. Nothing is hidden from Him, not even the heart behind the deed.
ओं कृतज्ञाय नमःōṃ kṛtajñāya namaḥ
Points to Kapila
540मेदिनीपतिःmēdinīpatiḥ
Lord and Husband of the earth
Mēdinī is the earth; He is the Lord of the earth and all who live on it, and the Earth, Bhūdēvī, is His consort.
ओं मेदिनीपतये नमःōṃ mēdinīpatayē namaḥ
Points to Bhūdēvī
541त्रिपदःtripadaḥ
the Three-footed Lord
The Vēda says that all the worlds are but one quarter of Him, and that three quarters lie in the undying heaven above; so great is His glory that this whole creation is the smaller part.
ओं त्रिपदाय नमःōṃ tripadāya namaḥ
Points to Kapila
542त्रिदशाध्यक्षःtridaśādhyakṣaḥ
Overseer of the host of gods
Tridaśa, 'thrice ten', is the company of the gods; He presides over them, and they turn to Him when their own strength fails.
ओं त्रिदशाध्यक्षाय नमःōṃ tridaśādhyakṣāya namaḥ
Points to Varāha
544कृतान्तकृत्kṛtāntakṛt
He who ends all that is made
Kṛta is what is made and anta its end: at the close of an age He draws the whole creation back into Himself, and even Death is only His servant.
ओं कृतान्तकृते नमःōṃ kṛtāntakṛtē namaḥ
Points to Varāha, Yama, Lord of death, Hiraṇyākṣa
He is the Great Seer and Kapila the teacher; He knows all that is made and done, and He is the Lord of the earth. Three parts of His glory lie in the heaven that does not fade, and He presides over the company of the gods. He is the One of the great horn, and He is the One who brings all that is made to its end.
Bhāvam
The śloka moves from seeing and teaching to knowing and ruling, and then to rescue and ending. The horn that saved Manu in the flood and the end that closes every age are the work of one Lord, who is also the teacher of the way and the Knower of every heart.
In this verseVarāhaMatsyaKapilaBhūdēvīYama, Lord of deathHiraṇyākṣa
महावराहो गोविन्दः सुषेणः कनकाङ्गदी।mahāvarāhō gōvindaḥ suṣēṇaḥ kanakāṅgadī|
गुह्यो गभीरो गहनो गुप्तश्चक्रगदाधरः॥ ५८ ॥guhyō gabhīrō gahanō guptaścakragadādharaḥ|| 58 ||
545महावराहःmahāvarāhaḥ
the Great Boar
When the earth lay sunk in the waters, the tradition tells that He took the form of a mighty boar, lifted her on His tusk and set her again in her place.
ओं महावराहाय नमःōṃ mahāvarāhāya namaḥ
Points to Varāha
546गोविन्दःgōvindaḥ
He who found the earth
Go is the earth and vinda one who finds: He sought out the earth in the waters and raised her, and so the name follows the Boar. Go means also the cow and the word, so the name tells as well of the cattle He tends and the speech by which He is known.
ओं गोविन्दाय नमःōṃ gōvindāya namaḥ
547सुषेणःsuṣēṇaḥ
Lord of the splendid host
Sēnā is an army: His host is splendid, led by Viṣvaksēna and made up of the eternal attendants who do His bidding.
ओं सुषेणाय नमःōṃ suṣēṇāya namaḥ
548कनकाङ्गदीkanakāṅgadī
Wearer of golden armlets
Gold armlets shine on His arms, ornaments fit for the strong arms that protect the world.
ओं कनकाङ्गदिने नमःōṃ kanakāṅgadinē namaḥ
549गुह्यःguhyaḥ
the Hidden One
He dwells hidden in the cave of the heart and is beyond the reach of eye and mind; He is the secret of the Upaniṣads, shown to the one whom He chooses.
ओं गुह्याय नमःōṃ guhyāya namaḥ
550गभीरःgabhīraḥ
the Unfathomable
Like the deep ocean, His nature has no bottom: none can measure His wisdom, His power or His mercy, and nothing disturbs the stillness of it.
ओं गभीराय नमःōṃ gabhīrāya namaḥ
551गहनःgahanaḥ
the Impenetrable One
As a thick forest cannot be entered, so His ways of working, and His purposes in making and ruling, cannot be traced by the cleverest mind.
ओं गहनाय नमःōṃ gahanāya namaḥ
552गुप्तःguptaḥ
the One veiled by His own power
He covers Himself with His own wonderful power, māyā, so that those who do not seek Him do not see Him, and shows Himself to those who love Him.
ओं गुप्ताय नमःōṃ guptāya namaḥ
553चक्रगदाधरःcakragadādharaḥ
Bearer of discus and mace
In His hands He bears the discus Sudarśana and the mace Kaumōdakī, with which He guards His own and breaks what stands against them.
ओं चक्रगदाधराय नमःōṃ cakragadādharāya namaḥ
Points to Sudarśana, the discus, Kaumōdakī, the mace
He is the Great Boar who raised the earth, and Gōvinda, who found her; He is the Lord of the splendid host and the wearer of golden armlets. He is the Hidden One, the Unfathomable and the Impenetrable, veiled by His own power; and yet in His hands He bears the discus and the mace.
Bhāvam
Four names of hiddenness stand together here: guhya, gabhīra, gahana and gupta. The Lord cannot be reached by those who trust their own strength, and the śloka ends on the weapons in His hands, as though to say that He who hides is also the One who stands ready to guard.
In this verseVarāhaKṛṣṇaSudarśana, the discusKaumōdakī, the mace
वेधाः स्वाङ्गोऽजितः कृष्णो दृढः सङ्कर्षणोऽच्युतः।vēdhāḥ svāṅgō’jitaḥ kṛṣṇō dṛḍhaḥ saṅkarṣaṇō’cyutaḥ|
वरुणो वारुणो वृक्षः पुष्कराक्षो महामनाः॥ ५९ ॥varuṇō vāruṇō vṛkṣaḥ puṣkarākṣō mahāmanāḥ|| 59 ||
554वेधाःvēdhāḥ
the Maker who orders all
From vidh, to arrange or to make: He creates the worlds and sets each thing in its place, so that the whole runs in order.
ओं वेधसे नमःōṃ vēdhasē namaḥ
555स्वाङ्गःsvāṅgaḥ
He who needs no instrument but Himself
Aṅga is a limb or a means: in making the worlds He needs no help or tool beyond Himself, and all that is stands as His own body.
ओं स्वाङ्गाय नमःōṃ svāṅgāya namaḥ
556अजितःajitaḥ
the Unconquered
No power in all the worlds can overcome Him; only the love of His own conquers Him, and that He gladly allows.
ओं अजिताय नमःōṃ ajitāya namaḥ
557कृष्णःkṛṣṇaḥ
the Dark One, being and bliss as one
Kṛṣ is the word for being and ṇa for bliss, and the name joins the two: He is existence and joy as one. It is also the name of the Lord as the friend and charioteer of Arjuna, whose dark and gracious form made that joy something the eye could see.
ओं कृष्णाय नमःōṃ kṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Points to Kṛṣṇa
558दृढःdṛḍhaḥ
the Firm and Unshaken
His strength, His purpose and His promise never waver: the one who rests on Him rests on what cannot give way.
ओं दृढाय नमःōṃ dṛḍhāya namaḥ
559सङ्कर्षणःsaṅkarṣaṇaḥ
He who draws all together
From sam and kṛṣ, to draw together: at the world's end He gathers all into Himself. It is also the name of the second of the Lord's four forms, and Balarāma, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, is held to be His descent.
ओं सङ्कर्षणाय नमःōṃ saṅkarṣaṇāya namaḥ
Points to Saṅkarṣaṇa, Balarāma
560अच्युतःacyutaḥ
the Unfailing One
Cyuta is one who has fallen or slipped, and He is the One who never does. Creatures rise and decline, and even the gods fall from their high places when their merit is spent; He alone is without any fall, and every steady thing stands by His steadiness.
ओं अच्युताय नमःōṃ acyutāya namaḥ
561वरुणःvaruṇaḥ
He who encloses all
From vṛ, to cover or enclose: He holds all things within Himself, and nothing lies outside Him.
ओं वरुणाय नमःōṃ varuṇāya namaḥ
Points to Varuṇa
562वारुणःvāruṇaḥ
the Self within Varuṇa's son
The word means one who is born of Varuṇa; the Lord is the inner Self of the one so born, and whatever greatness he has is His.
ओं वारुणाय नमःōṃ vāruṇāya namaḥ
Points to Varuṇa
563वृक्षःvṛkṣaḥ
the Tree that shelters
He stands unmoved like a great tree, rooted in Himself, and gives shade and fruit to all who come to rest beneath Him. The Upaniṣad speaks of Him as standing like a tree, still, in the heaven that is His own.
ओं वृक्षाय नमःōṃ vṛkṣāya namaḥ
564पुष्कराक्षःpuṣkarākṣaḥ
the Lotus-eyed, seen in the heart
His eyes are as wide and tender as lotus petals. The name is understood also of the One whom the devout behold in the lotus of the heart.
ओं पुष्कराक्षाय नमःōṃ puṣkarākṣāya namaḥ
565महामनाःmahāmanāḥ
the Great-minded and Generous
His heart is vast: He gives without reckoning what the receiver deserves. By a mere thought of His mind the worlds are made, kept and drawn in.
ओं महामनसे नमःōṃ mahāmanasē namaḥ
He is the Maker who orders all and needs no instrument but Himself; He is the Unconquered, and Kṛṣṇa, being and bliss as one, and the Firm who never wavers. He is Saṅkarṣaṇa, who draws all together, and Acyuta, who never falls. He encloses all, and is the Self within Varuṇa's son; He is the Tree that shelters, the Lotus-eyed, and the Great-minded.
Bhāvam
The śloka sets the Maker who needs no help beside Kṛṣṇa, in whom being and bliss are one, and ends with the shade-giving tree and the lotus eyes. The Lord who orders the whole world is also the One who shelters and looks kindly on those who come to Him.
In this verseSaṅkarṣaṇaKṛṣṇaBalarāmaVaruṇa
भगवान् भगहा नन्दी वनमाली हलायुधः।bhagavān bhagahā nandī vanamālī halāyudhaḥ|
आदित्यो ज्योतिरादित्यः सहिष्णुर्गतिसत्तमः॥ ६० ॥ādityō jyōtirādityaḥ sahiṣṇurgatisattamaḥ|| 60 ||
566भगवान्bhagavān
Full in the six great qualities
He possesses bhaga, the six qualities of knowledge, strength, lordship, valour, power and splendour, each in full measure; it is the worshipper's own word for the Lord Himself.
ओं भगवते नमःōṃ bhagavatē namaḥ
567भगहाbhagahā
He who takes back all lent glory
At the end of an age the lordship and glory that creatures had held for a while return to Him who gave them; all that was lent is taken back.
ओं भगघ्ने नमःōṃ bhagaghnē namaḥ
569वनमालीvanamālī
Wearer of the forest garland
A long garland of woodland flowers, the Vaijayantī, hangs from His neck down to His feet, fragrant with the flowers of the forest.
ओं वनमालिने नमःōṃ vanamālinē namaḥ
Points to Kṛṣṇa, Vanamālā, the garland
570हलायुधःhalāyudhaḥ
He whose weapon is the plough
Hala is the plough: as Balarāma, the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa, He took the plough as His weapon.
ओं हलायुधाय नमःōṃ halāyudhāya namaḥ
Points to Balarāma
572ज्योतिरादित्यःjyōtirādityaḥ
the Light within the Sun
He is the radiance by which the sun shines: the golden Person seen within the sun's disc, the Upaniṣad says, is He.
ओं ज्योतिरादित्याय नमःōṃ jyōtirādityāya namaḥ
Points to Nara and Nārāyaṇa, Sūrya, the Sun
573सहिष्णुःsahiṣṇuḥ
the Patient and the Victorious
Sah is to bear and to overcome. The weight of the worlds rests on Him and never wearies Him; He waits through birth after birth for the soul that has turned away, and when it turns back He overcomes whatever stands between it and Him.
ओं सहिष्णवे नमःōṃ sahiṣṇavē namaḥ
Points to Nara and Nārāyaṇa
574गतिसत्तमःgatisattamaḥ
Best of goals for the good
Gati is the way, the goal and the refuge: to those who are good, and to all who seek, no goal is higher and no refuge safer than He.
ओं गतिसत्तमाय नमःōṃ gatisattamāya namaḥ
Points to Nara and Nārāyaṇa
He is Bhagavān, full in the six great qualities, and the One who at last takes back all the glory He lent; He rejoices, and gladdens those who love Him. He wears the garland of the forest and bears the plough as His weapon; He is Āditya, born of Aditi, and the light within the sun. He is patient and victorious, and for all who are good He is the best of goals.
Bhāvam
From the fullness of bhagavān the śloka passes to the garland and the plough of His descents and to the light of the sun, and ends in the word gatisattamaḥ: whatever else He is, He is the goal. Even the patience named just before it serves that goal, for He bears with us until we arrive.
In this verseVāmanaKṛṣṇaBalarāmaNara and NārāyaṇaVanamālā, the garlandSūrya, the SunKaśyapaAditiDēvakīNanda
सुधन्वा खण्डपरशुर्दारुणो द्रविणप्रदः।sudhanvā khaṇḍaparaśurdāruṇō draviṇapradaḥ|
दिविस्पृक्सर्वदृग्व्यासो वाचस्पतिरयोनिजः॥ ६१ ॥divispṛksarvadṛgvyāsō vācaspatirayōnijaḥ|| 61 ||
575सुधन्वाsudhanvā
Wielder of the noble bow
Su is fine and dhanus a bow: He bears the great bow Śārṅga, from which He sends His arrows against the enemies of dharma.
ओं सुधन्वने नमःōṃ sudhanvanē namaḥ
Points to Nara and Nārāyaṇa, Śārṅga, the bow
576खण्डपरशुःkhaṇḍaparaśuḥ
Wielder of the cutting axe
Khaṇḍa is to break or cut and paraśu an axe: His axe splits what stands against dharma. The tradition recalls Paraśurāma, who bore it.
ओं खण्डपराशवे नमःōṃ khaṇḍaparāśavē namaḥ
Points to Paraśurāma, Nara and Nārāyaṇa
577दारुणःdāruṇaḥ
the Terrible to the unjust
To those who break dharma and trouble the good He is stern and fearful; the same hand that guards the good is hard on those who harm them.
ओं दारुणाय नमःōṃ dāruṇāya namaḥ
578द्रविणप्रदःdraviṇapradaḥ
Giver of wealth
He gives wealth to those who ask it, and to those who ask for nothing but Him He gives Himself, the wealth that does not pass.
ओं द्रविणप्रदाय नमःōṃ draviṇapradāya namaḥ
579दिविस्पृक्divispṛk
He who touches the heavens
His glory reaches up to the sky and beyond: no height is above Him, and in His vast form His head touches the heavens.
ओं दिविस्पृशे नमःōṃ divispṛśē namaḥ
580सर्वदृक्sarvadṛk
the All-seeing
He sees all that is, near and far, past and present, and nothing is hidden from Him; whatever any creature sees, it sees by the power of His sight.
ओं सर्वदृशे नमःōṃ sarvadṛśē namaḥ
581व्यासःvyāsaḥ
Vyāsa, who divided the Vēda
Vyāsa is the one who spreads out and arranges: as the sage Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, whom the tradition holds to be the Lord's own descent, He divided the one Vēda into four and gave the Mahābhārata to the world.
ओं व्यासाय नमःōṃ vyāsāya namaḥ
Points to Vyāsa
582वाचस्पतिःvācaspatiḥ
Lord of speech
Every word that is spoken comes from Him, and every word at last speaks of Him; yet words turn back, unable to measure Him.
ओं वाचस्पतये नमःōṃ vācaspatayē namaḥ
Points to Vyāsa
583अयोनिजःayōnijaḥ
He who is not born of a womb
Yōni is the womb and also the source: He comes from no source beyond Himself. When He appears among us He is not pulled into a body by karma; as Narasiṃha He came forth from a pillar by His own will.
ओं अयोनिजाय नमःōṃ ayōnijāya namaḥ
Points to Vyāsa
He bears the noble bow Śārṅga and the axe that cuts down the unjust; He is terrible to those who break dharma, and the giver of wealth to those who ask. He touches the heavens, He sees all, He is Vyāsa, who arranged the Vēda, and the Lord of speech, and He is born of no womb.
Bhāvam
The śloka begins with the bow and axe in His hands and ends with the Vēda in His speech. He guards the world by both: by arms against those who break dharma, and by the word for those who seek it.
In this verseParaśurāmaNara and NārāyaṇaŚārṅga, the bowVyāsa
त्रिसामा सामगः साम निर्वाणं भेषजं भिषक्।trisāmā sāmagaḥ sāma nirvāṇaṃ bhēṣajaṃ bhiṣak|
सन्न्यासकृच्छमः शान्तो निष्ठा शान्तिः परायणम्॥ ६२ ॥sannyāsakṛcchamaḥ śāntō niṣṭhā śāntiḥ parāyaṇam|| 62 ||
584त्रिसामाtrisāmā
Praised in the threefold Sāma chants
The Sāma Vēda sings of Him in three chants; whoever sings them sings of Him.
ओं त्रिसाम्ने नमःōṃ trisāmnē namaḥ
585सामगःsāmagaḥ
the Singer of the Sāma
He is the singer of the Sāma as well as the One to whom it is sung; the sweetness of the chant is His own.
ओं सामगाय नमःōṃ sāmagāya namaḥ
586सामsāma
the Sāma itself
He is the Sāma Vēda itself, the Vēda of song. The word means also gentleness, which is His way with those who come to Him.
ओं साम्ने नमःōṃ sāmnē namaḥ
587निर्वाणम्nirvāṇam
Liberation, the peace beyond sorrow
Nirvāṇa is the quenching of the fire of sorrow and rebirth; He is the freedom of the soul and the peace in which it rests, not the ending of the self but its coming home to Him.
ओं निर्वाणाय नमःōṃ nirvāṇāya namaḥ
588भेषजम्bhēṣajam
the Medicine
The sickness of birth and death, with all its pain, is cured by Him; He is Himself the remedy, so that no other medicine is needed.
ओं भेषजाय नमःōṃ bhēṣajāya namaḥ
589भिषक्bhiṣak
the Physician
He knows the disease and its cause as no one else can, and treats the soul with a hand both skilful and kind.
ओं भिषजे नमःōṃ bhiṣajē namaḥ
590सन्न्यासकृत्sannyāsakṛt
He who establishes renunciation
Sannyāsa is the giving up of all clinging, of what is not ours and of the sense that 'I do it'. He has made it a way to freedom, and gives the fruit of it, which is Himself.
ओं सन्न्यासकृते नमःōṃ sannyāsakṛtē namaḥ
591शमःśamaḥ
Calm, who stills the restless mind
Śama is the stilling of the mind and senses; He brings that calm to those who turn to Him, and is Himself never disturbed.
ओं शमाय नमःōṃ śamāya namaḥ
592शान्तःśāntaḥ
the Peaceful One
No desire, anger or fear stirs in Him; His own peace is complete, and those who come near it are quieted.
ओं शान्ताय नमःōṃ śāntāya namaḥ
593निष्ठाniṣṭhā
the final resting-place of all
Niṣṭhā is the ground on which a thing stands firm, and the end where it comes to rest. All beings come to rest in Him at the end, and the mind of the devotee finds in Him its firm footing.
ओं निष्ठायै नमःōṃ niṣṭhāyai namaḥ
594शान्तिःśāntiḥ
Peace itself
Peace itself, the state in which every trouble has ended; it is found nowhere but in Him.
ओं शान्तये नमःōṃ śāntayē namaḥ
595परायणम्parāyaṇam
the final goal and refuge
Para is supreme and ayana a going or a resort: He is the highest place to which all paths lead, and the safest shelter for those who go to Him.
ओं परायणाय नमःōṃ parāyaṇāya namaḥ
The Sāma Vēda sings of Him in three chants; He is the Singer of the Sāma and the Sāma itself. He is liberation, the medicine and the Physician, and He sets forth renunciation as a way to freedom. He is calm and peaceful, the last resting-place and peace itself, and the supreme goal and refuge.
Bhāvam
The śloka moves from music to medicine to rest: first the songs of the Sāma, then the healing of the soul's fever, then the peace in which that healing ends. The last names, calm, resting-place, peace and refuge, are all one thing, for He Himself is where the journey ends.
शुभाङ्गः शान्तिदः स्रष्टा कुमुदः कुवलेशयः।śubhāṅgaḥ śāntidaḥ sraṣṭā kumudaḥ kuvalēśayaḥ|
गोहितो गोपतिर्गोप्ता वृषभाक्षो वृषप्रियः॥ ६३ ॥gōhitō gōpatirgōptā vṛṣabhākṣō vṛṣapriyaḥ|| 63 ||
596शुभाङ्गःśubhāṅgaḥ
He of the auspicious form
Śubha is auspicious and aṅga a limb: every limb of His form is lovely and brings good to the eye that rests on it, from the crown to the lotus feet.
ओं शुभाङ्गाय नमःōṃ śubhāṅgāya namaḥ
597शान्तिदःśāntidaḥ
Giver of peace
He grants peace to the troubled; those who come to Him with a restless mind go away quieted.
ओं शान्तिदाय नमःōṃ śāntidāya namaḥ
598स्रष्टाsraṣṭā
the Creator
From sṛj, to send forth: at the start of each cycle He sends forth the worlds and the beings who live in them, each according to its past.
ओं स्रष्ट्रे नमःōṃ sraṣṭrē namaḥ
Points to Brahmā
599कुमुदःkumudaḥ
He who gladdens the earth
Ku is the earth and mud to rejoice: the earth and her creatures are gladdened when He comes among them.
ओं कुमुदाय नमःōṃ kumudāya namaḥ
600कुवलेशयःkuvalēśayaḥ
He who rests on the waters
He rests on the waters of the great ocean, on the couch of Ādiśēṣa, with Śrī beside Him.
ओं कुवलेशाय नमःōṃ kuvalēśāya namaḥ
601गोहितःgōhitaḥ
Benefactor of the cows
As the boy of Gōkula He tended the cattle with love; and as the Lord of all He does good to the earth and to those who live on her.
ओं गोहिताय नमःōṃ gōhitāya namaḥ
602गोपतिःgōpatiḥ
Master of the senses and the herds
Go means also the senses: He is their master, and teaches the one who surrenders to Him to turn them toward Him. He is lord, too, of the cattle and the cowherds of Gōkula.
ओं गोपतये नमःōṃ gōpatayē namaḥ
603गोप्ताgōptā
the Guardian of all
From gup, to guard: as the cowherd Kṛṣṇa He lifted the hill Gōvardhana to shelter the cattle and people of Gōkula from the storm, and He guards in the same way every soul that takes refuge in Him.
ओं गोप्त्रे नमःōṃ gōptrē namaḥ
604वृषभाक्षःvṛṣabhākṣaḥ
He whose eyes rain grace
Vṛṣ is to shower, and akṣa the eye: the glance of His eyes rains grace and fulfils the wishes of those on whom it falls.
ओं वृषभाक्षाय नमःōṃ vṛṣabhākṣāya namaḥ
605वृषप्रियःvṛṣapriyaḥ
Lover of dharma
Vṛṣa is dharma, and He loves it; those who live by it are dear to Him, and He gives it His protection.
ओं वृषप्रियाय नमःōṃ vṛṣapriyāya namaḥ
He is the Auspicious of form, the Giver of peace, the Creator, who gladdens the earth. He rests on the waters; He is the benefactor of the cows, the master of the senses and the herds, and the guardian of all. His glance rains grace, and dharma is dear to Him.
Bhāvam
The śloka moves from beauty and peace to making and gladdening, and then to three names that begin with go: friend, lord and guardian. They are the cowherd's own titles, and show the Lord of all taking up the humble care of a herd. It closes on grace and dharma.
In this verseBrahmā
Text: prapatti.com, Śrīmad Āṇḍavan Āśramam edition prepared by Sunder Kidāmbi. Sources.