Vishnu Sahasranāma | Verses 21-30

Text 21

Lord Kṛṣṇa is effulgent (Mārīca) and He removes the distresses of His devotees (damana).

He appeared as a swan to enlighten Lord Brahmā and the four Kumāras (haṁsa). In His form as Lord Viṣṇu He reclines on Ananta-śeṣa (bhujagottama) and is carried by Garuda (suparṇa).

His beautiful navel is splendid as gold (Hiraṇyanābha).

He appeared before the great devotees worshiping Him with great austerities (sutapāḥ) and His navel is as beautiful as a lotus flower (or He appears before the pure devotees who worship His lotus feet) (Padmanābha).

He is the master and protector of Śiva, Brahmā, and all other living entities (Prajāpati).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa comments that Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in the form of a swan because a swan can discriminate between milk and water, accepting only the milk and rejecting the water when they are mixed together.

Just as the swan discriminates in this way,
the Lord distinguished the actual truth from that which is only illusion.

Text 22

Lord Kṛṣṇa is immortal, and He also frees His devotees from death (amṛtyu).
He sees everything, including the devotional activities of His servants (sarva-dṛk).

He sprinkles the nectar of His merciful glance upon the pure devotees, and he becomes like a ferocious lion to attack the demons (siṁha).

He is the creator of innumerable universes, and He appeared as Lord Rāmacandra, the most expert archer (sandhātā).

In His plan to kill Rāvaṇa and rescue Sītā, He became the ally of Sugrīva (sandhimān). He is the constant friend of Vibhīṣaṇa and all who approach to take shelter of Him (sthira).

He never takes birth in a material body, and he never abandons His friend (ajā). He is merciful (durmarṣaṇa) and also expert at punishing the demons (śāstā).

He is famous (as Lord Rāma, who is very merciful to the devotees, and who is the killer of Rāvaṇa) (viśrutātmā). He is the killer of Rāvaṇa and other demons, who are always inimical to devas and devotees (surārihā).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the Śruti-mantra to explain the name sarva-dṛk. The Śruti explains "yah sarvajñā" (Śrīman Nārāyaṇa is omniscient).

The commentator explains that, beginning with the name sandhātā, the names in this verse refer to the Lord's appearance as Lord Rāmacandra, the son of Mahārāja Daśaratha.

The name ajā is explained by Lord Rāmacandra Himself in the following way:

mitra-bhāvena samprāptam
na tyajeyaṁ kathañcana
dośo yadyapi tasmin syāt
satām etad vigarhitam

sakṛd eva prapanno yas
tavāsmīti ca yācate
abhayam sarvadā tasmai
dadāmy etad vratam mama

"If one becomes My friend, then I shall never leave Him,
and even if His character is very faulty,
I shall not take His faults very seriously.

If one surrenders to Me even once,
and even once says O Lord, from today I am Yours',
I continually protect Him from all dangers
and make Him fearless. This is My vow."

Text 23

Lord Kṛṣṇa empowers the initiating and instructing spiritual masters to benefit the residents of the material world (guru). He is Himself the best of spiritual masters who taught Brahma and other great devotees (gurutama).

He is the shelter and resting place of everything (dhāma).

He is the benefactor of Viśvāmitra and the other saintly devotees, and He is always truthful (satya). His extraordinary prowess is supremely auspicious (satya-parākrama).

He blinks, not recognizing the merit of sinful actions (nimiṣa) and he never blinks in His continual recognition of the auspicious actions of devotional service (animiṣa).

He wears a Vaijayantī garland (sragvī) and He is the protector of Sarasvatī (Vācaspati).

He is generous (udāra-dhī).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains that the Lord's generosity may be seen by the fact that He liberally granted to Guha, Jatāyu, Śabarī, and many others the great treasure of His lotus feet, which is difficult to attain even by becoming the most learned Vedic scholar.

Text 24

Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Matsya-avatāra and rescued the Vedas, which were tied to His horn by the rope of Vāsuki-nāga (agraṇīḥ).

As He pulled Lord Manu and the other sages in a golden boat, Lord Matsya enjoyed pastimes on the waters of the ocean of devastation (grāmaṇīḥ).

Lord Matsya spoke the message of the Vedas and protected the Vedas at the time of devastation (śrīmān-nyāya). He is the leader of all living entities (netā), and He moves about with consummate grace (samīraṇa).

Appearing with uncountable thousands of heads (sahasra-mūrdhā), uncountable thousands of eyes (sahasrākṣa), and uncountable thousands of feet (sahasra-pāt), Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Soul who pervades the entire universe (viśvātmā).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa observes that the first two lines of this verse describe the Lord's universal form, which is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā (13.13):

sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato'kṣi-śiro-mukham |
sarvataḥ śṛutimal loke sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||

"Everywhere are His hands and legs, His eyes and faces, and He hears everything."

Text 25

Lord Kṛṣṇa is Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, who causes the conditioned souls to rotate in the cycle of birth and death (āvartana), although He Himself is full of all spiritual opulences and He resides in the eternal spiritual world, free from any material contact (nivṛttātmā).

He remains always invisible to the conditioned souls who are very eager to attain the tiny happinesses of material existence (saṁvṛta),

and He causes distress to the demons who are opposed to Him, even if they assume the forms of so-called scholars, saintly persons or devas (saṁpratardana).

He is Himself the succession of days (or He speaks very eloquently and sweetly (aha). He is time itself (saṁvartaka), and with part of Himself He carries the weight of the entire universe (vahni).

Supremely independent, at various times He voluntarily descends to this material world for the welfare of the conditioned souls (anila). He is the maintainer of the earth (dharaṇī-dhara).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes the following explanation of the name āvartana from the Śruti-mantra:

tenedam bhramyate brahma-cakram

"Śrīman Nārāyaṇa causes the living entities to rotate in the cycle of birth and death."

The Śruti-mantra gives the following explanation of the name nivṛttātmā:

tri-pād urddhū udaita puruṣaḥ

"The Supreme Person resides in the eternal spiritual world,
which is three-quarters of the entirety of existence."

The Śruti-mantra also gives the following explanation of the name saṁvartaka:

samvartako yaḥ kālaḥ

"Śrīman Nārāyaṇa is manifested as the time-factor."

The Śruti-mantra explains the name dharaṇī-dhara:

sa dadhāra pṛthivīm

Śrīman Nārāyaṇa maintains the earth."

Text 26

Lord Kṛṣṇa is very merciful (suprasāda). His desires are always fulfilled, and His heart and mind are always clear and pure (prasannātmā).

He maintains (viśva-dhṛk) and protects (viśva-bhuk) the multitude of material universes, and He is the all-pervading, all-powerful, unlimited, and fearless Supreme Controller (vibhu).

He is the benefactor of devas, pitas, brāhmaṇas and devotees (sat-kartā) and He is worshiped by them (sat-kṛta). He is the benefactor of all living entities and His eternal spiritual form is free from any touch of matter (sādhu).

He defeats the enemies of His devotees (jahnu), and He is the shelter within whom all living entities rest, as well as the destroyer of ignorance (Nārāyaṇa).

He is the Super-soul who resides in the hearts of all beings (Nara).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains that the names in this verse indicate the Lord's form of a small child resting on a banyan leaf at the time of universal annihilation.

The Lord's feature as Viśva-dhṛk (holder of the universes) is seen when He caused all the universes to exit from His body with His exhaling breath, thus astonishing Mārkandeya Ṛṣi.

The name jahnu (defeater of enemies) may also describe, when, appearing as Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi, the Lord defeated many Apsarās sent by Indra, and when the Lord also defeated Śiva, who was very eager to fight with Him.

The Smṛti-śāstras explain the name Nārāyaṇa:

narāj jātāni tattvāni
narānīti vidur budhāḥ
tasya tāny ayanam pūrvam
tena nārāyāṇaḥ smṛtaḥ

"From Lord Viṣṇu (nara) all the living entities have emanated.
For this reason, the living entities are known as nāra (born from nara).

Because the Lord is the resting place (Ayana)
of the total group of living entities (nāra),
the learned sages call Him Nārāyaṇa."

Text 27

Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental attributes cannot be counted (asaṅkhyeya), His patience is unlimited (aprameyātmā) and His opulences are unlimited (viśiṣṭa).

He gives His devotees great faith in the message of the Vedas, and thus transforms them into the most elevated of peaceful saintly persons (śiṣṭa-kṛt).

Simply by hearing about Him of or remembering Him, all living entities become purified and the entire world becomes an auspicious place (śuci). All His desires are automatically fulfilled (siddhārtha and siddha-saṅkalpa), and it is He who fulfils the desires of all living entities (siddhida).

Simply by remembering Him, the devotees become successful in their devotional activities, and freed from all impediments (siddhi-sādhana).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains the name aprameyātmā (unlimitedly patient), by recounting the pastimes of Nara-Nārāyana Ṛṣi:

The Lord remained undisturbed when the damsels sent by Indra tried to distract Him from His vow of celibacy:

At that time the Lord manifested by His own potency a host of transcendental beautiful girls much more beautiful than the young soldiers of Indra, and thus casually frustrated their attempt to break His vow, and caused them to become very astonished.

Text 28

Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental qualities eclipse the glory of Indra (vṛṣāhī).

Lord Kṛṣṇa illuminates and protects the entire world by teaching the principles of devotional service (vṛṣabha), and He is all-pervading, present in every atom of the cosmic manifestation (Viṣṇu).

He is a jubilant festival for Indra and the best of the yogīs (vṛṣaparvā), and he protects Indra in the same way a mother protects her child (vṛṣodara).

He causes the Prajāpatis to prosper (Vardhana) and He considers even the smallest gift given by His pure devotee to be very great (Vardhamāna).

Although He is present in every corner of the cosmic manifestation, He remains always free from material contact (vivikta). He is like an ocean in which all the rivers of Vedic knowledge converge (Śruti-Sāgara).

Note:

Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa quotes Lord Śiva's explanation of the name Viṣṇu:

vyapya sarvān imān lokān
sthitaḥ sarvatra keśavaḥ
tataś ca Viṣṇu-nāmāsi
viśer dhātoḥ pradarṣanāt

"The verb viṣ means 'to enter'.

Because Lord Keśava is all-pervading and present
in every corner of every planet,
as well as in the hearts of all living beings,
He is therefore known as 'Viṣṇu'."

The name Vardhana begins the list of the names of the Hayagrīva incarnation of the Lord.

Text 29

With His two strong arms, Lord Kṛṣṇa grants fearlessness to the devotees, and also protects the Vedas (subhuja). He cannot be defeated by Madhu, Kaitabha, or any other demon (durdhara).

He is the proper object of eloquent prayers, and He is Himself supremely eloquent (vāgmī). He is the supreme monarch, who possesses all opulences (mahendra).

He defeats the demons, gives shelter to the living entities, and grants the nectarean mellows of love of God to the pure devotees (vasuda). He appears before them who understand His transcendental glories, and thus He becomes their only wealth (Vāsu).

He appears in many different forms to satisfy the desires of His devotees (naika-rūpa). His transcendental from is larger than everything (bṛhad-rūpa).

He enters the waters of devastation, and causes the inundation at the end of the universe (śipi-viṣṭa). He is the original cause of the cosmic manifestation (or he rescued the Vedas from the demons Madhu and Kaitabha) (prakāśana.)

Text 30

Lord Kṛṣṇa is supremely powerful (ojas and tejas) and He is handsome and effulgent (dhyuti-dhara).

He personally appears before His pure devotees (prakāśātmā), and He troubles the demons (pratāpana). He is full of all transcendental opulences (ṛddha).

He teaches the message of the Vedas (spaṣṭākṣara), and He reveals the truth of His confidential pastimes to the most exalted and intimate devotees (mantra).

He is splendid as the moon (candrāṁśu). He is effulgent and He defeated the demons Madhu and Kaitabha with His supreme power (bhāskara-dyuti).