Naama 211-225: Matsya Avataram

गुरुर्गुरुतमो धाम सत्यस्सत्यपराक्रमः ।

निमिषोऽनिमिषस्स्रग्वी वाचस्पतिरुदारधीः ॥ २३ ॥

gururgurutamō dhāma satyassatyaparākramaḥ |

nimiṣō’nimiṣassragvī vācaspatirudāradhīḥ || 23 ||

211. gururgurutamaḥ · गुरुर्गुरुतमः

The one who is the guru to even Lord Brahma.

(oṃ) guravē gurutamāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar treats this as one name, "the guru who is the best of all gurus". The Lord gave the Vedas to Brahma, from whom they came to the rest of the world. The Svetasvatara Upanishad says, "He who created Brahma first and gave him the Vedas" (yō brahmāṇaṃ vidadhāti pūrvaṃ yō vai vēdāṃśca prahiṇōti tasmai). From this name, Sri Bhattar describes the Matsya incarnation.

212. dhāma · धाम

The Lord is personified as the boat that will carry forward the individual who will be reincarnated after Pralayam.

(oṃ) dhāmnē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains that, as Matsya, the Lord was like the helmsman who steered the boat carrying the seeds of all moving and unmoving things through the waters of the deluge. He was the safe shelter (dhāma) for all of them.

213. satyaḥ · सत्यः

The one who protected the knowledgeable people (such as Manu).

(oṃ) satyāya namaḥ

This name occurred earlier as the 107th naama and occurs again as the 873rd naama. Here, Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord was good (satya) to good people like Manu, who sought His help during the deluge.

214. satyaparākramaḥ · सत्यपराक्रमः

The one who mentors a capable disciple without spending much of His energy.

(oṃ) satyaparākramāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord's valiant acts for Manu and the others were true and never in vain. One commentator points out that valour can be used for the good of the world, as by Rama, or to hurt others, as by Ravana. Meditating on the Lord helps us develop the first kind.

215. nimiṣaḥ · निमिषः

The one who is so magnanimous that He even blesses the enemies of His devotees.

(oṃ) nimiṣāya namaḥ

The name means "the one who does not look" (na īkṣatē). Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord's gracious glance does not fall on those who are opposed to Him or His devotees. Sri Sankara explains that His eyes are closed in yoga nidra.

216. animiṣaḥ · अनिमिषः

The one who is constantly blessing His devotees.

(oṃ) animiṣāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains this in the context of the Matsya incarnation. A fish has no eyelids and never closes its eyes; so too the Lord is ever watchful over His devotees. Thiruppanazhwar ends the Amalanadipiran by saying that the eyes that have seen his nectar, the Lord of Srirangam, will see nothing else (en amudhinaik kaṇḍa kaṇgaḷ maṟṟonṟinaik kāṇāvē).

217. sragvī · स्रग्वी

Even in Matsya Avataram, He adorns the Vaijayanti Mala, which indicates Parabrahma Swaroopam.

(oṃ) sragviṇē namaḥ

The suffix -vin after sraj (garland) indicates permanent association, so the name means "the one who always wears the garland", the Vaijayanti. One commentator explains that the Vaijayanti is made of five precious gems: pearl, ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond. Sri Sankara explains it as made of the subtle elements of the five great elements.

218. vācaspatiḥ · वाचस्पतिः

In the Matsya Puranam, the Lord gives a detailed account of the Vedas to Manu. The one who is capable of dispensing such profound knowledge, even in the form of Matsya, is known as vācaspatiḥ.

(oṃ) vācaspatayē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord revealed the knowledge of the Vedas through the Matsya Purana. Sri Sankara and others read this name and the next as one name, vācaspatirudāradhīḥ, "the Lord of speech, of noble intellect".

219. udāradhīḥ · उदारधीः

A deep repository of knowledge to whom even experts bow down, accept defeat, and seek asylum.

(oṃ) udāradhiyē namaḥ

The word dhī means intellect, and udāra means generous or noble. He has a noble intellect that grasps all things at all times, and a generous heart towards His devotees. He has a father's kindness that overlooks our faults, unlike the blind and unbending laws of nature.

अग्रणीर्ग्रामणीः श्रीमान् न्यायो नेता समीरणः ।

सहस्रमूर्धा विश्वात्मा सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ॥ २४ ॥

agraṇīrgrāmaṇīḥ śrīmān nyāyō nētā samīraṇaḥ |

sahasramūrdhā viśvātmā sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt || 24 ||

220. agraṇīḥ · अग्रणीः

The one who instils the thought that Paramapadam is the ultimate destination.

(oṃ) agraṇyē namaḥ

The name means "the one who leads forward" (agrē nayati). Sri Sankara and Sri Bhattar both explain that He leads His devotees forward to liberation. One commentator compares people to fish in a river where a fisherman casts his net. The nityasuris are like fish that never fall for the bait; the released souls are like those that have slipped out of the net; and the Lord helps those still caught to escape.

221. grāmaṇīḥ · ग्रामणीः

The one whom the nityasuris eternally serve.

(oṃ) grāmaṇyē namaḥ

The word grāma means a group or collection. Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord leads the hosts of the nityasuris. One commentator gives the example of a person lost in a forest: if they find a group led by someone who knows the way and join it, they too will reach the destination. The Lord is that leader for those who entrust themselves to Him.

222. śrīmān · श्रीमान्

Even in Matsya Avataram, His eyes are like that of freshly bloomed lotus.

(oṃ) śrīmatē namaḥ

This name occurred earlier as the 22nd and 180th naamas. Each time, Sri Bhattar gives it a different meaning according to its context. As the 22nd naama, it described the beauty of Narasimha; as the 180th naama, the beauty of His divine ornaments; and here, in the context of the Matsya incarnation, it describes Him as the one endowed with wealth and beauty, even in the form of a fish.

223. nyāyaḥ · न्यायः

The one who ensures that the path of the devotees is bereft of any problems and makes sure that He is not a problem to the devotees.

(oṃ) nyāyāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord always does what is right for His devotees and ensures that nothing harmful or unwelcome happens to them. Sri Sankara explains that He is the reasoning and contemplation running through all sources of knowledge.

224. nētā · नेता

The one who listens to the problems of his devotees and works to find an effective solution.

(oṃ) nētrē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains the name as "the one who does what He is asked" (niyuktaṃ karōti). Sri Sankara explains it as "the one who runs the machine of the universe" (jagadyantra nirvāhakaḥ). We are all like objects on a turning wheel: we move because the wheel moves, though we imagine that we move by ourselves.

225. samīraṇaḥ · समीरणः

The one whose activities please His devotees.

(oṃ) samīraṇāya namaḥ

The name comes from the root īr, "to move". Sri Bhattar connects this movement to the Matsya incarnation, in which the Lord dived deep into the ocean to retrieve the Vedas from the asura Hayagriva. The Bhagavatam describes how, when the three worlds were sinking into the waters of the deluge, the Lord as Matsya led the boat carrying Manu and the seeds of all life.