Naama 226-247: Names that appear in Purusha Suktham

226. sahasramūrdhā · सहस्रमूर्धा

The one who has a thousand heads by virtue of which He has an extensive perception.

(oṃ) sahasramūrdhnē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar explains the three names sahasramūrdhā, sahasrākṣaḥ, and sahasrapāt together. The thousand heads, eyes, and feet stand for all the organs of knowledge and action, and "thousand" means countless. The Lord has infinite capacity to know and to act. The Purusha Suktam begins with this description: "The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet" (sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt).

227. viśvātmā · विश्वात्मा

His attributes have permeated every atom in creation.

(oṃ) viśvātmanē namaḥ

Lord Krishna says in the Gita, "I am the Self, O Gudakesa, seated in the hearts of all beings" (ahamātmā guḍākēśa sarvabhūtāśayasthitaḥ). The true lesson of this name is to see the unity of all beings, who share the same inner self, rather than the differences in their outer appearance.

228. sahasrākṣaḥ · सहस्राक्षः

The one who possesses thousands of eyes and observes our every action with these eyes.

(oṃ) sahasrākṣāya namaḥ

The Gita says, "with eyes, heads, and faces everywhere" (sarvatō'kṣi śirōmukham), and the Taittiriya Aranyaka says, "with eyes everywhere, faces everywhere, arms everywhere, and feet everywhere" (viśvataścakṣuruta viśvatōmukhō viśvatōbāhuruta viśvataspāt).

229. sahasrapāt · सहस्रपात्

The one who possesses thousands of legs and hence has the ability to follow us everywhere we go.

(oṃ) sahasrapadē namaḥ

Arjuna describes the Lord's cosmic form in the Gita as "with countless mouths and eyes, and many wonderful sights" (anēka vaktra nayanam anēkādbhuta darśanam). With feet everywhere, there is no place He cannot reach to help His devotee.

आवर्तनो निवृत्तात्मा संवृतस्संप्रमर्दनः ।

अहस्संवर्तको वह्निरनिलो धरणीधरः ॥ २५ ॥

āvartanō nivṛttātmā saṃvṛtassaṃpramardanaḥ |

ahassaṃvartakō vahniranilō dharaṇīdharaḥ || 25 ||

230. āvartanaḥ · आवर्तनः

He who can change the course of the samsaric cycle of any being just by being willing to do so.

(oṃ) āvartanāya namaḥ

The name means "the one whose nature is to turn the wheel of samsara" (saṃsāra cakram āvartayituṃ śīlam asya). Day and night, life and death, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction all turn by His will. Lord Krishna says in the Gita that those who take refuge in Him alone cross over this māyā (māmēva yē prapadyantē māyām ētāṃ taranti tē).

231. nivṛttātmā · निवृत्तात्मा

The one who, even when he is born into this world, is different from each and every one of us.

(oṃ) nivṛttātmanē namaḥ

This is one of the two names that occur four times in Sri Bhattar's reading (here, and as the 453rd, 604th, and 780th naamas). Each time, he gives it a different meaning according to its context. Here, Sri Bhattar quotes the Purusha Suktam, "With three quarters, the Purusha rose above" (tripādūrdhva udait puruṣaḥ): the Lord's nature rises far above this world, even when He is in it.

232. saṃvṛtaḥ · संवृतः

For those filled with Taamasa Guna, the Lord hides Himself until the Taamasa Guna is wholly relieved and then will show the devotee the right path.

(oṃ) saṃvṛtāya namaḥ

The name comes from the root vṛ, "to cover". The Lord remains hidden from those in whom tamas dominates; only devotion reveals Him. Just as the sun creates the clouds that hide it from us, and yet its own light is untouched by them, our ignorance hides the Lord from us while He remains as radiant as ever. Nammazhwar praises Him as the one who blessed him with knowledge and devotion free from confusion (mayarvaṟa madhinalam aruḷinan).

233. saṃpramardanaḥ · संप्रमर्दनः

The one who relieves us from the attachments of samsara and uplifts us.

(oṃ) saṃpramardanāya namaḥ

The Nirukti summarises Sri Bhattar's explanation: "He is sampramardana because He thoroughly crushes darkness with knowledge" (tamasō vidyayā samyak mardanāt sampramardanaḥ). Sri Sankara explains it as the one who destroys at the time of dissolution through Rudra, Kala (time), and His other powers.

234. ahassaṃvartakaḥ · अहस्संवर्तकः

The one who maintains the day and night cycle.

(oṃ) ahassaṃvartakāya namaḥ

The name means "the one who properly regulates the succession of days" (samyak ahnāṃ pravartanāt). Time, measured by the movement of the sun, divides everything into past, present, and future, and brings about the changes of birth, growth, and decay. Lord Krishna says in the Gita, "The light in the sun that illumines the whole world, know that light to be Mine" (yadādityagataṃ tējō jagadbhāsayatē'khilam).

235. vahniḥ · वह्निः

The one who expands into space to act as a supportive force to worlds.

(oṃ) vahnayē namaḥ

The name comes from the root vah, "to carry". Sri Bhattar explains that the Lord supports the universe in the form of space. The word vahni also means fire, which carries the offerings to the devas. Sri Sankara explains it in this sense (havirvahanāt vahniḥ).

236. anilaḥ · अनिलः

The one who gives emancipation to those who see the Lord as Vaayu.

(oṃ) anilāya namaḥ

The Taittiriya Aranyaka says, "He alone is Agni; He is Vayu" (tadēvāgniḥ tadvāyuḥ). The air gives life to all beings, and the Lord, as the air, is the giver of life. This naama occurs again as the 818th naama, where Sri Bhattar explains it as "the one who needs no urging to help His devotees".

237. dharaṇīdharaḥ · धरणीधरः

The one who bears and supports Mother Earth by his divine will.

(oṃ) dharaṇīdharāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar takes this name one step further: the Lord bears even those who bear others, such as Adisesha and Bhoomi Devi. He quotes the Yajur Veda, "He bore the earth and the heavens" (sa dādhāra pṛthivīṃ dyām utēmām), and the Taittiriya Aranyaka, "You (O Earth) were lifted up by Varaha" (uddhṛtāsi varāhēṇa).

सुप्रसादः प्रसन्नात्मा विश्वसृग्विश्वभुग्विभुः ।

सत्कर्ता सत्कृतस्साधुर्जह्नुर्नारायणो नरः ॥ २६ ॥

suprasādaḥ prasannātmā viśvasṛgviśvabhugvibhuḥ |

satkartā satkṛtassādhurjahnurnārāyaṇō naraḥ || 26 ||

238. suprasādaḥ · सुप्रसादः

The one who grants those who surrender at His lotus feet and seek asylum any boons.

(oṃ) suprasādāya namaḥ

To those who surrender to Him, He gives everything that is good. In fact, He does good even to His enemies, as in the case of Ravana, Sisupala, and Duryodhana, whom He ultimately released. Swami Desikan repeatedly brings this out in the Daya Satakam: even when the Lord punishes, His compassion is at work for the good of the one punished.

239. prasannātmā · प्रसन्नात्मा

He who is clear as to know when to grant which wish to each devotee such that Bhakti is nurtured and fostered in the individual.

(oṃ) prasannātmanē namaḥ

He is of a clear and delightful nature because He has no unfulfilled desires (avāptasarvakāmatvāt), because He is extremely merciful by nature (karuṇārdra svabhāvāt), and because His mind is untouched by rajas and tamas.

240. viśvasṛk · विश्वसृक्

The one who creates all the creatures of the universe while giving them their unique characteristics without deeming anything unnecessary or inauspicious.

(oṃ) viśvasṛjē namaḥ

Out of His compassion, the Lord created the universe without regard for the merits or faults of the beings in it, giving each a body and senses so that it might turn to Him. Sri Sankara reads the name as viśvadhṛk, "the one who supports the universe".

241. viśvabhugvibhuḥ · विश्वभुग्विभुः

He is the one who has his presence everywhere in creation, so he may show up to protect his devotees whenever they require help.

(oṃ) viśvabhugvibhavē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar treats this as one name: "the one who pervades all and protects all" (vyāpya bhunakti pālayati). Sri Sankara reads it as two names, viśvabhuk (the enjoyer or protector of the universe) and vibhuḥ (the all-pervading). The Lord protects the universe both when it is manifest and when it is withdrawn into Him at dissolution.

242. satkartā · सत्कर्ता

He who worships those with a very simple lifestyle and who believes that knowledge is the only attractive factor. In contrast, all other material aspects of the world are seen to be null and void.

(oṃ) satkartrē namaḥ

Sri Rama was known as "the one who honours those who honour Him" (sajjana pratipūjakaḥ). The Ramayana describes Him as "the one who serves the learned, the elders, and the brahmins" (bahuśrutānāṃ vṛddhānāṃ brāhmaṇānām upāsitā). As soon as He met Hanuman, Rama praised him to Lakshmana for his speech and learning.

243. satkṛtaḥ · सत्कृतः

The one who accepts even the most minor offerings from a devotee and views it as something extraordinary.

(oṃ) satkṛtāya namaḥ

The Nirukti summarises Sri Bhattar's explanation: "He who is worshipped by the good, through archana and other forms of worship, is called satkṛtaḥ" (arcādibhiḥ sajjanaiḥ yaḥ pūjitaḥ satkṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ). When those who worship Him alone make an offering, however small, He receives what is offered at His feet as if on His head, as something worthy of His supreme status.

244. sādhuḥ · साधुः

The one who carries out whatever His devotees ask of Him.

(oṃ) sādhavē namaḥ

Even though Lord Krishna was a king Himself, He did not hesitate to go as a messenger to the court of Duryodhana on behalf of the Pandavas, nor did He hesitate to serve as the charioteer of Arjuna. The one who readily takes up even such humble tasks for the sake of His devotees is sādhuḥ.

245. jahnuḥ · जह्नुः

The one who conceals His greatness from those who have no devotion towards Him.

(oṃ) jahnavē namaḥ

In the Udyoga Parva of the Mahabharata, it is said that the discus of Vasudeva worked for the benefit of the Pandavas while remaining invisible to the eyes of others. In the same way, the Lord reveals Himself fully to His devotees but hides His true glory from those who do not seek Him.

246. nārāyaṇaḥ · नारायणः

The one who is the support and the abode of all the hosts of souls, both sentient and insentient.

(oṃ) nārāyaṇāya namaḥ

Until now, Sri Vyasa has described the Lord through His many incarnations and qualities. With this naama, he gives the special name that belongs to Sriman Narayana alone and cannot be used for any other deity. Every Upanishad speaks of this name. The Veda itself explains it: "Whatever object there is in the universe that is seen or heard, Narayana remains pervading all of it, both inside and outside."

Sri Bhattar says that the full meaning of this sacred name should be learnt only by approaching an Acharya. He describes it as a secret meant to be seen by four eyes, the two eyes of the Acharya and the two eyes of the disciple, and he does not wish to add his own two eyes to it. This is a reminder to all of us of the importance of learning at the feet of an Acharya.

247. naraḥ · नरः

The one whose possessions, both sentient and insentient, are imperishable.

(oṃ) narāya namaḥ

This naama explains the name nārāyaṇa in a mystic way. The word nara refers to the one who never perishes, and the hosts of beings (nāra) that belong to Him are also eternal by nature.