Naama 667-675: The Lord as Brahman, the great one

ब्रह्मण्यो ब्रह्मकृद्ब्रह्मा ब्रह्म ब्रह्मविवर्धनः ।

ब्रह्मविद्ब्राह्मणो ब्रह्मी ब्रह्मज्ञो ब्राह्मणप्रियः ॥ ७१ ॥

brahmaṇyō brahmakṛdbrahmā brahma brahmavivardhanaḥ |

brahmavidbrāhmaṇō brahmī brahmajñō brāhmaṇapriyaḥ || 71 ||

667. brahmaṇyaḥ · ब्रह्मण्यः

The one who is beneficial to all the "big" things (brahma), both the sentient and the non-sentient, namely the jeevaathmas and prakruti, because He is the cause of their existence and their enjoyment.

(oṃ) brahmaṇyāya namaḥ

In this group of naamas, Sri Bhattar uses the word brahma in its root sense of "that which is big" or "that which grows". The Gita says, "My womb is the great Brahman (prakṛti); in it I place the seed, and from it all beings are born." The great prakruti and the jeevaathmas are called Brahman because they are big, and the Lord is the one who does good to them.

668. brahmakṛdbrahmā · ब्रह्मकृद्ब्रह्मा

The great one who created Brahma, the creator of the big things, namely the worlds.

(oṃ) brahmakṛdbrahmaṇē namaḥ

Nammazhwar captures this thought: "My Lord created the four-faced Brahma on the lotus so that he could create the devas and all other things" (dēvum epporuḷum paḍaikka pūvil nānmuganaip paḍaitta dēvan emperumān).

669. brahma · ब्रह्म

The Supreme Brahman, who is great Himself and who makes everything else great.

(oṃ) brahmaṇē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the scriptures, "He is called Brahman because He is great and because He makes others great" (bṛhattvāt bṛṃhaṇatvācca brahmēti parikīrtyatē). The Mundaka Upanishad describes Him as "the one who knows all and sees all, whose austerity consists of knowledge." Sri Bhattar emphasises that His greatness lies especially in His unlimited auspicious qualities.

670. brahmavivardhanaḥ · ब्रह्मविवर्धनः

The one who makes tapas (austerity), which includes dharma, grow.

(oṃ) brahmavivardhanāya namaḥ

The Sruti says, "Tapas is Brahman" (tapō brahma). The Lord makes this tapas grow in His devotees. Tapas involves detachment from the objects of sense pleasure; the more one grows in tapas, the more one grows in the enjoyment of the Lord.

671. brahmavit · ब्रह्मवित्

The one who knows the Vedas in their entirety.

(oṃ) brahmavidē namaḥ

The Vedas are endless (anantā vai vēdāḥ), and the Lord is the only one who knows them completely. The Mahabharata says, "The Veda is without beginning and without end. Neither the devas nor the rishis know it fully. Only the Lord, Narayana Himself, the creator, knows it" (anādi nidhanam brahma na dēvā na ṛṣayō viduḥ | ēkas tad vēda bhagavān dhātā nārāyaṇaḥ svayam ||).

672. brāhmaṇaḥ · ब्राह्मणः

The one who teaches and recites the Vedas.

(oṃ) brāhmaṇāya namaḥ

In order to establish the teachings of the Vedas in this world, the Lord took birth as a Brahmin in the family of Atri as Dattatreya, and in other such forms. The duties of a Brahmin are said to be six: performing sacrifices, helping others perform sacrifices, learning the Vedas, teaching the Vedas, giving gifts, and receiving gifts.

673. brahmī · ब्रह्मी

The one who possesses everything that goes by the name of Brahman, both the means of knowledge (the Vedas) and the objects of knowledge (prakruti, the jeevaathmas, and so on).

(oṃ) brahmiṇē namaḥ

674. brahmajñaḥ · ब्रह्मज्ञः

The one who directly perceives the Vedas along with their full meaning.

(oṃ) brahmajñāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar distinguishes this naama from brahmavit (671). brahmavit means that the Lord knows the Vedas to their very end, showing the breadth of His knowledge. brahmajña means that He knows them with all their meaning, showing the depth of His knowledge.

675. brāhmaṇapriyaḥ · ब्राह्मणप्रियः

The one to whom the Brahmins, who are devoted to the Vedas, are extremely dear.

(oṃ) brāhmaṇapriyāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar gives the example of how the Lord treated Sage Bhrigu, who kicked Him on His chest. Instead of being angry, the Lord gently pressed the sage's foot and asked whether it had been hurt. From that day, the Lord bears the mark of Bhrigu's foot on His chest as an ornament. Sri Bhattar quotes the Itihasa Samuccaya, where the Lord says, "Even if a Brahmin beats a person, curses him, or speaks harshly to him, one should bow to that Brahmin, as I did to Bhrigu."