Naama 684-689: The Lord who loves to be praised

स्तव्यः स्तवप्रियः स्तोत्रं स्तुतः स्तोता रणप्रियः ।

पूर्णः पूरयिता पुण्यः पुण्यकीर्तिरनामयः ॥ ७३ ॥

stavyaḥ stavapriyaḥ stōtraṃ stutaḥ stōtā raṇapriyaḥ |

pūrṇaḥ pūrayitā puṇyaḥ puṇyakīrtiranāmayaḥ || 73 ||

684. stavyaḥ · स्तव्यः

The one who alone is worthy of praise, because only Lord Vishnu is endowed with countless auspicious qualities that are eternal, boundless, and flawless.

(oṃ) stavyāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes, "If a person praised the Creator of the universe with the same eagerness with which one praises a rich man in the hope of getting wealth, who would not be released from bondage?" Praising Him leads to release from the bondage of samsara. This is the very message of Bhishma to Yudhishthira in the prologue.

685. stavapriyaḥ · स्तवप्रियः

The one who is pleased by praise in whatever form it is offered.

(oṃ) stavapriyāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar's words are remarkable. He says that the Lord accepts as praise whatever is said about Him, in whatever manner, in whatever language, by whoever says it, whether it glorifies Him or even belittles Him. He gives the example of Ghantakarna, who did not like to hear even the name of Vishnu, yet was blessed by the Lord. Nammazhwar wonders at his own good fortune: "I called Him 'my dark gem who holds the discus in His hand' only falsely, with outward show, yet I have attained the truth.

Who can stop this destiny now?" Even if we do not fully mean our praise, the Lord accepts it in order to help us reach Him.

686. stōtram · स्तोत्रम्

The one who is the very cause of the praise offered to Him, because it is only by His grace that a devotee can praise Him.

(oṃ) stōtrāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar gives the example of the child Dhruva. When the Lord appeared before him, Dhruva was spellbound and could not utter a single word. Then the Lord gently touched Dhruva's cheek with His conch, and immediately words of praise began to flow from the child's mouth.

687. stutaḥ · स्तुतः

The one who is praised by all, by Adisesha with his thousand hoods, by Garuda, who is the embodiment of the Vedas, by Brahma and the other devas, and by humans like ourselves, for the fulfilment of their desires.

(oṃ) stutāya namaḥ

The Purusha Suktam says, "Brahma, the creator, praised Him first; then Indra, who knew Him well, praised Him, and so did the beings in the four directions." Thus, the previous naama says that He is the means of His praise, and this naama says that He is its object.

688. stōtā · स्तोता

The one whose nature is to praise those who praise Him.

(oṃ) stōtrē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Vishnu Dharma: "One who praises Him becomes worthy of praise, and one who bows to Him becomes worthy of being bowed to" (yam stuvan stavyatāmēti vandamānaśca vandyatām). He gives the example of Lord Krishna's journey to Kailasa, where He praised Siva with a hymn, because Siva constantly meditates on Him.

689. raṇapriyaḥ · रणप्रियः

The one who delights in battle for the sake of His devotees.

(oṃ) raṇapriyāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes Valmiki in the Yuddha Kandam: "Having killed Ravana in battle, Raghava was pleased and fulfilled the desires of Sugriva and the mighty Angada." The Lord fights only to protect His devotees, and so the battle itself becomes a source of joy for Him.

690. pūrṇaḥ · पूर्णः

The one who is complete, for He has all His desires fulfilled and has nothing more to wish for.

(oṃ) pūrṇāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar notes that this is why it is so easy to please Him with just words of praise, without any expense, physical strain, or elaborate ritual. Since He lacks nothing, all He seeks from us is our love. Nammazhwar describes Him as "the one who owns all the worlds and stands as the worlds themselves."

691. pūrayitā · पूरयिता

The one who fulfils the desire of His devotees to praise Him.

(oṃ) pūrayitrē namaḥ

Even though He is complete (pūrṇa) and needs nothing, He becomes the one who loves praise (stavapriya) for the sake of His devotees, because their only wish is to serve Him and please Him with their praise. In this way, He fulfils their desire.

692. puṇyaḥ · पुण्यः

The one who purifies even the worst of sinners and makes them fit to sing His praise.

(oṃ) puṇyāya namaḥ

This naama occurs again as the 925th naama, where Sri Bhattar explains that by merely contemplating His glory in helping His devotees, we become pure.

693. puṇyakīrtiḥ · पुण्यकीर्तिः

The one whose glory, when sung by His devotees, purifies them.

(oṃ) puṇyakīrtayē namaḥ

The Vishnu Purana says, "O Maitreya! Just as fire purifies metals, the recitation of the names of the Lord, which is unequalled in greatness, destroys all the sins of a person" (nāma saṅkīrtanam puṃsām vilāyanam anuttamam | maitrēya aśēṣa pāpānām dhātūnāmiva pāvakaḥ ||). It also says that when the name of the Lord is uttered, even helplessly, a person is at once released from all sins, just as deer flee in fright from a lion. This is why the chanting of the Sahasranamam itself is so powerful.

694. anāmayaḥ · अनामयः

The one who is the enemy of the worst disease of all, the great disease of samsara, which stands in the way of enjoying His glory.

(oṃ) anāmayāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Chandogya Upanishad, which says that those who have realised the Lord do not see death, disease, or sorrow. Once the disease of samsara is cured, the jeevaathma enjoys the Lord forever.

मनोजवस्तीर्थकरो वसुरेता वसुप्रदः ।

वसुप्रदो वासुदेवो वसुर्वसुमना हविः ॥ ७४ ॥

manōjavastīrthakarō vasurētā vasupradaḥ |

vasupradō vāsudēvō vasurvasumanā haviḥ || 74 ||

695. manōjavaḥ · मनोजवः

The one who is faster than thought itself in doing all that has been described so far to purify His devotees.

(oṃ) manōjavāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Gita: "Very soon, that person becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O Kaunteya, declare it boldly: My devotee never perishes" (kṣipraṃ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvacchāntiṃ nigacchati | kauntēya pratijānīhi na mē bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati ||).

696. tīrthakaraḥ · तीर्थकरः

The one who is the source of the holiness of the Ganga, the Pushkara lake, and other holy waters, which purify those who meditate upon them and recite their names, just as His own name does.

(oṃ) tīrthakarāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar gives two more meanings. He is the founder (kara) of the good doctrines (tīrtha) of the Srutis and the Smritis; as the Mahabharata says, "Yoga, knowledge, Sankhya, crafts, the Vedas, and the shastras all have their origin in Janardana." He is also like a deep and unreachable ocean that makes a series of incarnations, like steps (tīrtha), so that His devotees are able to reach Him.

We may also see Him as the tīrthakara who has given us the great Acharya parampara, starting with Himself and Thaayaar, then Vishvaksena, Nammazhwar, and the Acharyas down to our own Acharya, so that we may reach Him.