Naama 861-870: The Lord who rules over those of rajasic and tamasic nature

धनुर्धरो धनुर्वेदो दण्डो दमयिताऽदमः ।

अपराजितः सर्वसहो नियन्ता नियमो यमः ॥ ९२ ॥

dhanurdharō dhanurvēdō daṇḍō damayitā’damaḥ |

aparājitaḥ sarvasahō niyantā niyamō yamaḥ || 92 ||

861. dhanurdharaḥ · धनुर्धरः

The one who carries His bow, the Saarnga, in order to remove the obstacles in the path of His devotees.

(oṃ) dhanurdharāya namaḥ

As Sri Rama, the Lord is known everywhere as the one with the bow (kōdaṇḍa rāma). Lord Krishna says in the Gita, "Among the wielders of weapons, I am Rama" (rāmaḥ śastrabhṛtām aham).

862. dhanurvēdaḥ · धनुर्वेदः

The one who propounded the science of archery, as an example of His being the source of all that is to be known and learnt.

(oṃ) dhanurvēdāya namaḥ

Sri Rama learnt archery from Sage Vishvamitra, yet He was Himself the source of that knowledge, and the Ramayana describes Him as the foremost master of the science of archery.

863. daṇḍaḥ · दण्डः

The one who upholds the rules of dharma through the kings, who have the responsibility of punishing the wicked and bringing protection and happiness to the world.

(oṃ) daṇḍāya namaḥ

Lord Krishna says in the Gita, "Among those who subdue, I am the rod of punishment" (daṇḍō damayatām asmi).

864. damayitā · दमयिता

The one who, by His very nature, Himself destroys wicked beings like Ravana.

(oṃ) damayitrē namaḥ

When the naama damana: occurred as the 192nd naama, Sri Bhattar explained it as the one who removes the sufferings of His devotees. Here, the same quality of subduing is applied to the enemies of His devotees.

865. adamaḥ · अदमः

The one who cannot be subdued by anyone in any way.

(oṃ) adamāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Mahabharata: "Janardana can reduce the whole universe to ashes by His mind alone, but the whole universe together cannot do anything to Janardana."

866. aparājitaḥ · अपराजितः

The one who cannot be obstructed by anyone, at any time, anywhere, or by any means.

(oṃ) aparājitāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the last verse of the Gita, spoken by Sanjaya: "Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of yoga, and wherever there is Arjuna, the wielder of the bow, there will surely be prosperity, victory, wealth, and justice. This is my conviction" (yatra yōgēśvaraḥ kṛṣṇō yatra pārthō dhanurdharaḥ | tatra śrīr vijayō bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama ||).

867. sarvasahaḥ · सर्वसहः

The one who supports all the other deities.

(oṃ) sarvasahāya namaḥ

868. niyantā · नियन्ता

The one who directs the individuals who worship other deities, guiding them according to the choices they make based on their own tastes.

(oṃ) niyantrē namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the Gita: "Whatever form any devotee seeks to worship with faith, I make that faith of theirs steady" (yō yō yām yām tanum bhaktaḥ śraddhayā arcitum icchati | tasya tasyācalām śraddhām tāmēva vidadhāmyaham ||).

869. niyamaḥ · नियमः

The one in whom the fruits of the worship of other deities, such as birth, lifespan, and enjoyment, are determined.

(oṃ) niyamāya namaḥ

Sri Bhattar quotes the very next verse of the Gita: "Endowed with that faith, he worships that deity, and from it obtains his desires, which in reality are granted by Me alone" (labhatē ca tataḥ kāmān mayaiva vihitān hi tān). When this naama occurred earlier as the 163rd naama, it meant the one who controls even the mighty Mahabali.

870. yamaḥ · यमः

The one who controls even Yama and the other deities who bestow the respective fruits on beings.

(oṃ) yamāya namaḥ

With this naama, Sri Bhattar concludes the section that describes how the Lord presides over those worshippers in whom rajas and tamas are predominant. Even when they worship other deities, it is He who controls the outcome.