sanAt sanAtana-tamaH kapilaH kapir_avyayaH |
svasti-daH sasti-kRt svasti svasti-bhuk svasti-dakshiNaH ||
om sanAte namaH.
om sanAtana-tamAya namaH.
om kapilAya namaH
om kapaye-avayayAya namaH
om svasti-dAya namaH
om svasti-kRte namaH
om svastine namaH
om svasti-bhuje namaH
om svasti-dkashiNAya namaH
897. sanAt –
a) The Object of enjoyment.
b) He Who is in the form of Time.
c) He Who is Eternal, Immutable, and always of the same beautiful Form.
om sanAte namaH.
Two distinct derivations have been used to interpret the nAma. SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root san - dAne - to give, to worship, and gives the definition - sanoti - dadAti svadarSanam bhaktebhya iti sanAt - He Who gives His darSanam to His devotees is sanAt. This is the sense in which Sri BhaTTar seems to interpret the nAma.
SrI vAsishTha interprets the nAma as meaning `SaSvat, nitya' - permanent, eternal. The amara koSa lists the word `sanA' as an indeclinable meaning `perpetually, ever', and gives the definition - `sanA nitye'. The word `sanAtana' is derived from the word sanA.
a) SrI BhaTTar's interpretation is: teshAm sambhajanAt sanAt - Because He confers perfect enjoyment on all the mukta-s equally, He is called sanAt.
b) SrI Sa'nkara gives the meaning `ancient', `of long duration', to the word sanAt - sanAt iti nipAtah cirArtha vacanaH - An indeclinable indicating a great length of time. One of the manifestations of bhagavAn is as Time. He quotes vishNu purANa in support:
parasya brahmaNo rUpam purushaH prathamam dvija |
vyaktAvyakte tathaivAnye rUpe kAlas-tathAparam || (VP 1.2.15)
"The first form of para brahman is purusha. The next two are vykata and avyakta. Another is Time". Just as He is without beginning and without end, Time is also without beginning and without end.
c) SrI vAsishTha gives the description - sanAt nityaH avikAraH ekarasaH ityarthaH - He Who is Eternal, Immutable, and always of the same beautiful Form. He gives references to the Sruti in support:
- sanAt yuvAnamase havAmahe - Rg. 2.16.1 -
sanAdeva sahase jAta ugraH - Rg. 4.20.6 -
A yo mahaH SuraH sanAt anIDaH - Rg. 10.55.6.
d) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - sanam tad- datttam rasa gandhAdi atti iti sanAt - He Who gladly accepts the offerings from His devotees (one of the meanings given by SrI Apte for the word `san' is `to receive graciously').
898. sanAtana-tamaH - The Most Ancient.
om sanAtana-tamAya namaH.
SanA is an indeclinable meaning `nitya' etc., as noted in the previous nAma. The word `sanAtana' is derived by application of the pANini sUtra 4.3.23 (SrI vAsishTha), that says that addition of the pratyaya here to a word having the sense of time (sanA), leads to the sense of `belonging to'. Thus, the term `sanA-tana' has the meaning `belonging to the eternity or ancient times'. With the addition of the `tamap' pratyaya, the meaning for `sanAtana-tama' is "The Most ancient". He was present before anything else was present, and He is present when everything else is destroyed during the pralaya. So He is sanAtana-tamaH.
SrI BhaTTar comments that even though He is ancient (purANa), He is always new, and is always more enjoyable and fresh, as though He is new and not seen before. In bhagavAn's case, He is `purA api navaH purANaH'. This is what is exciting (tama) about His ancient nature - Ageless but new. SrI BhaTTar uses the term `tana' in the nAma to refer to rUpam or form (tanu - SarIram). He remarks: sadA- tanatve'pi tadA-tanatvavat nitya nUtana bhogyaH - Even though He has always had a body (sadA tanatvam), He looks like One who is just new (tadA-tanattvam - One who has just been endowed with a new body), and is enjoyed as though He is new, and this is why He is sanA-tana- tamaH.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN's interpretation supports that of SrI BhaTTar -
sanAtanAnAm muktAnAm ayam atiSayena sanAtana-tamah |
sanAtanve'pi teshAn tadA-tanatvavat pratIya itayarthaH.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan refers us to nammAzhvAr's pASuram, which graphically captures this thought of bhagavAn being ever new for our enjoyment, no matter how many yuga-s pass.
ep-poruLum tAnAi maragatak kunRam okkum
ap-pozhudait tAmaraip-pUk-kaN pAdam kai kamalam
ep-pozhudum nAl ti'ngaL ANDu Uzhi Uzhi torum
ap-pozhudaikkappozhudu en ArA amudamE. (tiruvAi. 2.5.4)
"I am sorry I have to repeat what I have said before. It is because the experience I have is refreshingly new every moment, even if I enjoy it for days, years, ages, and millennia, without my being satiated. The infinite variety, unlike tiring uniform monotony, makes every moment a fresh bliss; it is an experience that is new always. Do not think that my new experience is because I am discovering something new every moment because of my growing intellect. The Lord has given me flawless intellect at the very outset. The experience of the Lord's company is on an entirely different plane. He Who is the inner soul of all, having all things as His aspects, looks like a greenish cool hill of beauty, with eyes, feet, hands, all like lotus flowers that have freshly blossomed at this very moment. He is nectar that is sweeter and sweeter every moment, insatiable and unceasingly enjoyable". (translation from v.n. vedAnta deSikan).
AzhvAr again refers to this ever-new experience of bhagavAn in pASuram 2.6.1:
...............ennuL manni vaigum vaigal tOrum amudAya vAnERE ..... (tiruvAi. 2.6.1)
"O My Lord, You who are the Chief of all gods, is like nectar with which one never gets satiated with every new day that we live through".
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation that "He is the Most Ancient", since He is the cause of all, and older than brahmA and others who are very ancient - sarva kAraNatvAt, viri'ncyAdInAmapi sanAtanAnAm atiSayena sanAtanatvAt sanAtana-tamaH.
SrI vAsishTha gives support from the Sruti:
sanAtanam-enam-Ahur-utAdyaH syAt-punAr-Navah |
aho-rAtre prajAyete anyo anyasya rUpayoH || (atharva. 10.8.23)
"Being ancient, He appears new every moment, even as the day and night reappear fresh repeatedly, one assuming the form of the other".
899. kapilaH - He Who is of beautiful complexion.
Om kapilAya namaH.
We studied the nAma kapilAcArya earlier (535 - Slokam 57). SrI Sa'nkara and Sri BhaTTar have both interpreted the instance of the nAma in Slokam 57 as a reference to bhagavAn's incarnation as kapila, who propounded the sAnkhya system of philosophy. (SrI BhaTTar has interpreted the nAma-s from 529 to 538 in terms of bhagavAn's incarnation as kapila, an amSAvatAra). Both SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar interpret the current instance of the nAma using its generic meaning -
"One Who has a beautiful complexion". Thus the punarukti dosham (fault of redundancy) is avoided.
The roots from which the nAma can be derived are:
kam - kAntau - kAntir-icchA - to desire,
or, kabR - varNe - to color.
Through the application of the uNAdi sUtra 1.55 - kameH paSca, the ma of `kam' or bR of `kabR' is changed to pa, and the affix ilac is added, leading to kapilaH - `One who is tawny (reddish) in color'.
The reader is referred to the write-up for nAma 535 (Slokam 57) for SrI BhaTTar's interpretation of the nAma `kapilAcAryah' in terms of bhagavAn' incarnation as Sage kapila, an amSAvatAra. SrI Sa'nkara gives the following supports for the interpretation:
- Rshim prasUtam kapilam mahAntam (SvetAsvatara upa. 5.2)
- aSvatthaH sarva vRkshANAm dava-RshINAm ca nAradaH |
gandharvANAm citra-rathaH siddhAnAm kapilo muniH || (gItA 10.26)
"Of trees, I am the aSvattha. Of celestial seers, I am nArada. Of the gandharva-s, I am citraratha. Of the perfected, I am kapila". (Lord kRshNa's words).
For the current instance of the nAma kapilaH, SrI BhaTTar gives his interpretation in the generic sense of the term `kapilaH' - "One Who is of beautiful complexion". He enjoys the nAma in terms of bhagavAn's beautiful bluish complexion, with mahA lakshmi represented by `sparkling streaks of lightning - madhyastha nIla toyada vidyul- lekhojjvala varNaH kapilaH - He is of radiant form in the self- luminous SrI vaikunTham, very much like a blue cloud in the midst of sparkling streaks of lightning.
SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as "One Who is tawny in color". He enjoys the nAma as representing the form of bhagavAn in the form the fire inside the ocean that keeps the ocean from overflowing - the baDavAnala fire - the subterranean fire in the ocean, which is called kapila. His interpretation is - baDavAnalasya kapilo varNa iti tad- rUpI kapilaH.
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri describes kapila as referring to a color that is golden with a black tinge.
SrI vAsishTha uses the meaning `Sun' for the word kapi - tawny in color - pi'ngala varNaH (Recall the interpretation of `kapyAsam puNDarIkAksham' by SrI bhagavad rAmAnuja - kam pibati iti kapiH). SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation - kapim = sUryam lAti - Adatte, sarvasya jagataH pravartanAya iti kapi-laH - He Who brings the Sun for the sustenance of everything in this world is kapi-laH.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the meaning `monkey' for the term `kapi', and gives the interpretation - kapIn sugRiva hanumat AdIn lAti sevAyAm iti kapi-laH - He Who got sugrIva, hanuman etc., in the line of service for Him.
900. kapir-avyayaH - He Who enjoys the never-diminishing Bliss.
om kapaye-avyayAya namaH.
Some interpreters treat this as two nAma-s: kapiH and avyayaH or apyayH.
In SrI BhaTTar's pATham, the nAma is kapir-avyayaH. avyayaH means `undiminished'. The word `kam' is used with the meaning `sukham' by SrI BhaTTar. In this interpretation, the term kapiH is explained as "kam pibati, pAti vA kapiH - He Who experiences Bliss, or He Who protects the Bliss of His experience for others. He derives the word kapiH as: kam +pA = ka-piH, using the uNAdi sUtra - `sarva dhAtubhya in' (4.117) to derive `pi' from `pA - to protect or to drink'). He explains the nAma as -
- a) svayamapi tad-anubhava sukha nirvRtim pAti pibati vA kapir- avyayaH -
He protects (pAti) the pleasure of enjoyment of His Bliss for the mukta-s without decrease (avayaya), or,
- b) He experiences (pibati) the pleasure of the enjoyment of His Bliss by the mukta-s without decrease (avyaya), and so He is called kapir-avyayaH.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj treats `kapir-avyayaH' as one nAma, but interprets it as a combination of two guNa-s - kapiH and avyayaH. He explains `kapiH' as - kaam -jalamapi pibati sva-janaiH sa-prema upahRtam iti kapiH - He Who accepts an offering from His devotee, even it be only water, as long as it is offered with love and affection. He explains `avyayaH' as "sadaiva avyayo = nir-vikAra iti avyayaH' - He Who is Eternal and unchanging, is a-vyayaH. He Who is both kapiH and avyayaH is kapir-avayayaH.
kapiH –
i) He Who is in the form of the Sun.
ii) He Who protected the Earth from the great waters in His varAha incarnation.
iii) He Who accepts even water gladly as an offering when offered with devotion.
om kapaye namaH.
i) SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as - kam - jalam raSmibhiH piban kapiH, sUryaH. He Who `drinks' (dries up) the water through His rays in the form of the Sun, is kapiH.
ii) Alternatively, Sri Sa'nakra gives the explanation that the term kapiH can refer to His varAha incarnation:
kAt - toyAt bhUmim apAt iti kapiH - varAhaH - He Who protected the Earth from the great waters
(SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar both interpret the term kapiH as it occurs in Slokam 11 - nAma 102 - vRshA-kapiH, as a reference to varAha).
They give the support from mahA bhArata:
kapir varAhaH SreshThaSca dharmaSca vRsha ucyate |
tasmAd vRshAkapim prAha kASyapO mAm prajApatiH || (SAnti parva 330.24)
"..The word kapi refers to "The Great Boar varAha..".
(pA means to protect and ka means water, and so kapi refers to varAha incarnation
where He protected the Earth from the waters).
SrI vAsishTha gives several alternate roots from which the word `kapiH' can be derived:
i) kai - Sabde - to sound;
ii) kRR - vikshepe - to pour out, to scatter; or
iii) kan - dIpti kAnti gatishu -to shine.
Among the interpretations he gives are:
- Because bhagavAn enjoys (`drinks') the praise that is in form of Sabda, He is called ka-piH stavaH Sabda rUpaH tam pibati iti kapiH;
- kam - jalam, pAti = pibati; He that `drinks' water, referring to sUrya. Since bhagavAn is the antaryAmi for sUrya, He has this nAma.
iii) SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN interprets the nAma kapiH as: tad- sevA rUpam kam pibati iti ka-piH -
He Who accepts water etc., when offered as a devotional offering by His devotees. Recall the Slokam
patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyA prayacchati |
tad-aham bhaktyupahRtam aSnAti prayatAtmanaH || (gItA 9.26)
"Whosoever offers to Me with true devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or some water,
I accept this offering made with devotion ny him who is pure of heart".
a-vyayaH:
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives the interpretation - na vyeti teshAm samAjAt iti a-vyayah -
He Who never moves away from His devotees, and Who is always with His devotees.
apyayaH -
The term apyayaH is made of a preposition (upasarga - api), and the verb ay - to go.
The preposition is used in the sense of `placing near or over, taking towards, reaching or going up to, proximity, nearness', etc.
SrI Sa'nkara interprets the nAma as -
pralaye asmin apiyanti jaganti iti apyayaH - The resting Place for the Universes during its dissolution.
SrI vAsishTha gives the interpretation -
apiyanti iti apyayaH - leeyante asmin bhUtAni pralaya kAle, ataH apyayaH iti ucyate -
He in whom all beings merge at the time of pralaya, is apyayaH. We have
`tena devAn apiyanti' in taittirIya Upanishad - brahmAnanda mImAmsA -
"Through these, they reach the deva-s'.
With this nAma, we have reached the end of the commentary on the first 900 nAma-s of SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam.
Just an observation, though this might not be significant -
While the numbering of the nAma- s differed widely between the systems of SrI Sa'nkara and SrI BhaTTar starting around nAma 69,
they are beginning to coincide starting with nAma 901.
901. svasti-daH - The Giver of Auspiciousness.
om svasti-dAya namaH.
The word svasti is formed from the root `as - bhuvi - to be', with the addition of `su' - an upasarga, as described by the uNAdi sUtra 4.180 - sAvaseH, and is an indeclinable that denotes blessing. SrI vAsishTha explains the word as `su + asti' = svasti. svastim dadAti iti svasti-daH - kalyANa-daH - The Bestower of auspiciousness.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj uses the root asa - gati dIptyAdAneshu - to go, to shine, to accept, and gives the derivation - SobhanA astiH = gatiH arthAt j~nAnam gamanam prAptiH, svastiH, tAm dadAti bhaktebhya iti svasti-daH - He Who bestows the path for the attainment of true knowledge to the devotees.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as "evam mahan-ma'ngalam dadAti iti svasti-daH" - "In this way He gives supreme auspiciousness to all". SrI v.v. rAmAnujan explains that the Supreme Auspiciousness that is being referred to is brahma j~nAnam that leads ultimately to the Bliss of SrI vaikunTham, that He alone can give. This is in line with the interpretation and derivation given by SrI bhAradvAj above. SrI rAmAnujan refers us to AzhvAr's pASuram-s.
- nammAzhvAr refers to bhagavAn as "uyar vinaiyE tarum oN SuDark kaRRai" (tiruvAi. 1.7.4) - The Beam of Light that gives the supreme knowledge that leads to the moksha Anandam.
- PeriAzhvAr says:
"pirama guru Agi vandu, pOdil kamala an- ne'njam pugundu, en SennittiDaril pAda ilaccinai vaittAr" (periAzhvAr tiru. 5.2.8) - "BhagavAn came as the guru Who performed brahmopadeSam to me, entered the seat of true knowledge in me - my mind, and set His Feet there, and this removed all the flaws, deficiencies and ignorance in my mind".
SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation is: bhaktAnAm svasti ma'ngalam dadAti it svasti-daH - The Conferrer of blessings on His devotees.
SrI vAsishTha gives an alternate explanation - Atma dhAraNAya - arthAt jIvanAya jIvana upayogini sAdhanAni dadAti sa, svasti-daH - He Who gives the necessities for the jIva-s to sustain themselves.
902. svasti-kRt - The Doer of good to the devotees.
om svasti-kRte namaH.
BhagavAn gives auspicious things to us (svastidaH), and then He gives us the attitude that enables us to enjoy this auspiciousness. In SrI BhaTTar's interpretation, after giving the brahma j~nAnam (svasti- daH), He then makes Himself available to the mukta-s to enjoy Him and His qualities (svasti-kRt).
In SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation, bhagavAn gives auspicious things to the devotees (svasti-daH), and He also does things that are good to the devotees (svasti-kRt).
SrI ananta kRshNa SAstry adds another interpretation - He Who makes His devotees do good things is svasti-kRt.
SrI cinmayAnanda uses an approach that has been used by SrI Sa'nkara in many nAma-s that end with kRt, and gives an alternate interpretation using the root kRt - chedane - to cut, and explains the nAma as One Who robs an individual of all bliss when that individual follows a path that is not according to dharma.
903. svasti - He Who is Auspiciousness.
om svastine namaH.
SrI BhaTTar explains the nAma as - svayameva mahan-ma'ngalam - svasti - He Who is Himself the incarnation of auspiciousness. The SrI vishNu sahasra nAma satsangam, New Delhi, in the translation for SrI BhaTTar's bhAshyam, gives the following additional explanation: "All the jIva-s tend to live with lot of attachment and desires towards worldly pleasures. Since this is not real enjoyment, the Lord blesses the devotees for directing their desire towards Him, and makes them enjoy Him". Thus, He is the true ma'ngalam for His devotees..
SrI Sa'nkara gives the interpretation - ma'ngla svarUpam AtmIyam paramAnanda lakshaNam svasti - He Whose nature is Supreme Bliss or Auspiciousness.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan gives several supports on this.
- en amudinaik kaNDa kaNgaL maRRonRinaik kANAvE - amalanAdipirAn - My eyes that have seen my Sweet Nectar, will never move away from Him and see anything else again (tiruppANAzhvAr).
- yatra na anyat paSyati, na anyat vijAnAti, na anyat SruNoti, tad bhUmA - sanat kumara - That which is auspicious or Bliss is that from which the eyes can't turn away, the mind does not move away, and the ears can't divert. This object of Supreme Bliss is all- absorbing, and the best that there can ever be.
AzhvArs' anubhavam of this all-engrossing beautiful Blissful and auspicious form of bhagavAn are too numerous to list. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri reminds us that bhagavAn is "pavitrANAm pavitram" - The Purest of the pure, "ma'ngLAnAm ca ma'ngaLam" -The Most Auspicious among the auspicious, and "ma'ngaLam param" - The Supreme Bliss.
SrI cinmayAnanda comments that He is of the Nature of sat-cit-Ananda, and thus there is no cause for inauspicious in Him.
SrI satya sandha tIrtha interprets the nAma as - su atyantam asti iti sakala deSa kAleshu vartata iti svasti -
He Who always exists in the past, present and the future, is svasti.
904. svasti-bhuk -
a) The Protector of all that is auspicious.
b) The Enjoyer of Bliss.
c) He Who enables His devotees to enjoy bliss.
om svasti-bhuje namaH.
The root bhuj - pAlanAbhyavahArayoH, has multiple meanings: to protect, to eat, to consume, to enjoy, to rule, to govern.
a) SrI BhaTTar uses the meaning `to protect', for the root bhuj, and gives the interpretation - sarvam etat svasti bhunakti - pAlayati iti svasti-bhuk. One translator of SrI BhaTTar's commentary elaborates on this: "The Lord protects everything auspicious, and protects the devotees. The pleasure of experiencing the Lord in the mind, the extreme satisfaction that the devotees get on that account, and the services that the devotees are induced to perform thereby, are all preserved and protected by the Lord". The nirukti author summarizes the above thoughts through the following:
"pAlanAt ma'ngalasya iva svasti-bhuk ca iti gamyate" -
He is sung by the name svasti-bhuk because He protects all that is auspicious.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes the same thoughts in his interpretation -
svasti - kalyANam bhunakti - pAlayati samrtRRUNAm iti svasti-bhuk.
b) c) SrI Sa'nkara uses the meaning bhuj - to enjoy, and interprets the nAma as -
tadeva bhu'nkta iti svasti-bhuk |
BhaktAnAm ma'ngalam svasti bhunakti iti vA svasti-bhuk | -
"The Enjoyer of Bliss", or "He Who enables His devotees to enjoy blessings".
The alternate interpretation given by SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN echoes interpretation (b) above -
svayam svasti bhu'nkte anubhavati iti svasti-bhuk.
d) SrI satya sandha tirtha interprets the nAma as - svasti sukham bhojayati it svasti-bhuk -
One Who feeds (bestows) sukham or happiness on His devotees, is svasti-bhuk.
905. svasti-dakshiNaH –
He Who gives auspicious things as dakshiNA to His devotees.
om svasti-dakshiNAya namH.
The root from which the term dakshiNA can be derived is daksh - vRddhau - to grow.
SrI BhaTTar uses the term `dakshiNA' in the sense of `fee' or `gift' that is offered to the officiating priests in religious ceremonies etc. He interprets the current nAma as "One Who offers `svasti' or auspiciousness as dakshiNA". The ceremony and the priests who receive the dakshiNA are to be identified. Here is SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam: BhagavAn is performing an eternal, never-ending sacrifice, called dIrgha satram, in which the `officiating priests' are the nitya-s and the mukta-s (the eternal souls and the liberated souls). The purpose of this yAga of bhagavAn is to offer Himself to be enjoyed by His devotees. BhagavAn gives Himself to His devotees, the nityas and the mukta-s, as an offering in this `sacrifice'. In addition, He gives them auspicious things such as a celestial body that is made of Suddha sattva material that never decays or ages, and other powers such as Sakti, j~nAnam, etc. So bhagavAn is like the yajamAna or master of the sacrifice who offers dakshiNA or fee to the priests who are officiating in it. Hence the nAma svasti-dakshiNaH. SrI BhaTTar's words are:
anyAdapi sva-paricaraNa anuguNam divya- SarIra SaktyAdi svasti svAtma dAna dIrgha satre Rtvigbhyo deyA dakshiNA asya iti svasti-dakshiNaH.
SrI baladeva vidyA bhUshaN gives an interpretation that is along similar lines:
"sva-nityam dhAmAdikam kalyANa rUpatvAt svasti iti ucyate |
sA dakshiNA sva-bhakti-satra Rtvigbhyo deyam asya iti svasti-dakshiNaH".
In this interpretation, .SrI vaikunTham and other aspects of SrI vaikumTham are referred to as `svasti' because of their eternal and auspicious nature. BhagavAn offers these to the officiating Rtvik-s in His bhakti ya~jna as dakshiNA or fees, and so He is called svasti-dakshINaH.
Another interpretation along similar lines, given in the title "bhagavd guNa darpaNa" published by the SrI vishNu sahasra nAma satsangam in New Delhi, is that bhagavAn bestows auspicious things to those who perform sacrifices, as the `fee', and hence He is svasti- dakshiNaH.
SrI kRshNa datta bhAradvAj gives a similar interpretation -
svastibhiH ASIrbhiH dakshayati vardhayati svajanAn iti svasti- dakshiNaH.
SrI Sa'nkara gives three alternate interpretations:
- i) svastirUpeNa dakshate vardhate - He Who grows through His auspiciousness, that is, He Who feels great by bestowing auspiciousness on His devotees; -
ii) svasti dAtum samartha iti vA svasti-dakshiNaH - He Who is capable of bestowing auspiciousness (dakshiNa also means `able, dexterous, skillful'); -
iii) dakshiNa Sabda Asu-kAriNi vartate; SIghram svasti dAtum ayameva samartha iti svasti-dakshiNaH - Using the meaning "One who is capable of achieving things fast' for the term `dakshiNa", bhagavAn is called svasti-dakshiNaH because He alone is capable of bestowing auspiciousness on His devotees fast or readily.
SrI Sa'nkara gives the following in support:
smarAdeva devasya siddhyanti sarva siddhayaH ||
smRte sakala kalyANa bhAjanam yatra jAyate |
purushas-tam-ajam nityam vrajAmi SaraNam harim ||
smaraNAdeva kRshNasya pApa sa'nghAta pa'njaram |
SatadhA bhedam AyAti girir vajrahato yathA ||
"I always take refuge in Hari, the Supreme Person, the Unborn, Eternal, Who, by just being remembered, becomes the source of all auspiciousness. By the mere remembrance of kRshNa, the body of accumulated sins are destroyed just as a mountain gets destroyed (broken into many pieces) by indra's thunderbolt".
SrI cinmayAnanda nicely captures the spirit of the above: "The term indicates that SrI nArAyaNa will quickly and efficiently reach His sincere seekers to give them the experience of auspiciousness which is the Lord's very nature".
SrI vAsishTha explains the nAma as -
svastim dakshate vardhayati iti svasti-dakshiNaH - varada-hasto ma'ngala hasta iti -
He Who grows auspiciousness by bestowing the desired boons and other auspicious things to His devotees, as signified by His varada-hasta or ma'ngala hasta, is svasti-dakshiNaH.
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
