SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 106 - nAma 986. svayam-jAtah.
986. svayam-jAtaH ? He Who is self-born.
om svayam-jAtAya namaH.
svayam jAyate ajanishTa iti vA svayam-jAtaH ? He Who is self-born, or
is not created by anyone else is svayam-jAtaH.
SrI BhaTTar's anubhavam is that bhagavAn has this nAma signifying
that He takes His incarnations as and when necessary, without waiting
for those in difficulty to come and pray to Him to take His
incarnation ? prArthanA nirapekshatayA jAtaH svayam-jAtaH. In other
words, He takes the incarnation out of His concern for the protection
of the good, the destruction of the evil, and the preservation of
dharma (paritrANAya sAdhUnAm, vinASAya ca dushkRtAm, dharma
samsthApanArthAya sambhavAmi) ? He Himself takes birth out of His own
will. His main concern is the protection of the jIva-s that are
His children ? it is His Nature to be concerned and to protect
(kAkkum iyalvinan kaNNa perumAn ? nammAzhvAr in tiruvAimozhi 2.2.9),
and so He takes incarnations for this purpose as and when necessary,
out of His own sa'nkalpam.
Repeated reference has been made to the unique approach of SrI
BhaTTar in interpreting the nAma-s by emphasizing that all that
BhagavAn does is for the benefit of His devotees. Even though the
outward meaning for the nAma is "One Who is born by Himself", SrI
BhaTTar takes the opportunity to point out that "He is born by
Himself as and when necessary to remove the sufferings of His
devotees", rather than to just say that "Bhagavan has no other
Creator". The current nAma is one other instance of SrI BhaTTar's
unique anubhavam in his interpretation of the nAma-s.
SrI v.v. rAmAnujan quotes the tiruviruttam pASuram in support:
uyir aLippAn enninRa yOniyumAip piRandAi ! imaiyOr talaivA
| ? (tiruviuttam 1)
"You Who took birth voluntarily in order to liberate us from the
burden of samsAra".
SrI vELukkuDi kRshNan gives a quote from the gItA in support, and
notes that bhagavAn gets entangled in the miseries of this world just
to release us from the same miseries:
na me pArtha asti kartavyam trishu lokeshu ki'ncana |
nAnavAptam avAptavyam varta eva ca karmaNi || (gItA 3.22)
"For me, arjuna, there is nothing in all the three worlds which ought
to be done, nor is there anything unacquired that ought to be
acquired. Yet I go on working".
SrI veLukkuDi kRshNan points out that it is for removing the bondage
of several other women that sItA pirATTi voluntarily lived for ten
months in the prison of the ten-headed rAvaNa, and it is for removing
our bondage that Lord kRshNa voluntarily chose to be born in the
prison of kamsa. For the Divine Couple, all these voluntary
sufferings are for the purpose of relieving our sufferings.
In his vyAkhyAnam for the above gItA Sloka, bhagavad rAmAnuja
explains that bhagavAn still continues to work for the protection of
the world, even though there is nothing for Him personally to be
achieved by working ? " ?. karmaNA avAptavyam na ki'ncid api asti,
athApi loka rakshAyai karmaNi eva varte".
SrI Sa'nkara had explained the previous nAma (Atma-yoniH) as
signifying that bhagavAn is the Material cause of the Universe. He
continues this thread in the current nAma, and explains the nAma svam-
jAtaH as signifying that bhagavAn is also the Instrumental cause ?
nimitta kAraNam api sa eva iti darSayitum svayam-jAta iti. The
terms `Material cause' and `Instrumental cause' can be briefly
explained by reference to the making of a pot by a potter, using the
mud, the wheel, the water etc. In this example, the mud is the
upAdAna kAraNa or the material cause. The nimitta kAraNa or the
Instrumental cause is the pot maker. The other supplementary
materials such as the wheel, the water etc. are called the sahakAri
kAraNa-s. SrI Sa'nkara's interpretation for the previous and the
current nAma-s are that bhagavAn is both the Instrumental Cause and
the Material Cause in the process of creation. He gives support
from the brahma sUtra (prakRtiSca pratij~nA dRshTAnta anuparodhAt
(1.4.23)) that declares that bhagavAn is not just the Instrumental
cause but also the Material cause. In other words, He performs the
function of creation with no other help or external means but from
Himself, by Himself. This is nicely captured by nammAzhvAr in his
tiruvAimozhi pASuram 1.5.4 (tAn Or uruvE tani vittAi tannil mUvar
mudalAya?.).
SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri explains the nAma as `One Who appeared by
Himself", and gives the reference from taittirIya upanishad in
support: tad-AtmAnam svayam akuruta ? That Brahman created Itself by
Itself (Anandavalli in taittirIya upanishad). If it be said that
devaki `gave birth' to kRshNa, SrI Suka explains that bhagavAn just
appeared from her womb just as the moon appears in the sky ? devakyAm
deva rUpiNyAm vishNuH sarva guhASayaH AvirAsIt yathA prAcyAm diSi
induriva pushkalaH (SrImad bhAgavatam 10.3.8). Lord kRshNa chose to
enter devaki's womb for some time, and then chose to come out when He
chose to come out; the connection between devaki and kRshNa is just
the same connection as between the east direction and the moon from
which it appears.
-dAsan kRshNamAcAryan
(To be continued)
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