Vishnu Sahasranama: Names 765 to 1000, with Meaning

चतुर्मूर्तिः caturmūrtiḥ

He who has four forms.

Shankara: He has four forms: Virat, Sutra (Hiranyagarbha), the Unmanifest and the Fourth (Turiya). Or he has four colours: white, red, yellow and black. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur-mūrti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 385, col. 1 “'having 4 forms of appearance, four-faced,' in comp.; m., N. of Brahmā, MBh. iii, 13560; of Skanda, ix, 2486; of Vishṇu”

चतुर्बाहुः caturbāhuḥ

He who has four arms.

Shankara: He has four arms. Shankara adds that the name is in fixed use for Vasudeva. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur-bāhu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 384, col. 3 “four-armed, Pañcat. v, 8, 8/9; (Vishṇu) BhP. viii, 17, 4”

चतुर्व्यूहः caturvyūhaḥ

He who has four forms of manifestation (vyuha).

Shankara: He has four “persons” (vyuha), those named in an Upanishad of the Rigveda: the person of the body, the person of the metres, the person of the Veda and the great person. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur-vyūha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 385, col. 2 “having 4 kinds of appearance, MBh. xii, 13603 (Hari)”

चतुर्गतिः caturgatiḥ

The goal of the four stages and the four classes of life.

Shankara: He is the goal (gati) of people of the four stages of life and the four classes who act as the scriptures teach. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 384, col. 1 “4”; gati, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 347, col. 3 “going, moving, gait, deportment, motion in general”

चतुरात्मा caturātmā

He whose mind is clear and skilful; or he who is the four inner faculties.

Shankara: His mind (atma) is skilful (catura) because it is free of liking and dislike. Or he is the four inner faculties: mind, intellect, ego and memory (citta). (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 384, col. 1 “4”; ātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 1 “the breath, RV.; the soul, principle of life and sensation”

चतुर्भावः caturbhāvaḥ

He from whom the four aims of life come.

Shankara: The four aims of life, dharma, wealth, desire and freedom (moksha), arise from him. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 384, col. 1 “4”; bhāva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 754, col. 1 “... existing, occurring, appearance, ŚvetUp.; KātyŚr. &c.; ... state, condition, rank”

चतुर्वेदवित् caturvedavit

He who knows the four Vedas.

Shankara: He knows the meaning of the four Vedas as it truly is. (p. 131)

Dictionary: catur-veda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 385, col. 2 “containing the 4 Vedas, MBh. iii, 13560 (Brahmā); Hariv. 12884 (Vishṇu)”; vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 963, col. 2 “to know, understand, perceive, learn, become or be acquainted with, be conscious of, have a correct notion of”

एकपात् ekapāt

He who has one foot; the whole world is one quarter of him.

Shankara: He has one “foot”, that is one quarter. Shankara quotes the Veda, “all beings are one foot of him”, and the Gita (10.42), “I stand holding up this whole world with one part of myself”. (p. 131)

Dictionary: eka-pad, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 228, col. 2 “having only one foot, limping, lame, RV.; AV.; VS.; AitBr. &c.; incomplete, ŚBr. xiv; ... (pāt), m., N. of Vishṇu, MBh. iii”

समावर्तः samāvartaḥ

He who turns the wheel of the world.

Shankara: He turns the wheel of worldly existence (samsara) well. (pp. 131–132)

Dictionary: sam-āvarta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1162, col. 3 “turning back, return to (loc.), MBh.; N. of Vishṇu, ib.”

अनिवृत्तात्मा anivṛttātmā

He whose self is never turned away from anything.

Shankara: He is present everywhere, so his self is never withdrawn from any object. (p. 132)

Dictionary: a-nivṛtta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 30, col. 2 “not turning back, brave”; ātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 1 “the breath, RV.; the soul, principle of life and sensation”

दुर्जयः durjayaḥ

He who cannot be conquered.

Shankara: No one can conquer him. (p. 132)

Dictionary: dur-jaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 485, col. 2 “d° to be conquered or won, invincible, irresistible”

दुरतिक्रमः duratikramaḥ

He whose command no one oversteps.

Shankara: Out of awe of him, the sun and the other powers do not overstep his command. Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “from fear of him fire burns, from fear of him the sun shines”. (p. 132)

Dictionary: dur-atikrama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 484, col. 2

दुर्लभः durlabhaḥ

He who is hard to reach.

Shankara: He is reached through devotion, and such devotion is rare. Shankara quotes a verse of Vyasa: devotion to Krishna arises in people whose sins are worn away after thousands of births. He also quotes the Gita (11.54): “he is reached by single-minded devotion”. (p. 132)

Dictionary: dur-labha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 486, col. 3 “d° to be obtained or found, hard, scarce, rare”

दुर्गमः durgamaḥ

He who is hard to know.

Shankara: He is known only with great effort. (p. 132)

Dictionary: dur-gama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 485, col. 2 “difficult to be traversed or travelled over, impassable, inaccessible, unattainable”

दुर्गः durgaḥ

He who is hard to attain.

Shankara: He is hard to attain, because obstacles hold people back. (p. 132)

Dictionary: durga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 487, col. 2 “(2. dur & √gam) difficult of access or approach, impassable, unattainable”

दुरावासः durāvāsaḥ

He who is hard to keep in the heart.

Shankara: Even yogis in deep meditation (samadhi) can make him dwell in the mind only with difficulty. (p. 132)

Dictionary: 2. dur, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 484, col. 2 “in comp. for dus (p. 488), denoting 'bad' or 'difficult' &c.”; ā-vāsa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 155, col. 1

दुरारिहा durārihā

He who destroys evil enemies.

Shankara: He slays the wicked enemies, such as the Danavas (demons). (p. 132)

Dictionary: 2. dur, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 484, col. 2 “in comp. for dus (p. 488), denoting 'bad' or 'difficult' &c.”; ari, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 86, col. 2; han, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1287, col. 2 “to strike, beat (also a drum), pound, hammer (acc.), strike &c. upon (loc.), RV. &c. &c.; to smite, slay, hit, kill, mar, destroy”

शुभाङ्गः śubhāṅgaḥ

He who has beautiful limbs.

Shankara: He is meditated on in a form with beautiful limbs. (p. 132)

Dictionary: śubhāṅga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1083, col. 3 “handsome-limbed (applied to Śiva), Śivag.”

लोकसारङ्गः lokasāraṅgaḥ

He who takes the essence of the worlds, as a bee takes honey.

Shankara: Like a bee (saranga) he takes the essence of the worlds; Shankara quotes the Veda: “Prajapati brooded over the worlds”. Or the essence of the worlds is the syllable Om, and he is to be known through it. (pp. 132–133)

Dictionary: loka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 906, col. 1 “the wide space or world (either 'the universe' or 'any division of it,' esp. 'the sky or heaven;' 3 Lokas are commonly enumerated, viz. heaven, earth, and the atmosphere or lower regions”; sāraṅga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1208, col. 3 “of a variegated colour, dappled, spotted (cf. kṛishṇa-s°, lohita-s°), AV.; Br.; MBh.; ... m. (ifc. f. ā) a kind of spotted antelope, Kāv.; Kathās. &c.; N. of various birds (esp. a kind of Vishkira or Pratuda [qq. vv.]; a peacock; the Indian cuckoo; the Rāja-haṃsa; the Cātaka &c.)”

सुतन्तुः sutantuḥ

He who has a fine thread: the wide world.

Shankara: His “thread” (tantu), the wide-spread world, is fair. (p. 133)

Dictionary: su-tantu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1223, col. 3 “'having fair offspring,' N. of Vishṇu, MBh.; of Śiva, Śivag.”

तन्तुवर्धनः tantuvardhanaḥ

He who makes that thread grow, or cuts it.

Shankara: He makes that same thread, the world, grow; or he cuts it. (p. 133)

Dictionary: tantu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 436, col. 1 “a thread, cord, string, line, wire, warp (of a web), filament, fibre”; 2. vardhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 926, col. 1 “increasing, growing, thriving, MBh.; (often ifc.) causing to increase, strengthening, granting prosperity, RV. &c. &c.; (mostly ifc.) animating, gladdening, exhilarating”

इन्द्रकर्मा indrakarmā

He whose deeds are like Indra's.

Shankara: His deeds are like Indra's, that is, deeds of lordship. (p. 133)

Dictionary: indra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 166, col. 1; karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 258, col. 2

महाकर्मा mahākarmā

He whose works are great.

Shankara: The great elements, such as space, are his works. (p. 133)

Dictionary: mahā-karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 795, col. 1 “a great work, AitBr.; mfn. accomplishing great works (said of Śiva)”

कृतकर्मा kṛtakarmā

He who has done all that is to be done.

Shankara: All his aims are already fulfilled, so nothing is left for him to do. Or he has done the work of dharma. (p. 133)

Dictionary: kṛta-karman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 3

कृतागमः kṛtāgamaḥ

He who made the Veda.

Shankara: He made the scripture, the Veda. Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “it is the breath of this great being”. (p. 133)

Dictionary: kṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 3; ā-gama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 129, col. 3 “a traditional doctrine or precept”

उद्भवः udbhavaḥ

He who takes a high birth by his own will; or he who has no birth.

Shankara: He takes a high birth of his own will. Or birth has gone away from him, because he is the cause of all. (p. 133)

Dictionary: ud-bhava, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 190, col. 2 “existence, generation, origin, production, birth; springing from, growing; becoming visible”

सुन्दरः sundaraḥ

The beautiful one.

Shankara: His grace and beauty surpass the whole world. (p. 133)

Dictionary: sundara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1227, col. 1 “beautiful, handsome, lovely, charming, agreeable, MBh.; Kāv. &c.; noble”

सुन्दः sundaḥ

He who is moist with compassion.

Shankara: The name comes from “und”, to wet: he moistens well. The word means softness of heart, that is, he is full of compassion. (p. 133)

Dictionary: sunda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1227, col. 1 “N. of Vishṇu, MBh.”

रत्ननाभः ratnanābhaḥ

He whose navel is beautiful like a jewel.

Shankara: The word “jewel” points to beauty: his navel is as beautiful as a jewel. (pp. 133–134)

Dictionary: ratna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 864, col. 2 “a gift, present, goods, wealth, riches, RV.; AV.; ŚBr.; a jewel, gem, treasure, precious stone ...; anything valuable or best of its kind”; nābha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 535, col. 3 “ifc. (mfn.) = nābhi, nave, navel, central point (cf. abja-nābha, vajra-n°, su-n° &c.)”

सुलोचनः sulocanaḥ

He who has beautiful eyes, or perfect knowledge.

Shankara: His eye, or his knowledge, is fine. (p. 134)

Dictionary: su-locana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1232, col. 3 “fine-eyed, having beautiful eyes, MBh.; Rājat.”

अर्कः arkaḥ

He who is worthy of worship.

Shankara: He is to be worshipped even by Brahma and the others who are themselves worshipped. (p. 134)

Dictionary: arka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 89, col. 1 “Ved. a ray, flash of lightning, RV. &c.; the sun”

वाजसनः vājasanaḥ

He who gives food.

Shankara: He gives food (vaja) to those who ask for it. (p. 134)

Dictionary: vājasana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 938, col. 2 “relating or belonging to Vājasaneya (said of Śiva and Vishṇu), MBh.; R.; BhP.”

शृङ्गी śṛṅgī

He who has a horn: the Fish.

Shankara: In the waters of the great dissolution he took the form of a fish with a horn. (p. 134)

Dictionary: śṛṅgin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1088, col. 1 “horned, crested, peaked (ifc. having horns of —), RV. &c. &c.; tusked, MBh.”

जयन्तः jayantaḥ

He who wins completely.

Shankara: He conquers his foes completely; or he is the cause of victory. (p. 134)

Dictionary: jayanta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 413, col. 2 “victorious”

सर्वविज्जयी sarvavijjayī

He who knows all and conquers all.

Shankara: He knows every object (sarvavit), and it is his nature to conquer (jayi) foes hard to conquer, inner ones such as passion and outer ones such as Hiranyaksha. Shankara says this is one name. (p. 134)

Dictionary: sarva-vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1187, col. 2 “all-knowing, omniscient, AV.; MuṇḍUp.; MBh. &c.; m. the Supreme Being, MW.”; jayin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 413, col. 3 “conquering, conqueror (chiefly ifc.)”

सुवर्णबिन्दुः suvarṇabinduḥ

He whose limbs are like gold.

Shankara: His limbs are like gold; Shankara quotes the Upanishad, “golden all over, to the tips of the nails”. Or he is the mantra, in which there is a fine letter and the nasal dot (bindu). (p. 134)

Dictionary: su-varṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1236, col. 2 “of a good or beautiful colour, brilliant in hue, bright, golden, yellow, RV. &c. &c.; gold, made of gold”; bindu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 731, col. 2 “a detached particle, drop, globule, dot, spot”

अक्षोभ्यः akṣobhyaḥ

He who cannot be disturbed.

Shankara: Nothing disturbs him: not liking and dislike, not the objects of the senses, not the enemies of the gods. (p. 135)

Dictionary: a-kṣobhya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 4, col. 1 “immovable, imperturbable”

सर्ववागीश्वरेश्वरः sarvavāgīśvareśvaraḥ

The lord of all the lords of speech.

Shankara: He is the lord even of Brahma and the others who are lords of speech. (p. 135)

Dictionary: vāg-īśvara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 936, col. 3 “a master of language, an orator, GāruḍaP.; Pañcar.; ... N. of Brahmā, L.”; īśvara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 171, col. 1

महाह्रदः mahāhradaḥ

The great lake of bliss.

Shankara: Yogis plunge into his bliss and rest there happily, as in a great lake. (p. 135)

Dictionary: mahā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 794, col. 2; hrada, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1306, col. 3 “a large or deep piece of water, lake, pool (rarely applied to the sea”

महागर्तः mahāgartaḥ

The great deep; or the great chariot-warrior.

Shankara: His power of illusion (maya) is great and hard to cross, like a deep pit; Shankara quotes the Gita (7.14), “my maya is hard to cross”. Or “garta” means a chariot, as the word-explainers (Nirukta) say, so he is a great chariot-warrior; the Mahabharata and other works know him as one. (p. 135)

Dictionary: 1. garta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 349, col. 1 “a high seat, throne (of Mitra and Varuṇa), RV. ...; the seat of a war-chariot, vi, 20, 9; (Nir. iii, 5) a chariot”

महाभूतः mahābhūtaḥ

The great being, not limited by time.

Shankara: His being is not cut off by past, present or future. (p. 135)

Dictionary: mahā-bhūta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 798, col. 2 “being great, gr°, MBh.; m. a gr° creature or being, ib.; n. a great element”

महानिधिः mahānidhiḥ

The great treasure-house.

Shankara: All beings are laid up in him, so he is a store (nidhi), and a great one. (p. 135)

Dictionary: mahā-nidhi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 797, col. 1

कुमुदः kumudaḥ

He who gladdens the earth.

Shankara: He gladdens the earth (ku) by taking away its burden. (p. 135)

Dictionary: 2. ku, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 286, col. 3 “the earth, Āryabh.; VarBṛS.; VarBṛ.; BhP. vi, 1, 42”; 3. mud, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 822, col. 2 “joy, delight, gladness, happiness (also pl.), RV. &c. &c.”

कुन्दरः kundaraḥ

He who gives pure gifts; or he who split the earth as the Boar.

Shankara: He gives (or takes back) fruits as pure as the kunda flower. Or, as a verse says, he split the earth (kum darayamasa) in the form of the Boar to slay Hiranyaksha. (p. 135)

Dictionary: kunda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 291, col. 2 “a kind of jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum or pubescens)”; 2. ku, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 286, col. 3 “the earth, Āryabh.; VarBṛS.; VarBṛ.; BhP. vi, 1, 42”

कुन्दः kundaḥ

He who is pure like the kunda flower; or he who gave away the earth.

Shankara: His limbs are fair like the kunda (jasmine) flower, clear as crystal. Or, as Parashurama, he gave the earth (ku) to Kashyapa; Shankara quotes the Harivamsha. Or he cut down (dyati) the kings of the earth; he quotes a verse from the Vishnudharma. (pp. 135–136)

Dictionary: kunda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 291, col. 2 “a kind of jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum or pubescens)”

पर्जन्यः parjanyaḥ

He who is like the rain-cloud.

Shankara: Like a rain-cloud he cools the three kinds of suffering; or he rains down all that people wish for. (p. 136)

Dictionary: parjanya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 606, col. 1 “... cloud, RV. &c. &c.; rain, Bhag. iii, 14; rain personified or the god of rain (often identified with Indra)”

पावनः pāvanaḥ

He who purifies.

Shankara: He purifies people when they only remember him. (p. 136)

Dictionary: pāvana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 623, col. 2 “purifying, purificatory; pure, holy”

अनिलः anilaḥ

He whom no one moves; he who is ever awake; he who is easy to reach.

Shankara: No one urges him on. Or he never sleeps, because his nature is ever awake. Or he is not hard to grasp: devotees reach him easily. (p. 136)

Dictionary: anila, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 30, col. 1 “air or wind; the god of wind”

अमृताशः amṛtāśaḥ

He who enjoys the nectar of his own self.

Shankara: He enjoys the nectar of his own self. Or, after giving the churned nectar to the gods, he drank of it himself. Or his wish (asha) is undying (amrita), because it never fails of its fruit. (pp. 136–137)

Dictionary: a-mṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 82, col. 2 “not dead, MBh.; immortal, RV. &c.; imperishable”; 2. āśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 157, col. 1

अमृतवपुः amṛtavapuḥ

He whose body is deathless.

Shankara: His body is free from death. (p. 137)

Dictionary: a-mṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 82, col. 2 “not dead, MBh.; immortal, RV. &c.; imperishable”; vapus, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 920, col. 1 “having form or a beautiful form, embodied, handsome, wonderful, RV.; n. form, figure, (esp.) a beautiful form or figure, wonderful appearance, beauty ... nature, essence, Mn. v, 96; x, 9 &c.; (ifc. f. ushī) the body”

सर्वज्ञः sarvajñaḥ

He who knows all.

Shankara: He knows everything; Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “he who knows all, who knows everything”. (p. 137)

Dictionary: sarva-jña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1185, col. 2 “all-knowing, omniscient (said of gods and men, esp. of ministers and philosophers), Up.; Kāv. &c.”

सर्वतोमुखः sarvatomukhaḥ

He whose faces are on every side.

Shankara: Shankara quotes the Gita (13.13): “with eyes, heads and faces on every side”. (p. 137)

Dictionary: sarvato-mukha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1189, col. 2 “facing in all dir°, turned ev°where, VS.; TS.; ŚBr. &c.; complete, unlimited, Kāv.”

सुलभः sulabhaḥ

He who is easy to reach.

Shankara: He is easily won with leaves, flowers and fruit offered with nothing but devotion. Shankara quotes the Mahabharata: leaves, flowers, fruit and water cost nothing, and the ancient Person is won by devotion alone; why do people not strive for freedom? (p. 137)

Dictionary: su-labha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1232, col. 3 “easy to be obtained or effected, easily accessible or attainable, feasible, easy”

सुव्रतः suvrataḥ

He whose vows are good.

Shankara: He keeps a good vow. Or he eats in a fine way, or he keeps away from eating. (p. 137)

Dictionary: su-vrata, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1234, col. 1 “ruling well, RV.; VS.; strict in observing religious vows, very religious or virtuous (often in voc.), MBh.; R. &c.”

सिद्धः siddhaḥ

He who is perfect in himself.

Shankara: His perfection does not depend on anyone else. (p. 137)

Dictionary: 2. siddha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1215, col. 1 “accomplished, fulfilled, effected, gained, acquired, MBh.; Ragh.”

शत्रुजित् śatrujit

He who conquers enemies.

Shankara: The enemies of the gods are his enemies, and he conquers them. (p. 137)

Dictionary: śatru-jit, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1051, col. 2 “id. (i.e. 'conquering an en°,' as -jaya), Pāṇ. iii, 2, 61, Sch.; m. N. of Śiva”

शत्रुतापनः śatrutāpanaḥ

He who torments enemies.

Shankara: He torments the enemies of the gods. (p. 137)

Dictionary: śatru, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1051, col. 1 “'overthrower,' an enemy, foe, rival, a hostile king”; tāpana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 442, col. 3 “ifc. illuminating, BhP. ii, 9, 8; burning, causing pain, distressing”

न्यग्रोधः nyagrodhaḥ

The banyan: he who stands above all.

Shankara: He grows downwards and stands above all. Or he keeps all beings low and covers them with his own maya. (p. 137)

Dictionary: nyag-rodha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 571, col. 3 “'growing downwards' the Banyan or Indian fig-tree, Ficus Indica”

उदुम्बरः udumbaraḥ

The fig tree: he who stands above the sky; he who is food.

Shankara: As the cause of all, he has risen above the sky (ambara). Or udumbara means food, and in that form he feeds the world; Shankara quotes the Veda: “the udumbara is strength and food”. He adds that the joining nyagrodhodumbara (with the visarga dropped) is a sage's usage. (pp. 137–138)

Dictionary: udumbara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 186, col. 3 “Ved. for uḍumbara, q.v., the tree Ficus Glomerata”

अश्वत्थः aśvatthaḥ

The sacred fig: the world-tree that does not last until tomorrow.

Shankara: It “does not stand even until tomorrow” (shvah api na stha). Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad, “this eternal ashvattha has its roots above and its branches below”, and the Gita (15.1). (p. 138)

Dictionary: aśvattha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 115, col. 3 “(ttha = stha, 'under which horses stand') the holy fig tree, Ficus Religiosa”

चाणूरान्ध्रनिषूदनः cāṇūrāndhraniṣūdanaḥ

He who slew Chanura of the Andhra people.

Shankara: He killed the Andhra named Chanura. (p. 138)

Dictionary: cāṇūra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 392, col. 1 “N. of a prince, MBh. ii, 121; v, 4410; Hariv. 6726; of a wrestler in Kaṇsa's service (slain by Kṛishṇa; identified with the Daitya Varāha)”; ni-ṣūdana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 562, col. 1 “id. (killer, slayer, destroyer), MBh.; Ragh.; removing, destroying”

सहस्रार्चिः sahasrārciḥ

He who has a thousand rays.

Shankara: His rays are thousands, that is, endless. Shankara quotes the Gita (11.12): “if the light of a thousand suns rose at once in the sky”. (p. 138)

Dictionary: sahasrārcis, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1196, col. 3 “th°-rayed, Śivag.; m. the sun, Ragh.”

सप्तजिह्वः saptajihvaḥ

He who has seven tongues: Fire.

Shankara: He has seven tongues, as Fire. Shankara quotes the Mundaka Upanishad, which names the seven tongues: Kali, Karali, Manojava, Sulohita, Sudhumravarna, Sphulingini and Vishvaruchi. (p. 138)

Dictionary: sapta-jihva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1149, col. 2 “7-tongued, MBh.; m. N. of Agni or fire”

सप्तैधाः saptaidhāḥ

He who has seven flames: Fire.

Shankara: He has seven fuels, that is, seven flames, as Fire. Shankara quotes a mantra: “O Fire, seven are your fuel-sticks, seven your tongues”. (pp. 138–139)

Dictionary: sapta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1149, col. 2; edhas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 231, col. 3

सप्तवाहनः saptavāhanaḥ

He who has seven horses: the Sun.

Shankara: He has seven horses to carry him; or one horse named Sapta. Shankara quotes the Veda: “one horse with seven names draws him”. (p. 139)

Dictionary: sapta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1149, col. 2; 2. vāhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 949, col. 2 “... guiding (horses), MBh.; any vehicle or conveyance or draught-animal, carriage, chariot, waggon, horse, elephant”

अमूर्तिः amūrtiḥ

He who has no solid form.

Shankara: “Murti” is the solid form of the moving and unmoving world, and he is without it. Or murti is a body built of limbs, and he has none. (p. 139)

Dictionary: a-mūrti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 82, col. 1 “shapelessness, absence of shape or form; (mfn.), formless; (is), m., N. of Vishṇu, MBh. xiii”

अनघः anaghaḥ

He who is without sin or sorrow.

Shankara: Neither sorrow nor sin is in him. (p. 139)

Dictionary: an-agha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 24, col. 2 “sinless; faultless; uninjured”

अचिन्त्यः acintyaḥ

He who is beyond thought.

Shankara: He is the witness of the knower and of knowing, so no means of knowledge reaches him. He is unlike the whole world, so no one can think “he is like this”. (p. 139)

Dictionary: a-cintya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 9, col. 1 “inconceivable, surpassing thought”

भयकृत् bhayakṛt

He who causes fear to the wrong-doer, and cuts away the fear of devotees.

Shankara: He brings fear to those on a wrong path. Or he cuts away (kṛntati) the fear of his devotees. (p. 139)

Dictionary: bhaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 747, col. 1 “fear, alarm, dread”; kṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 3

भयनाशनः bhayanāśanaḥ

He who destroys fear.

Shankara: He destroys the fear of those who keep the conduct of their class and stage of life. Shankara quotes Parashara: the supreme Person, Vishnu, is worshipped by the man who keeps that conduct; there is no other way to please him. (p. 139)

Dictionary: bhaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 747, col. 1 “fear, alarm, dread”; nāśana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 538, col. 1 “destroying &c. = prec. (with gen. or ifc.), VS.; MBh. &c.; n. destruction, removal”

अणुः aṇuḥ

The subtlest.

Shankara: He is supremely subtle. Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “this subtle self is to be known by the mind”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: aṇu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 11, col. 3

बृहत् bṛhat

The vast one.

Shankara: He is Brahman, because he is great and makes great. Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “greater than the great”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: bṛhat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 735, col. 3 “lofty, high, tall, great, large, wide, vast, abundant, compact, solid, massy, strong, mighty”

कृशः kṛśaḥ

The slender one: not a gross thing.

Shankara: The Upanishad's words “not gross” and the like deny that he is a substance. (p. 140)

Dictionary: kṛśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 305, col. 3

स्थूलः sthūlaḥ

The gross one: he is the self of all things.

Shankara: He is called gross in a figurative sense, because he is the self of all. (p. 140)

Dictionary: sthūla, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1266, col. 1 “large, thick, stout, massive, bulky, big, huge, AV. &c. &c.; coarse, gross, rough”

गुणभृत् guṇabhṛt

He who upholds the three qualities.

Shankara: He presides over sattva, rajas and tamas in their work of creating, keeping and dissolving the world. (p. 140)

Dictionary: guṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 357, col. 1 “(in Sāṃkhya phil.) an ingredient or constituent of Prakṛiti, chief quality of all existing beings (viz. sattva, rajas, & tamas, i.e. goodness, passion, and darkness ...)”; bhṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 764, col. 3 “mfn. bearing, carrying, bringing, procuring, possessing, wearing, having, nourishing, supporting, maintaining (only ifc.)”

निर्गुणः nirguṇaḥ

He who has no qualities.

Shankara: In truth he has no qualities. Shankara quotes the Upanishad: “alone and without qualities”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: nir-guṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 541, col. 1 “devoid of all qualities or properties, Up.; MBh. &c.; having no epithet, KātyŚr., Sch. (said of the Supreme Being)”

महान् mahān

The great one.

Shankara: He has no qualities such as sound, he is subtle beyond all, and he is ever pure and everywhere. No property that would limit him can be named, even by reasoning; so he is great. Shankara quotes Apastamba: “without limbs, without sound, without body, without touch, great and pure”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: mahat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 794, col. 2 “great (in space, time, quantity or degree), i.e. large, big, huge, ample, extensive, long, abundant, numerous, considerable, important, high, eminent”

अधृतः adhṛtaḥ

He who is upheld by nothing.

Shankara: He upholds even the upholders, such as the earth, so nothing holds him up. (p. 140)

Dictionary: a-dhṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 23, col. 1 “not held, unrestrained, uncontrolled; unquiet, restless, TS.; (as), m., N. of Vishṇu”

स्वधृतः svadhṛtaḥ

He who is upheld by himself.

Shankara: If nothing holds him, what does? He is held by his own self. Shankara quotes the Chandogya Upanishad: “On what does it rest, sir? On its own greatness”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: sva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1275, col. 1 “own, one's own, my own, thy own, his own, her own, our own, their own &c.”; dhṛta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 519, col. 2 “held, borne, maintained, supported, kept, possessed”

स्वास्यः svāsyaḥ

He who has a beautiful face; from whose mouth the Veda came.

Shankara: His face is beautiful, red like the inside of a lotus. Or the great body of words, the Veda, came from his mouth to teach the aims of life; Shankara quotes “it is the breath of this great being”. (p. 140)

Dictionary: 5. su, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1219, col. 3; āsya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 159, col. 3 “mouth, jaws, RV.; AV.; VS.; MBh. &c.; face”

प्राग्वंशः prāgvaṃśaḥ

He whose lineage came first.

Shankara: Other lineages come later. His lineage, the world, is the first; it does not come after anything. (p. 140)

Dictionary: prāg-vaṃśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 704, col. 2 “a former or previous generation, Hariv.; N. of Vishṇu, ib.”

वंशवर्धनः vaṃśavardhanaḥ

He who makes the lineage grow, or cuts it.

Shankara: He makes his lineage, the world, grow; or he cuts it down. (p. 140)

Dictionary: vaṃśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 910, col. 1 “the bamboo cane or any cane”; 2. vardhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 926, col. 1 “increasing, growing, thriving, MBh.; (often ifc.) causing to increase, strengthening, granting prosperity, RV. &c. &c.; (mostly ifc.) animating, gladdening, exhilarating”

भारभृत् bhārabhṛt

He who bears the burden of the earth.

Shankara: He bears the weight of the earth in the form of Ananta and others. (p. 141)

Dictionary: bhāra-bhṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 753, col. 1 “= -bhārin (bearing a load), R.”

कथितः kathitaḥ

He of whom the Vedas speak.

Shankara: The Vedas and other texts declare him alone as the highest; all the Vedas speak of him. Shankara quotes the Upanishads, the Gita (15.15, “I alone am to be known by all the Vedas”) and a verse: in the Veda, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, Vishnu is sung everywhere, at the beginning, the middle and the end. The Katha Upanishad, asked what is Vishnu's highest state, answers that beyond the senses and all else is the Person, and beyond the Person there is nothing. (p. 141)

Dictionary: kathita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 247, col. 2

योगी yogī

He who is reached by yoga; he who is ever in yoga.

Shankara: Yoga is knowledge, and he is reached by it alone. Or yoga is samadhi: he always rests his self in his own self. (p. 141)

Dictionary: yogin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 857, col. 3 “joined or connected with, relating to, accompanied by, possessed of (comp.), KātyŚr.; MBh.; Hariv.; ... possessed of superhuman powers, W.; m. a follower of the Yoga system, a Yogin (usually called Yogī) or contemplative saint, devotee, ascetic”

योगीशः yogīśaḥ

The lord of yogis.

Shankara: Other yogis are struck by obstacles to yoga and slip from their true state. He is free of these, so he is their lord. (p. 141)

Dictionary: yogin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 857, col. 3 “joined or connected with, relating to, accompanied by, possessed of (comp.), KātyŚr.; MBh.; Hariv.; ... possessed of superhuman powers, W.; m. a follower of the Yoga system, a Yogin (usually called Yogī) or contemplative saint, devotee, ascetic”; īśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 171, col. 1

सर्वकामदः sarvakāmadaḥ

He who grants all wishes.

Shankara: He always gives all that people wish for. Shankara cites Vyasa's sutra (Brahma Sutra 3.2.38): “the fruit comes from him, for that is reasonable”. (pp. 141–142)

Dictionary: sarva-kāma, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1185, col. 1 “m. pl. all kinds of desires, MBh.; RāmatUp. &c.; (sarvá-), mfn. wishing everything, ŚāṅkhBr.; ŚrS.; BhP.; fulfilling all wishes, Kauś.; MBh.; possessing everything wished for”; 2. da, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 464, col. 3 “ifc. ... giving, granting, offering, effecting, producing”

आश्रमः āśramaḥ

The resting place.

Shankara: Like a hermitage, he is the place of rest for all who wander in the forest of worldly life. (p. 142)

Dictionary: ā-śrama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 158, col. 2 “a hermitage, the abode of ascetics, the cell of a hermit or of retired saints or sages, Mn.; R.; Daś.; Ragh.; Megh. &c.; a stage in the life of a Brāhman”

श्रमणः śramaṇaḥ

He who wearies the undiscerning.

Shankara: He makes all who lack discernment toil and suffer. (p. 142)

Dictionary: śramaṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1096, col. 2 “... toiling, labouring, (esp.) following a toilsome or menial business, W.; ... m. one who performs acts of mortification or austerity, an ascetic, monk, devotee, religious mendicant”

क्षामः kṣāmaḥ

He who wears all beings away.

Shankara: He makes all creatures wasted (kshama), that is, he brings them to their end. Shankara explains the grammar of the word. (p. 142)

Dictionary: kṣāma, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 333, col. 1 “burning to ashes ... dried up, emaciated, ... slim, slender, Yājñ. i, 80; MBh.; R.; weak, debilitated, infirm, slight”

सुपर्णः suparṇaḥ

He who has fine leaves: the Vedic hymns.

Shankara: He is the tree of worldly life, and its fine leaves are the Vedic metres. Shankara quotes the Gita (15.1): “whose leaves are the hymns”. (p. 142)

Dictionary: su-parṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1227, col. 3 “having beaut° leaves, L.; having beaut° wings, RV.; m. any large bird of prey (as a vulture, eagle; also applicable to the sun or moon as 'having beaut° rays,' and to soma and clouds ...); any mythical or supernatural bird (often identified with Garuḍa”

वायुवाहनः vāyuvāhanaḥ

He who makes the wind move.

Shankara: From fear of him the wind carries beings. Shankara quotes the Taittiriya Upanishad: “from fear of him the wind blows”. (p. 142)

Dictionary: vāyu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 942, col. 2; 2. vāhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 949, col. 2 “... guiding (horses), MBh.; any vehicle or conveyance or draught-animal, carriage, chariot, waggon, horse, elephant”

धनुर्धरः dhanurdharaḥ

He who bears the bow.

Shankara: As Shri Rama he held a great bow. (p. 142)

Dictionary: dhanur-dhara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 509, col. 2 “= -graha (an archer), Mn.; MBh.; R. &c. (also as N. of Śiva)”

धनुर्वेदः dhanurvedaḥ

He who knows the science of archery.

Shankara: The same Rama, son of Dasharatha, knows the science of the bow. (p. 142)

Dictionary: dhanur-veda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 509, col. 2 “the science of archery”

दण्डः daṇḍaḥ

The rod of rule.

Shankara: He is the restraint used by those who restrain. Shankara quotes the Gita (10.38): “of those who restrain, I am the rod”. (p. 142)

Dictionary: daṇḍa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 466, col. 2 “a stick, staff, rod, pole, cudgel, club”

दमयिता damayitā

He who restrains.

Shankara: He restrains people in the form of Yama, son of Vivasvan, of kings and others. (p. 142)

Dictionary: damayitṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 469, col. 3 “a tamer, MBh. xiii, 7041 (Vishṇu); Śiva”

दमः damaḥ

Restraint itself.

Shankara: Dama is the result that punishment brings about in those who are punished; he is that too. (p. 142)

Dictionary: dama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 469, col. 2 “self-command, self-restraint, self-control, ŚBr. xiv, 8, 2, 4 ...; taming, L.; punishment, fine”

अपराजितः aparājitaḥ

He who is never defeated.

Shankara: His enemies never defeat him. (pp. 142–143)

Dictionary: a-parājita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 51, col. 1 “unconquered, unsurpassed, RV. &c.; (as), m. ... Vishṇu”

सर्वसहः sarvasahaḥ

He who is able in all things; he who withstands all foes.

Shankara: He is able in all works; or he overpowers all enemies. (p. 143)

Dictionary: sarva-saha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1187, col. 3 “all-enduring, very patient, MBh.; BhP.; Śivag.”

नियन्ता niyantā

He who sets everyone to their duty.

Shankara: He places all beings in their own tasks. (p. 143)

Dictionary: ni-yantṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 552, col. 1 “who or what holds in or restrains or governs or tames, &c.”

अनियमः aniyamaḥ

He whom no rule binds.

Shankara: No rule governs him, because he governs all and there is no one else to govern him. (p. 143)

Dictionary: a-niyama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 29, col. 3 “absence of control or rule or fixed order or obligation, unsettledness; ... (mfn.), having no rule, irregular”

अयमः ayamaḥ

He who has no death.

Shankara: There is no Yama, no death, for him. Or, in a second reading, yama and niyama are limbs of yoga, and he is called by these names because they lead to him. (p. 143)

Dictionary: yama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 846, col. 1

सत्त्ववान् sattvavān

He who has strength and courage.

Shankara: He has sattva, that is, valour, strength and the like. (p. 143)

Dictionary: sat-tva-vat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1135, col. 2 “endowed with life, living, existent, a living being, W.; endowed with or possessed of the true essence, MW.; resolute, energetic, courageous”

सात्त्विकः sāttvikaḥ

He who abides in goodness (sattva).

Shankara: He abides chiefly in the quality of sattva. (p. 143)

Dictionary: sāttvika, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1200, col. 1 “spirited, vigorous, energetic, Mn.; MBh. &c.; relating to or endowed with the quality Sattva (i.e. 'purity' or 'goodness'), pure, true, genuine, honest, good, virtuous”

सत्यः satyaḥ

The true one; good to the good.

Shankara: He is good towards the good (sat). (p. 143)

Dictionary: satya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1135, col. 3 “true, real, actual, genuine, sincere, honest, truthful, faithful, pure, virtuous, good, successful, effectual, valid”

सत्यधर्मपरायणः satyadharmaparāyaṇaḥ

He who is devoted to truth and dharma.

Shankara: He is fixed in truth, that is, in telling things as they are, and in dharma as the Veda enjoins it. (p. 143)

Dictionary: satya-dharma, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1136, col. 1 “the law of truth, eternal t°, R.; mfn. one whose ordinances are true, Up.”; parāyaṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 587, col. 3 “final end or aim, last resort or refuge, principal object”

अभिप्रायः abhiprāyaḥ

He whom all seek.

Shankara: Those who want the aims of life seek him. Or at the dissolution the world goes towards him. (p. 143)

Dictionary: abhi-prāya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 66, col. 2 “aim, Pāṇ. i, 3, 72; purpose”

प्रियार्हः priyārhaḥ

He who is worthy of what is dear.

Shankara: He deserves to be given what people hold dear. Shankara quotes a smriti: whatever is dearest in the world, and whatever is precious at home, a person who wants it to last should give to one who has merit. (pp. 143–144)

Dictionary: priya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 710, col. 1 “beloved, dear to (gen., loc., dat.”; arha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 93, col. 3 “meriting, deserving (praise or blame, cf. pūjârha, nindârha), worthy of, having a claim”

अर्हः arhaḥ

He who is worthy of worship.

Shankara: He is to be worshipped with the means of worship: welcome, a seat, praise, water for the hands and feet, hymns and bows. (pp. 143–144)

Dictionary: arha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 93, col. 3 “meriting, deserving (praise or blame, cf. pūjârha, nindârha), worthy of, having a claim”

प्रियकृत् priyakṛt

He who does what is dear to his devotees.

Shankara: He is not only worthy of what is dear; he also does what is dear to those who worship him with praise and the like. (p. 144)

Dictionary: priya-kṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 710, col. 1 “doing a kindness”

प्रीतिवर्धनः prītivardhanaḥ

He who increases their joy.

Shankara: He makes the joy (priti) of those same devotees grow. (p. 144)

Dictionary: prīti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 711, col. 1 “any pleasurable sensation, pleasure, joy, gladness, satisfaction”; 2. vardhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 926, col. 1 “increasing, growing, thriving, MBh.; (often ifc.) causing to increase, strengthening, granting prosperity, RV. &c. &c.; (mostly ifc.) animating, gladdening, exhilarating”

विहायसगतिः vihāyasagatiḥ

He whose abode is the sky.

Shankara: The sky is his resting place: he is the “step of Vishnu” (the heavens), or the sun. (p. 144)

Dictionary: vi-hāyasa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1003, col. 1; gati, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 347, col. 3 “going, moving, gait, deportment, motion in general”

ज्योतिः jyotiḥ

The light.

Shankara: He shines by himself. Shankara quotes a mantra: “Narayana is the highest light”. (p. 144)

Dictionary: jyotis, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 427, col. 3 “light (of the sun, dawn, fire, lightning, &c.; also pl.), brightness (of the sky)”

सुरुचिः suruciḥ

He whose light, or whose wish, is fair.

Shankara: His light, or his wish (ruci), is fair. (p. 144)

Dictionary: su-ruci, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1232, col. 2 “f. great delight in (loc.), ŚārṅgP. (v.l.)”

हुतभुक् hutabhuk

He who receives the offerings.

Shankara: In rites offered to any of the gods, he eats the offering, or protects it. (p. 144)

Dictionary: huta-bhuj, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1301, col. 1 “'oblation-eater,' fire, Kāv.; Suśr. &c.”

विभुः vibhuḥ

The all-pervading lord.

Shankara: He is present everywhere; or he is lord of the three worlds. (p. 144)

Dictionary: vi-bhu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 978, col. 3 “being everywhere, far-extending, all-pervading, omnipresent, eternal, RV.; VS.; Up.; MBh. &c.; ... mighty, powerful, excellent, great, strong, effective ...; m. a lord, ruler, sovereign, king (also applied to Brahmā, Vishṇu, and Śiva)”

रविः raviḥ

The sun, who draws up the waters.

Shankara: He takes up the waters (rasa); he is the self of the sun. (p. 144)

Dictionary: ravi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 869, col. 1 “a partic. form of the sun (sometimes regarded as one of the 12 Ādityas ...); the sun (in general) or the sun-god”

विरोचनः virocanaḥ

He who shines in many ways.

Shankara: He shines in many ways. (p. 144)

Dictionary: vi-rocana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 983, col. 2 “shining upon, brightening, illuminating, MBh.; m. the sun or the god of the sun (also applied to Vishṇu)”

सूर्यः sūryaḥ

The sun, who brings forth.

Shankara: The word comes from the roots su, “to bring forth”, or su, “to impel”; Shankara cites Panini's rule that forms it. (p. 144)

Dictionary: sūrya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1243, col. 1 “the sun or its deity”

सविता savitā

He who gives birth to the world.

Shankara: He begets the whole world. Shankara quotes the Vishnudharmottara: he is called Ravi because he takes up the waters, and Savita because he brings forth creatures. (p. 144)

Dictionary: savitṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1190, col. 2 “... personified as the divine influence and vivifying power of the sun ...; he is also reckoned among the Ādityas [q. v.], and is even worshipped as 'lord of all creatures,' supporting the world and delivering his votaries from sin”

रविलोचनः ravilocanaḥ

He whose eye is the sun.

Shankara: The sun is his eye. Shankara quotes the Mundaka Upanishad: “fire is his head, the moon and the sun his eyes”. (pp. 144–145)

Dictionary: ravi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 869, col. 1 “a partic. form of the sun (sometimes regarded as one of the 12 Ādityas ...); the sun (in general) or the sun-god”; locana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 907, col. 3 “illuminating, brightening, BhP.; ... n. (ifc. f. ā) 'organ of sight,' the eye, MBh.; Kāv. &c.”

अनन्तः anantaḥ

The endless one.

Shankara: He is eternal and everywhere, so space and time do not limit him. Or he is Shesha (Ananta). (p. 145)

Dictionary: an-anta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 25, col. 1 “endless, boundless, eternal, infinite; (as), m., N. of Vishṇu”

हुतभुक् hutabhuk

He who receives the offerings.

Shankara: He eats what is offered in the fire. (p. 145)

Dictionary: huta-bhuj, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1301, col. 1 “'oblation-eater,' fire, Kāv.; Suśr. &c.”

भोक्ता bhoktā

The enjoyer; the protector.

Shankara: He enjoys nature (prakriti), which is unconscious and there to be enjoyed. Or he protects the world. (p. 145)

Dictionary: bhoktṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 760, col. 1 “one who enjoys or eats, enjoyer, eater, experiencer, feeler, sufferer, MaitrUp.; MBh. &c. ...; a possessor, ruler of a land, king, prince”

सुखदः sukhadaḥ

He who gives happiness.

Shankara: He gives his devotees the happiness that is liberation (moksha). Or, read as “asukhadah”, he cuts away unhappiness. (p. 145)

Dictionary: sukha-da, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1221, col. 1 “giving pleasure or delight, Kāv.; VarBṛS.; m. N. of Vishṇu, MBh.”

नैकजः naikajaḥ

He who is born many times.

Shankara: He is born again and again to protect dharma. (p. 145)

Dictionary: naika, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 523, col. 3 “not one, more than one, various, manifold, numerous, many”; 2. ja, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 407, col. 3

अग्रजः agrajaḥ

The first-born.

Shankara: He was born first, as Hiranyagarbha. Shankara quotes the Veda: “Hiranyagarbha arose in the beginning”. (p. 145)

Dictionary: agra-ja, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 6, col. 2 “born first or earlier; (as), m. the first-born, an elder brother”

अनिर्विण्णः anirviṇṇaḥ

He who is never weary or sad.

Shankara: He has all he wishes for, and nothing is beyond his reach, so he knows no weariness. (p. 145)

Dictionary: a-nirviṇṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 30, col. 1 “not downcast”

सदामर्षी sadāmarṣī

He who forgives the good.

Shankara: He turns towards the good (satah) and bears with them, that is, forgives them. (p. 145)

Dictionary: sat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1134, col. 2 “being, existing, occurring, happening, being present ...; real, actual, as any one or anything ought to be, true, good, right ..., beautiful, wise, venerable, honest”; marṣin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 792, col. 1 “patient, forgiving, indulgent”

लोकाधिष्ठानम् lokādhiṣṭhānam

The ground on which the worlds stand.

Shankara: He is Brahman: having no support himself, he is the support on which the three worlds stand. (p. 145)

Dictionary: loka, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 906, col. 1 “the wide space or world (either 'the universe' or 'any division of it,' esp. 'the sky or heaven;' 3 Lokas are commonly enumerated, viz. heaven, earth, and the atmosphere or lower regions”; adhi-ṣṭhāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 22, col. 2 “standing by, being at hand, approach; standing or resting upon; a basis, base”

अद्भुतः adbhutaḥ

The wonderful one.

Shankara: He is a wonder. Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad, “many do not even get to hear of him; many who hear do not know him; wonderful is the one who speaks of him”, and the Gita (2.29), “one sees him as a wonder”. Or his nature, power, acts and works are wonderful. (pp. 145–146)

Dictionary: adbhuta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 19, col. 1

सनात् sanāt

He who is time without beginning.

Shankara: “Sanat” is a particle meaning “for a long time”. Time too is a form of the Supreme. Shankara quotes the Vishnu Purana: the Person is the first form of the supreme Brahman; the manifest and unmanifest are other forms, and so is time. (p. 146)

Dictionary: sanāt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1141, col. 1 “from of old, always, for ever, RV.; ŚāṅkhŚr.”

सनातनतमः sanātanatamaḥ

The most ancient of all.

Shankara: He is the cause of all, so he is more ancient than even the ancient ones, such as Brahma. (p. 146)

Dictionary: sanātana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1141, col. 1 “eternal, perpetual, permanent, everlasting, primeval, ancient, ŚBr. &c. &c.; m. N. of Brahmā, L.; of Vishṇu, Bhaṭṭ.”

कपिलः kapilaḥ

The tawny one.

Shankara: The fire under the ocean is tawny (kapila) in colour; he has that form. (p. 146)

Dictionary: kapila, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 250, col. 3 “'monkey-coloured,' brown, tawny, reddish”

कपिः kapiḥ

The sun; or the Boar.

Shankara: He drinks water (ka) with his rays: he is the sun. Or kapi means the Boar; Shankara quotes a line, “kapi is the boar, the best one”. (p. 146)

Dictionary: kapi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 250, col. 3 “an ape, monkey, RV. x, 86, 5; AV.; Mn.; Suśr. &c.; an elephant, L.; ... the sun, L.; N. of Vishṇu or Kṛishṇa, MBh. xiii, 7045”

अप्ययः apyayaḥ

He into whom the worlds dissolve.

Shankara: At the dissolution the worlds go into him (apiyanti). (p. 146)

Dictionary: apy-aya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 55, col. 3 “joint, juncture, Kauś.; Śulb.; pouring out (of a river), PBr.; entering into”

स्वस्तिदः svastidaḥ

He who gives what is good.

Shankara: He gives welfare (svasti), all that is auspicious, to his devotees. (p. 146)

Dictionary: sv-asti-da, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1283, col. 1 “conferring happiness”

स्वस्तिकृत् svastikṛt

He who brings about what is good.

Shankara: He brings that same good about. (p. 146)

Dictionary: sv-asti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1283, col. 1 “well-being, fortune, luck, success, prosperity, RV.; VS.; ŚBr.; MBh.; R.; BhP.”; kṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 301, col. 3

स्वस्ति svasti

Goodness itself.

Shankara: His own self is good by nature; it is supreme bliss. (pp. 146–147)

Dictionary: sv-asti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1283, col. 1 “well-being, fortune, luck, success, prosperity, RV.; VS.; ŚBr.; MBh.; R.; BhP.”

स्वस्तिभुक् svastibhuk

He who enjoys and guards what is good.

Shankara: He enjoys that same good; or he protects the welfare of his devotees. (p. 147)

Dictionary: sv-asti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1283, col. 1 “well-being, fortune, luck, success, prosperity, RV.; VS.; ŚBr.; MBh.; R.; BhP.”; 3. bhuj, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 759, col. 2

स्वस्तिदक्षिणः svastidakṣiṇaḥ

He who is quick to give what is good.

Shankara: He grows in the form of welfare, or he is able to give it. Or “dakshina” means “quick”: he alone can give welfare quickly, because all success comes merely by remembering him. Shankara quotes verses: “at whose remembrance every good arises, I take refuge in that unborn, eternal Hari”; and by the mere remembrance of Krishna, the cage of a heap of sins breaks into a hundred pieces, like a mountain struck by the thunderbolt. (p. 147)

Dictionary: sv-asti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1283, col. 1 “well-being, fortune, luck, success, prosperity, RV.; VS.; ŚBr.; MBh.; R.; BhP.”; dakṣiṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 465, col. 2 “able, clever, dexterous”

अरौद्रः araudraḥ

He who is never fierce.

Shankara: Three things are “fierce”: a cruel act, passion and anger. He has none of the three, because he has all he wishes for and so has no liking or dislike. (p. 147)

Dictionary: a-raudra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 89, col. 1 “not formidable”

कुण्डली kuṇḍalī

He who wears earrings; he who is Shesha.

Shankara: He takes the form of the serpent Shesha (coiled). Or he wears earrings like the disc of the sun. Or Sankhya and Yoga are his two earrings, shaped like the makara. (p. 147)

Dictionary: kuṇḍalin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 290, col. 1 “decorated with ear-rings, MBh.; R. &c.; circular, annulate, Hariv. 4664; (ī), m. a snake”

चक्री cakrī

He who bears the discus.

Shankara: To protect all the worlds he holds the discus Sudarshana, which is the principle of mind. Shankara quotes the Vishnu Purana: Vishnu holds in his hand the mind, in the form of the discus, which moves faster than the wind. (pp. 147–148)

Dictionary: cakrin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 381, col. 3 “having wheels, L.; driving in a carriage, Gaut.; Mn. ii, 138; Yājñ. i, 117; bearing a discus, or (m.) 'discus-bearer,' Kṛishṇa”

विक्रमी vikramī

He who has the great stride; the valiant one.

Shankara: Vikrama is a stride, or valour. In both he is unlike any other person. (p. 148)

Dictionary: vi-kramin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 955, col. 3

ऊर्जितशासनः ūrjitaśāsanaḥ

He whose command is mighty.

Shankara: His command, the Veda and the smriti, is mighty. Shankara quotes the Lord: “Shruti and smriti are my own commands; whoever breaks them is my enemy, and though my devotee, is not a Vaishnava”. (p. 148)

Dictionary: ūrjita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 221, col. 3 “endowed with strength or power, strong, mighty, powerful, excellent, great, important”; śāsana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1068, col. 3 “punishing, a punisher”

शब्दातिगः śabdātigaḥ

He who is beyond words.

Shankara: Words name things by class and the like, and he has none of these, so words cannot speak of him. Shankara quotes the Taittiriya Upanishad: “from which words turn back, with the mind, not reaching it”. (p. 148)

Dictionary: śabda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1052, col. 2 “sound, noise, voice, tone, note”; ati-ga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 13, col. 3 “(ifc.) exceeding, overcoming, surpassing (cf. śokâtiga); transgressing, violating”

शब्दसहः śabdasahaḥ

He of whom all the Vedas speak.

Shankara: All the Vedas speak of him as their real aim. Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad, “the goal that all the Vedas declare”, and the Gita (15.15). (p. 148)

Dictionary: śabda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1052, col. 2 “sound, noise, voice, tone, note”; saha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1193, col. 1 “... overcoming, vanquishing, MBh.; bearing, enduring, withstanding, defying, equal to, a match for (gen. or comp.)”

शिशिरः śiśiraḥ

He who is cool like the cool season.

Shankara: He is the place of rest and coolness for those burnt by the three kinds of suffering. (p. 148)

Dictionary: śiśira, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1076, col. 1 “cool, chilly, cold, frigid, freezing, R.; VarBṛS. &c.; m. n. cold, coolness, hoar-frost, dew”

शर्वरीकरः śarvarīkaraḥ

He who makes the night.

Shankara: To the worldly, the Self is like night; to the wise, worldly life is night. He makes both. Shankara quotes the Gita (2.69): “what is night for all beings, in that the self-controlled is awake”. (p. 148)

Dictionary: śarvarī, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1058, col. 3 “the (star-spangled) night, RV.; evening, twilight, L.”; kara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 253, col. 1 “a doer, maker, causer, doing, making, causing, producing”

अक्रूरः akrūraḥ

He who is never cruel.

Shankara: Cruelty is a state of mind born of anger. He has all he wishes for, so he has no desire and hence no anger, and no cruelty. (p. 149)

Dictionary: a-krūra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 3, col. 1 “not cruel, gentle”

पेशलः peśalaḥ

The gracious one.

Shankara: He is beautiful in deed, mind, word and body. (p. 149)

Dictionary: peśala, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 648, col. 3

दक्षः dakṣaḥ

The able one.

Shankara: One who is mature, capable and quick to act is called daksha; all three are fixed in him. (p. 149)

Dictionary: dakṣa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 465, col. 1 “able, fit, adroit, expert, clever, dexterous, industrious, intelligent”

दक्षिणः dakṣiṇaḥ

The able one; he who goes everywhere.

Shankara: Dakshina has the same sense as daksha; since the words differ, it is not a repetition. Or it comes from daksh, “to go” or “to strike”. (p. 149)

Dictionary: dakṣiṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 465, col. 2 “able, clever, dexterous”

क्षमिणां वरः kṣamiṇāṃ varaḥ

The best of those who forbear.

Shankara: He is the best of the patient, of yogis, and of those who bear loads, such as the earth; Valmiki says of Rama, “like the earth in forbearance”. Or he is above even the earth, because he bears the whole universe and is not burdened. Or “kshamin” means “able”, and he, who has all powers, is the ablest. (p. 149)

Dictionary: kṣamin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 326, col. 3; 2. vara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 922, col. 1

विद्वत्तमः vidvattamaḥ

The wisest of the wise.

Shankara: He always has knowledge of everything, and none greater can be; no one else has it. (p. 149)

Dictionary: vidvat-tama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 964, col. 3 “m. ‘wisest, very wise,’ N. of Śiva, Śivag.”; vidvas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 964, col. 3 “one who knows, knowing, understanding, learned, intelligent, wise, mindful of, familiar with, skilled in (acc., loc., or comp.)”

वीतभयः vītabhayaḥ

He who is free of fear.

Shankara: The fear that belongs to worldly life has gone from him, because he is lord of all and ever free. (p. 149)

Dictionary: vīta-bhaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1004, col. 2 “'fearless, undaunted,' N. of Śiva, Śivag.; of Vishṇu, L.”

पुण्यश्रवणकीर्तनः puṇyaśravaṇakīrtanaḥ

He whom it brings merit to hear of and to praise.

Shankara: Hearing of him and singing of him bring merit. Shankara quotes the closing verse of this hymn: “whoever hears this every day, or recites it”. (pp. 149–150)

Dictionary: puṇya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 632, col. 1 “auspicious, propitious, fair, pleasant, good, right, virtuous, meritorious, pure, holy, sacred”; śravaṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1096, col. 3 “the act of hearing (also 'that which is heard' = śruti, q.v.”; kīrtana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 285, col. 1 “mentioning, repeating, saying, telling”

उत्तारणः uttāraṇaḥ

He who carries people across.

Shankara: He lifts people out of the ocean of worldly life and carries them across. (p. 150)

Dictionary: ut-tāraṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 179, col. 3 “transporting over, MBh.; bringing over, rescuing; (am), n. the act of landing, delivering; rescuing; helping to cross over or escape”

दुष्कृतिहा duṣkṛtihā

He who destroys wrong deeds.

Shankara: He destroys bad deeds, which are called sins; or he destroys those who do evil. (p. 150)

Dictionary: duṣ-kṛti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 487, col. 3 “acting wickedly, an evil-doer”; han, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1287, col. 2 “to strike, beat (also a drum), pound, hammer (acc.), strike &c. upon (loc.), RV. &c. &c.; to smite, slay, hit, kill, mar, destroy”

पुण्यः puṇyaḥ

The holy one, who makes others holy.

Shankara: He gives merit to all who remember him and the like. Or he teaches all what is meritorious through the words of the Veda and the smriti. (p. 150)

Dictionary: puṇya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 632, col. 1 “auspicious, propitious, fair, pleasant, good, right, virtuous, meritorious, pure, holy, sacred”

दुःस्वप्ननाशनः duḥsvapnanāśanaḥ

He who destroys bad dreams.

Shankara: When he is meditated on, praised, sung of and worshipped, he removes the bad dreams that are taken as signs of coming harm. (p. 150)

Dictionary: duḥ-svapna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 483, col. 2 “a bad dream”; nāśana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 538, col. 1 “destroying &c. = prec. (with gen. or ifc.), VS.; MBh. &c.; n. destruction, removal”

वीरहा vīrahā

He who ends the many paths of worldly life.

Shankara: By giving liberation he ends the many (vi) paths (ira) of beings caught in worldly life. (p. 150)

Dictionary: vīra-han, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1006, col. 2 “slaying men or enemies, TS.; Br.; MBh.; R.; m. destroyer of sacrificial fire ...; N. of Vishṇu, MW.”

रक्षणः rakṣaṇaḥ

The protector.

Shankara: Standing in the quality of sattva, he protects the three worlds. (p. 150)

Dictionary: rakṣaṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 859, col. 3 “'protector,' N. of Vishṇu, MBh.; (ā), f. guarding, protection”

सन्तः santaḥ

The good: he lives in good people.

Shankara: The good are those who walk the right path; he himself lives in their form, to make knowledge and humility grow. (p. 150)

Dictionary: sat, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1134, col. 2 “being, existing, occurring, happening, being present ...; real, actual, as any one or anything ought to be, true, good, right ..., beautiful, wise, venerable, honest”

जीवनः jīvanaḥ

He who gives life.

Shankara: As the breath of life (prana) he keeps all creatures alive. (p. 150)

Dictionary: jīvana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 423, col. 2 “vivifying, giving life, enlivening”

पर्यवस्थितः paryavasthitaḥ

He who stands all around the world.

Shankara: He pervades the whole world on every side and stays so. (p. 150)

Dictionary: pary-ava-sthita, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 607, col. 2 “standing, stationed; (with loc.) contained in, devoted or attached to, intent upon, occupied with”

अनन्तरूपः anantarūpaḥ

He who has endless forms.

Shankara: He exists as the whole world, so his forms are endless. (p. 151)

Dictionary: an-anta-rūpa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 25, col. 1 “having innumerable forms or shapes”

अनन्तश्रीः anantaśrīḥ

He whose glory is endless.

Shankara: His glory, his supreme power, is endless. Shankara quotes the Shvetashvatara Upanishad: “his supreme power is heard of as manifold”. (p. 151)

Dictionary: an-anta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 25, col. 1 “endless, boundless, eternal, infinite; (as), m., N. of Vishṇu”; 3. śrī, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1098, col. 2

जितमन्युः jitamanyuḥ

He who has conquered anger.

Shankara: He has conquered anger (manyu). (p. 151)

Dictionary: jita-manyu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 420, col. 3 “= -kopa; m. Vishṇu, L.”

भयापहः bhayāpahaḥ

He who takes away fear.

Shankara: He removes the fear that worldly life brings to people. (p. 151)

Dictionary: bhaya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 747, col. 1 “fear, alarm, dread”; apa-ha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 53, col. 2 “ifc. keeping back, repelling, removing, destroying”

चतुरश्रः caturaśraḥ

The just one.

Shankara: He is just: he gives each person the fruit that fits their deeds. (p. 151)

Dictionary: catur-aśra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 384, col. 2 “four-cornered, quadrangular, KātyŚr.; Kauś.; Pāṇ. v, 4, 120; Hariv. 12378 &c.; regular”

गभीरात्मा gabhīrātmā

He whose nature is too deep to measure.

Shankara: His self, that is his nature or his mind, is so deep that it cannot be measured. (p. 151)

Dictionary: gabhīra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 346, col. 2; ātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 1 “the breath, RV.; the soul, principle of life and sensation”

विदिशः vidiśaḥ

He who gives each their due.

Shankara: He gives different fruits to those entitled to them, each in a special way. (p. 151)

Dictionary: 3. vi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 949, col. 3 “apart, asunder, in different directions, to and fro, about, away, away from, off, without, RV. &c. &c. ... It is esp. used as a prefix to verbs or nouns ... to express 'division,' 'distinction,' 'distribution,' 'arrangement,' 'order,' 'opposition,' or 'deliberation'”; diś, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 479, col. 3 “to point out, show, exhibit”

व्यादिशः vyādiśaḥ

He who gives commands to all.

Shankara: He gives various commands to Indra and the other gods. (p. 151)

Dictionary: 2. vy-ā-√diś, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1037, col. 1 “to point out separately, divide among, distribute, TS. &c. &c.; to point out, show, explain, teach, R.; Prab.; to prescribe, enjoin, MBh.; Kāv. &c.; to appoint, assign, despatch to any place or duty, direct, order”

दिशः diśaḥ

He who shows the fruit of deeds.

Shankara: As the Veda, he points out the fruits of all deeds. (p. 151)

Dictionary: diś, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 479, col. 3 “to point out, show, exhibit”

अनादिः anādiḥ

He who has no beginning.

Shankara: He has no beginning, that is, no cause, because he is the cause of all. (p. 152)

Dictionary: an-ādi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 28, col. 1 “having no beginning, existing from eternity”

भूर्भुवः bhūrbhuvaḥ

The support even of the earth.

Shankara: Bhuh means support. The earth is known as the support of all beings, and he is the support even of the earth. (p. 152)

Dictionary: 2. bhū, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 760, col. 3; bhuvas, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 760, col. 3 “the air, atmosphere (one of the 3 sacred utterances or Vyāhṛitis [q. v.] uttered between bhūr, earth, and svar [qq. vv.], heaven”

लक्ष्मीः lakṣmīḥ

The beauty and the wisdom of the worlds.

Shankara: He is the beauty (lakshmi) of the earth. Or Lakshmi is the knowledge of the Self; Shankara quotes a hymn to Shri: “and you, goddess, are the knowledge of the Self”. Or he is the beauty of earth and sky. (p. 152)

Dictionary: lakṣmī, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 892, col. 3 “a good sign, good fortune, prosperity, success, happiness (also pl.), AV. &c. &c.; wealth, riches, Kāv.; Rājat.; beauty, loveliness, grace, charm, splendour, lustre, MBh.; Kāv. &c.; N. of the goddess of fortune”

सुवीरः suvīraḥ

He who moves in many fair ways.

Shankara: His ways of moving (ira) are fair and many; or he moves in many fair ways. (p. 152)

Dictionary: su-vīra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1234, col. 1 “very manly, heroic, warlike, RV.; AV.; VS.; rich in men or heroes ...; m. a hero, warrior, RV.”

रुचिराङ्गदः rucirāṅgadaḥ

He who wears bright armlets.

Shankara: His armlets (angada) are bright and auspicious. (p. 152)

Dictionary: rucira, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 882, col. 2 “bright, brilliant, radiant, splendid, beautiful, MBh.; Kāv. &c.; pleasant, charming, agreeable to, liked by (gen. or comp.)”; aṅga-da, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 7, col. 3 “(am), n. a bracelet worn on the upper arm”

जननः jananaḥ

He who gives birth to beings.

Shankara: He brings creatures into being. Shankara explains the grammar of the word. (p. 152)

Dictionary: janana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 410, col. 3 “ifc. generating, begetting, producing, causing, Mn. ix, 81; MBh.; Hariv. &c.; m. a progenitor, creator”

जनजन्मादिः janajanmādiḥ

The root cause of the birth of all who are born.

Shankara: He is the first, root cause of the birth of every being that is born. (p. 152)

Dictionary: jana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 410, col. 1 “creature, living being, man, person, race”; janman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 411, col. 3 “birth, production”; ādi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 136, col. 3 “beginning, commencement; a firstling, first-fruits”

भीमः bhīmaḥ

The awe-inspiring one.

Shankara: He is the cause of fear. Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad: “a great terror, like a raised thunderbolt”. (p. 152)

Dictionary: bhīma, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 758, col. 1 “fearful, terrific, terrible, awful, formidable, tremendous, RV. &c. &c.”

भीमपराक्रमः bhīmaparākramaḥ

He whose valour is awe-inspiring.

Shankara: In his descents (avatara) his valour makes the asuras and others afraid. (p. 152)

Dictionary: bhīma-parākrama, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 758, col. 2 “possessing formidable power or prowess”

आधारनिलयः ādhāranilayaḥ

The support of the supports.

Shankara: The five elements, earth and the rest, are supports, and he is their support. (p. 153)

Dictionary: ā-dhāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 139, col. 1; ni-laya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 558, col. 3 “rest, resting-place”

अधाता adhātā

He who has no one to uphold him.

Shankara: He is held up by his own self, and no one else upholds him. Or, read “dhata”, at the dissolution he drinks up all creatures, from the root dhe, “to drink”. (p. 153)

Dictionary: dhātṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 514, col. 1 “later chiefly the creator and maintainer of the world = Brahmā or Prajā-pati”

पुष्पहासः puṣpahāsaḥ

He who opens like a flower.

Shankara: As flowers in bud open in a smile, so he opens out as the world. (p. 153)

Dictionary: puṣpa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 639, col. 2 “a flower, blossom”; hāsa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1294, col. 2 “laughing, laughter, mirth (often in pl.), MBh.; Kāv. &c.”

प्रजागरः prajāgaraḥ

He who is always awake.

Shankara: His nature is ever awake, so he is fully awake. (p. 153)

Dictionary: pra-jāgara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 659, col. 1 “one who wakes, waking, MBh. &c.; m. a watchman, guardian, BhP.; N. of Vishṇu”

ऊर्ध्वगः ūrdhvagaḥ

He who stands above all.

Shankara: He stands above all. (p. 153)

Dictionary: ūrdhva-ga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 222, col. 1 “going upwards, ascending, hovering, MBh.; Suśr. &c.; being above, high”

सत्पथाचारः satpathācāraḥ

He who walks the path of the good.

Shankara: The deeds of the good are the “good paths”, and he follows them. (p. 153)

Dictionary: sat-patha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1134, col. 3 “a good or right way, correct or virtuous conduct, orthodox doctrine, MBh.; Hariv.; R. &c.”; ā-cāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 131, col. 3 “conduct, manner of action, behaviour, good behaviour, good conduct”

प्राणदः prāṇadaḥ

He who gives back life.

Shankara: He brought the dead back to life, Parikshit and others. (p. 153)

Dictionary: prāṇa-da, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 705, col. 2 “life-giving, saving or preserving life, AV. &c. &c.; ... N. of Brahmā, L.; of Vishṇu, A.”

प्रणवः praṇavaḥ

The sacred syllable Om.

Shankara: Pranava is the syllable Om, which names the Supreme Self; he is called by it because the name and the named are not different. (p. 153)

Dictionary: pra-ṇava, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 660, col. 3 “(ifc. f. ā) the mystical or sacred syllable Om”

पणः paṇaḥ

He who deals with the world.

Shankara: “Pan” means to deal, to transact. He does this: Shankara quotes the Veda, “the wise one, having shaped all forms and given them names, goes on speaking of them”. Or he gathers all good deeds as a price (pana) and gives their fruit to those who earned it. (p. 153)

Dictionary: paṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 580, col. 1 “... a stake, a bet or a wager ...; a compact, stipulation, agreement, treaty, Kathās.; Vet.; Hit.; the thing staked or the sum played for, wages, hire, reward”

प्रमाणम् pramāṇam

He who is knowledge itself.

Shankara: He is knowing itself, awareness that shines by itself. Shankara quotes the Upanishad, “consciousness is Brahman”, and the Vishnu Purana: in truth he is pure knowledge, and only through error is he seen as objects. (p. 154)

Dictionary: pramāṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 685, col. 3 “measure, scale, standard”

प्राणनिलयः prāṇanilayaḥ

He in whom the life-breaths rest.

Shankara: The senses (pranas) merge in the soul, which depends on him; or the breaths that hold the body merge in him; or the soul (prana) merges in the supreme Person; or he draws back into himself the breaths and the souls. (p. 154)

Dictionary: 2. prāṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 705, col. 1 “the breath of life, breath, respiration, spirit, vitality; pl. life, RV. &c. &c.”; ni-laya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 558, col. 3 “rest, resting-place”

प्राणभृत् prāṇabhṛt

He who feeds the life-breaths.

Shankara: As food he nourishes the life-breaths. (p. 154)

Dictionary: prāṇa-bhṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 705, col. 3 “supporting l°, TS.; ŚBr.; = -bhāj, ŚBr. &c. &c.; ... N. of Vishṇu, A.”

प्राणजीवनः prāṇajīvanaḥ

He who keeps living beings alive by breath.

Shankara: He keeps living beings alive by the breaths called prana. Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad: “no mortal lives by the out-breath or the in-breath; they live by another, on which these two rest”. (p. 154)

Dictionary: 2. prāṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 705, col. 1 “the breath of life, breath, respiration, spirit, vitality; pl. life, RV. &c. &c.”; jīvana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 423, col. 2 “vivifying, giving life, enlivening”

तत्त्वम् tattvam

The truth, reality itself.

Shankara: “Tattva”, “what is”, “the deathless”, “the true”, “the highest reality” all have one meaning: they are words for Brahman, which truly is. (p. 154)

Dictionary: tat-tva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 432, col. 3

तत्त्ववित् tattvavit

He who knows the truth.

Shankara: He knows the truth, his own nature, as it is. (p. 154)

Dictionary: tat-tva-vid, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 433, col. 1 “knowing the true nature of (gen.)”

एकात्मा ekātmā

The one Self.

Shankara: He is one, and he is the Self. Shankara quotes the Aitareya Upanishad, “in the beginning this was the Self alone”, and a smriti verse that explains the word atman. (p. 154)

Dictionary: ekātman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 230, col. 1 “the one spirit, MāṇḍUp.; (mfn.) depending solely on one's self, being without any friend, only, alone, MBh.; having the same nature”

जन्ममृत्युजरातिगः janmamṛtyujarātigaḥ

He who is beyond birth, death and old age.

Shankara: He goes beyond the six changes of things: being born, existing, growing, changing, decaying and perishing. Shankara quotes the Katha Upanishad: “the wise one is not born and does not die”. (p. 154)

Dictionary: janman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 411, col. 3 “birth, production”; mṛtyu, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 827, col. 3 “death, dying, RV. &c. &c.; ... Death personified, the god of d° (sometimes identified with Yama or with Vishṇu ...)”; jarā, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 413, col. 3 “the act of becoming old, old age”; ati-ga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 13, col. 3 “(ifc.) exceeding, overcoming, surpassing (cf. śokâtiga); transgressing, violating”

भूर्भुवःस्वस्तरुः bhūrbhuvaḥsvastaruḥ

He who crosses the three worlds by the sacred words; the tree of the three worlds.

Shankara: Bhuh, bhuvah and svah, the three sacred utterances (vyahriti), are the bright essence of the three Vedas. Through them, by fire offerings, he carries the three worlds across; Shankara quotes Manu: the offering cast into the fire reaches the sun, from the sun comes rain, from rain food, from food creatures. Or he is the tree of worldly life of the three worlds; or he spreads through them like a tree. (p. 155)

Dictionary: bhūr, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 763, col. 3 “one of the 3 Vyāhṛitis (q.v.), 'the earth' (the first of the 7 upper worlds; cf. bhúvas)”; 2. taru, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 439, col. 2

तारः tāraḥ

He who carries across.

Shankara: He carries people across the ocean of worldly life; or he is the syllable Om. (p. 155)

Dictionary: tāra, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 443, col. 3 “carrying across, a saviour, protector (Rudra), VS. xvi, 40; ŚiraUp.; (Vishṇu) MBh. xiii, 6986”

सविता savitā

The father of all.

Shankara: He is the father of the whole world. (p. 155)

Dictionary: savitṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1190, col. 2 “... personified as the divine influence and vivifying power of the sun ...; he is also reckoned among the Ādityas [q. v.], and is even worshipped as 'lord of all creatures,' supporting the world and delivering his votaries from sin”; pitṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 626, col. 2 “a father”

प्रपितामहः prapitāmahaḥ

The father even of the grandfather.

Shankara: He is the father even of Brahma, the grandfather of the world. (p. 155)

Dictionary: pra-pitāmaha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 682, col. 2 “a paternal great-grandfather, VS.; TS.; (°mahá) AV. &c. &c.; N. of Kṛishṇa and Brahmā, MBh.”

यज्ञः yajñaḥ

Sacrifice itself.

Shankara: He is sacrifice (yajna); Shankara explains the word as “he who brings together”. (p. 155)

Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”

यज्ञपतिः yajñapatiḥ

The lord of sacrifices.

Shankara: He protects sacrifices, or he is their lord. Shankara quotes the Gita (9.24): “I am the enjoyer and the lord of all sacrifices”. (p. 155)

Dictionary: yajña-pati, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 3 “lord of s° (applied to any one who institutes and bears the expense of a s°), RV.; Br.; ŚrS.; N. of Soma and Vishṇu (as gods in whose honour a s° is performed)”

यज्वा yajvā

The one who sacrifices.

Shankara: He stands as the one who performs the sacrifice (yajamana). (p. 155)

Dictionary: yajvan, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 840, col. 3 “worshipping, a worshipper, sacrificer, RV. &c. &c.”

यज्ञाङ्गः yajñāṅgaḥ

He whose limbs are the sacrifice: the Boar.

Shankara: Sacrifices are his limbs: this is the form of the Boar. Shankara quotes a long passage of the Harivamsha that names each limb of the Boar as a part of the sacrifice: the Vedas his feet, the sacrificial post his tusks, and so on. (pp. 155–156)

Dictionary: yajñāṅga, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 840, col. 2 “'s°-limb,' a part or means or instrument or requisite of a s°, ŚrS.; Kum.; ... N. of Vishṇu-Kṛishṇa, MBh.”

यज्ञवाहनः yajñavāhanaḥ

He who carries the sacrifices forward.

Shankara: He makes the sacrifices, which bring their fruits, go forward. (p. 156)

Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”; 2. vāhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 949, col. 2 “... guiding (horses), MBh.; any vehicle or conveyance or draught-animal, carriage, chariot, waggon, horse, elephant”

यज्ञभृत् yajñabhṛt

He who upholds the sacrifice.

Shankara: He upholds the sacrifice, or protects it. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña-bhṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 840, col. 1 “'s°-bearer,' the institutor of a s°, VarBṛS.; N. of Vishṇu, MBh.”

यज्ञकृत् yajñakṛt

He who makes the sacrifice.

Shankara: At the beginning of the world he makes the sacrifice, and at its end he cuts it off. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña-kṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 3 “worshipping, performing a s°, TS.; BhP.; causing or occasioning s°s (said of Vishṇu), MBh.”

यज्ञी yajñī

The master of the sacrifice.

Shankara: Sacrifices are his worship, so he is the one they serve. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajñin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 840, col. 3 “abounding in sacrifices (said of Vishṇu), MBh.”

यज्ञभुक् yajñabhuk

He who receives the sacrifice.

Shankara: He enjoys the sacrifice, or protects it. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña-bhuj, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 840, col. 1 “'s°-enjoyer,' a god (esp. Vishṇu)”

यज्ञसाधनः yajñasādhanaḥ

He whom sacrifice helps to reach.

Shankara: Sacrifices are the means to reach him. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”; sādhana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1201, col. 1 “leading straight to a goal, guiding well, furthering, RV.; effective, efficient, productive of (comp.), MBh.; Kāv. &c.”

यज्ञान्तकृत् yajñāntakṛt

He who brings the sacrifice to its end.

Shankara: He brings about the end of the sacrifice, its fruit. Or he completes it with the full offering (purnahuti) made while a verse to Vishnu is recited. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”; anta-kṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 42, col. 3

यज्ञगुह्यम् yajñaguhyam

The secret of the sacrifice.

Shankara: The secret of sacrifices is the sacrifice of knowledge, or sacrifice done without seeking its fruit. Brahman is called by that name because it is not different from it. (p. 157)

Dictionary: yajña, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 839, col. 2 “worship, devotion, prayer, praise; act of worship or devotion, offering, oblation, sacrifice”; guhya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 360, col. 3 “to be covered or concealed or hidden or kept secret, concealable, private, secret, mysterious, mystical”

अन्नम् annam

Food.

Shankara: He is eaten, and he eats beings. (p. 157)

Dictionary: anna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 45, col. 1 “food or victuals, especially boiled rice; bread corn; food in a mystical sense (or the lowest form in which the supreme soul is manifested, the coarsest envelope of the Supreme Spirit)”

अन्नादः annādaḥ

The eater of food.

Shankara: He eats the food. Shankara adds that “eva” (indeed) shows that the whole world, as food and eater, is he alone, and “ca” (and) shows that all the names apply together to the one supreme Person. (p. 157)

Dictionary: annāda, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 45, col. 2 “eating food”

आत्मयोनिः ātmayoniḥ

He who is his own source.

Shankara: His own self is his material cause (the stuff he is made of); there is no other. (p. 157)

Dictionary: ātma-yoni, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 135, col. 3 “(= -bhū, q. v.) a N. of Brahmā, ŚvetUp.; of Śiva, L.; of Vishṇu, Mudr.”

स्वयंजातः svayaṃjātaḥ

He who is self-born.

Shankara: The name shows that he is also the cause that makes (the efficient cause). Shankara refers to the Brahma Sutra (1.4.23), which shows that Hari is both kinds of cause. (pp. 157–158)

Dictionary: svayaṃ-jāta, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1278, col. 2 “self-born, s°-produced, brought into any state spontaneously, KātyŚr.”

वैखानः vaikhānaḥ

He who dug deep into the earth.

Shankara: He dug the earth in a special way: in the form of the Boar he dug down to the nether world and slew Hiranyaksha, as the Puranas tell. (p. 158)

Dictionary: vaikhāna, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1020, col. 3 “N. of Vishṇu, MBh.”

सामगायनः sāmagāyanaḥ

He who sings the Saman hymns.

Shankara: He sings the Samans. (p. 158)

Dictionary: 3. sāman, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1205, col. 1 “a metrical hymn or song of praise, (esp.) a partic. kind of sacred text or verse called a Sāman (intended to be chanted, and forming, with ṛic, yajus, chandas, one of the 4 kinds of Vedic composition mentioned first in RV. x, 90, 9)”; gāyana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 352, col. 3 “(Pāṇ. iii, 1, 147) a singer, praiser”

देवकीनन्दनः devakīnandanaḥ

The son of Devaki.

Shankara: He is Devaki's son. Shankara quotes the Mahabharata: the bright lights of the world, the three worlds, their guardians, the three Vedas, the three fires, the five offerings and all the gods are the son of Devaki alone. (p. 158)

Dictionary: devakī-nandana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 495, col. 3 “m. N. of Kṛishṇa”

स्रष्टा sraṣṭā

The creator.

Shankara: He is the creator of the whole world. (p. 158)

Dictionary: sraṣṭṛ, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1274, col. 1 “one who emits or discharges (water &c.), MBh.; a maker, author, Nir.; Rājat.; a creator, the creator of the universe (applied to Brahmā, Śiva &c.)”

क्षितीशः kṣitīśaḥ

The lord of the earth.

Shankara: He is lord of the earth (kshiti): Rama, son of Dasharatha. (p. 158)

Dictionary: 2. kṣiti, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 327, col. 3 “an abode, dwelling, habitation, house ..., RV.; (Naigh. i, 1) the earth, soil of the earth, Mn.; MBh.; R. &c.”; īśa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 171, col. 1

पापनाशनः pāpanāśanaḥ

He who destroys sin.

Shankara: When he is sung of, worshipped, meditated on and remembered, he destroys heaps of sin. Shankara quotes Vriddha-Shatatapa: the sin that a fortnight's fast or a hundred or a thousand breath-controls remove is removed in a moment by meditating on Hari. (p. 158)

Dictionary: pāpa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 618, col. 2; nāśana, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 538, col. 1 “destroying &c. = prec. (with gen. or ifc.), VS.; MBh. &c.; n. destruction, removal”

शङ्खभृत् śaṅkhabhṛt

He who bears the conch.

Shankara: He holds the conch Panchajanya, which stands for the ego from which the elements arise. (pp. 158–159)

Dictionary: śaṅkha-bhṛt, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1047, col. 3 “'conch-bearer,' N. of Vishṇu”

नन्दकी nandakī

He who bears the sword Nandaka.

Shankara: He has the sword named Nandaka, which is made of knowledge (vidya). (p. 159)

Dictionary: nandakin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 526, col. 3 “N. of Kṛishṇa's sword, MBh.; (°kin, m. its possessor, i.e. Kṛishṇa, ib.)”

चक्री cakrī

He who bears the discus.

Shankara: He has the discus Sudarshana, which stands for the mind. Or the wheel of worldly life turns at his command. (p. 159)

Dictionary: cakrin, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 381, col. 3 “having wheels, L.; driving in a carriage, Gaut.; Mn. ii, 138; Yājñ. i, 117; bearing a discus, or (m.) 'discus-bearer,' Kṛishṇa”

शार्ङ्गधन्वा śārṅgadhanvā

He who bears the bow Sharnga.

Shankara: He has the bow named Sharnga, which stands for the ego from which the senses arise. (p. 159)

Dictionary: śārṅga-dhanvan, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1066, col. 3 “= -dhanus ('armed with the bow Śārṅga,' N. of Vishṇu-Krishṇa), MBh.; Kāv. &c.”

गदाधरः gadādharaḥ

He who bears the mace.

Shankara: He carries the mace named Kaumodaki, which stands for the intellect (buddhi). (p. 159)

Dictionary: 2. gadā-dhara, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 344, col. 3 “bearing a club, VarBṛS. lviii, 34; Siṃhâs.; m. Kṛishṇa (cf. kaumodakī), BhP. i, 8, 39”

रथाङ्गपाणिः rathāṅgapāṇiḥ

He who holds the wheel in his hand.

Shankara: The chariot-wheel, the discus, is in his hand. (p. 159)

Dictionary: rathāṅga-pāṇi, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 866, col. 1 “'having a discus in his hand,' N. of Vishṇu, Hariv.; BhP. &c.”

अक्षोभ्यः akṣobhyaḥ

He who cannot be shaken.

Shankara: Because he holds these weapons, no one can shake him. (p. 159)

Dictionary: a-kṣobhya, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 4, col. 1 “immovable, imperturbable”

सर्वप्रहरणायुधः sarvapraharaṇāyudhaḥ

He who has every weapon.

Shankara: His weapons are not limited to these few: every striking thing is his weapon, even things not known as weapons, such as nails (as in his Man-Lion form). (p. 159)

Dictionary: sarva, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 1184, col. 3 “whole, entire, all, every”; pra-haraṇa, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 701, col. 1 “striking, beating, pecking, Pañcat.; attack, combat, MBh.; ... a weapon (ifc. f. ā), MBh.; Kāv. &c.”; ā-yudha, Monier-Williams 1899, p. 149, col. 1 “a weapon”