Hindu Vedic Philosophy (The Spiritual Brindavan

Thou art Dhatri,
Thou art Sakra,
Thou art Visnu,
Thou art Mitra,
Thou art Tashtri, the celestial artificer,
Thou art the Pole Star,
Thou art he that upholds all things,
Thou art he called Prabhava amongst the Vasus,
Thou art the wind which is capable of going everywhere,
This refers to the Sutra-atman that connects all things in the universe, in the nature of an invisible thread.
Thou art Aryaman,
Thou art Savitri,
Thou art Ravi,
Thou art Ushangu, the ancient king of great celebrity,
Thou art he that protects all creatures in diverse ways,
Thou art Mandhatri,
Mandhatri is considered competent to gratify all creatures.
Thou art he, from whom all creatures start into life,
Thou art he that exists in diverse form,
Thou art he that causes the diverse hues to exist in the universe,
Thou art he that upholds all desires and all attributes (as they flow from Thee),
Thou art he that has the lotus on the navel,
Brahma is said to have been born within the primeval lotus that arose from the navel of Mahavisnu.
Thou art he within whose womb are innumerable mighty creatures,
Thou art of face as beautiful as the moon,
Thou art wind,
Thou art fire,
Thou art possessed of exceeding might,
Thou art endued with tranquility of soul,
Thou art old,
Thou art he that is known with the aid of righteousness,
Thou art Lakshmi,
Thou art the maker of the field of those actions (by which persons adore the supreme Deity),
Thou art he that lives in the field of action,
Thou art the soul of the field of action,
Thou art the medicine, or
Thou art the provoker of the attributes of sovereignty, and others,
The word Kuru is an abbreviation for the word Kurukshetra, meaning the field of action. It also means the actual field, so called, on which King Kuru performed his penances.
It is considered so sacred that its very dust cleanses a person of all sins.
Thou art all things,
According to the scriptures, all things become one in the Supreme Brahman.
Thou art the lord of all creatures endued with life-breaths,
Thou art the god of all gods,
Thou art he that is attached to felicity,
Thou art Sat (in the form of cause),
Thou art Asat (in the form of effect),
Thou art he that possesses the best of all things,
Thou art he that resides on the mountains of Kailasa,
Thou art he that returns to the mountains of Himavat,
Thou washest away all things beside Thee like a mighty current washing away trees and other objects standing in its way,
Thou art the maker of Pushkara and other large lakes of natural water,
Thou art possessed of knowledge of infinite kinds,
Thou art the giver of infinite blessings,
Thou art a merchant,
Thou art a carpenter,
Thou art the tree (of the world that supplies the timber for Thy axe),
Thou art the tree called Vakula (mimusops elengi, linn),
Thou art the sandal-wood tree,
Thou art the tree called Chcchada (alstonia scholaris, syn echitis, scholaris, roxb),
Thou art he, whose neck is very strong,
Thou art he, whose shoulder-joint is vast,
Thou art not restless (but endued with steadiness in all Thy acts and in respect of all Thy faculties),
Thou art the principal herbs and plants with their produce (in the form of rice and wheat, and the other varieties of grain),
Thou art he that grants success upon others in respect to the objects, upon which they bestow their heart,
Thou art all the correct conclusions in respect of both the Veda and Grammar,
Thou art he that utters leonine roars,
Thou art endued with leonine fangs,
Thou ridest on the back of a lion for performing Thy journeys,
Thou ownest a vehicle that is drawn by a lion,
Thou art he called the Truth of truth – the Soul of true existence,
Thou art he, whose dish or plate is constituted by the Destroyer of the universe,
People eat off plates of silver or gold or of other metals. Mahadeva has for his plate Kala or Destroyer of the universe.
Thou art always engaged in seeking the good of the worlds,
Thou art he that rescues all creatures from distress (and leads them to the felicity of emancipation),

Thou art the bird called Saranga,
Thou art a new (young) swan,
Thou art he that is displayed in beauty in consequence of the crest Thou bearest on the head (like the peacock),
Thou art he that protects the place where assemblies of the wise sit for dispensing justice,
Thou art the abode of all creatures,
Thou art the cherisher of all creatures,
Thou art day and night (the constituent elements of eternity),
Thou art he that is without fault and, therefore, never censured,
Thou art the upholder of all creatures,
Thou art the refuge of all creatures,
Thou art without birth,
Thou art existent,
Thou art ever-fruitful,
Thou art endued with dharana, dhyana and Samadhi,
Thou art the steed Ucchaisravas,
Thou art the giver of food,
Thou art he that upholds the life-breaths of living creatures,
Thou art endued with patience,
Thou art possessed of intelligence,
Thou art endued with exertion and cleverness,
Thou art honoured by all,
Thou art the giver of the fruits of righteousness and sin,
Thou art the cherisher of the senses,
Thou art the lord of all the luminaries,
Thou art collection of all objects,
Thou art he whose vestments are made of cowhides,
Thou art he that dispels the grief of his devotees,
Thou hast a golden arm,
Thou art he that protects the bodies of yogis, who seek to enter their own selves,
Thou art he that has reduced to nothingness all his foes,
Mahadeva is the foremost of sadhakas or worshippers engaged in acquiring a particular object, for he has reduced to nothingness all his foes in the form of all passions,
good and evil.
Thou art he the measure of whose bliss is very great,
Thou art he that achieved victory over the deity of irresistible desire,
Thou art he that has subjugated his senses,
Thou art the note called gandhara in the musical octave,
Thou art he that has an excellent and beautiful home (on the delightful mountains of Kailasa),
Thou art he that is ever attached to penances,
Thou art of the form of cheerfulness and contentment,
Thou art he called vast or infinite,
Thou art he in whose honour the foremost of hymns has been composed,
Thou art he, whose dancing is characterized by vast strides and large leaps,
Thou art he that is adored with reverence by the diverse groups of apsaras,
Thou art he that owns a vast standard (bearing the device of the bull),
Thou art the mountains of Meru,
Thou art he that roves among all the summits of that great mountain range,
Thou art so mobile that it is very difficult to seize Thee,
Thou art capable of being explained by preceptors to disciples, though Thou art incapable of being described in words,
Thou art of the form of that instruction, which preceptors impart to disciples,
Thou art he that can perceive all agreeable scents simultaneously,
Thou art of the form of the poached gates of towns and palaces,
Thou art of the form of the moats and ditches that surround fortified towns and give victory to the besieged garrison,
Thou art the Wind,
Thou art of the form of fortified cities and towns encompassed by walls and moats,
Thou art the prince of all winged creatures (of the form of Garuda),
Thou art he that multiplies the creation, with union by the opposite sexes,
Thou art the first of all, in respect of virtues and knowledge,
Thou art superior to even him, who is the first of all in virtues and knowledge,
Thou transcendest all virtue and knowledge,
Thou art eternal and immutable, as also dependent on Thyself,
Thou art the master and protector of the deities and asuras,
Thou art the master and protector of all creatures,
Thou art he that wears a coat of mail,
Thou art he whose arms are competent to grind all foes,
Thou art an object of adoration with even the Suparvan in heaven,
The Suparvan in heaven is otherwise called Mahan,
Thou art he that grants the power of bearing or upholding all things,
Mahadeva is He that makes creatures competent to bear all things such as grief and joy, and also bear the influence of all physical objects without life being destroyed.
Thou art capable of bearing all things,
Thou art fixed and steady,
Thou art white or pure,
Thou bearest the trident that is capable to destroy (all things),
Thou art the grantor of bodies or physical forms unto those that constantly revolve in the universe of birth and death (samsara),
Thou art more valuable than wealth,
Thou art the conduct or way of the righteous (in the form of goodness and courtesy),
Thou art he that had torn the head of Brahma after due deliberation,
Thou art he that is marked with all those auspicious marks stated in palmistry, phrenology and other branches of knowledge which treat the physical frame as the indicator of mind,

Thou art that wooden bar called aksha of a chariot and, therefore, art Thou he that is attached to the chariot represented by the body,
Thou art attached to all things as the all-pervading consciousness,
Thou art endowed with very great might, or
Thou art a hero of heroes,
Thou art the Veda,
Thou art the Smritis, the Itihasas, the Puranas and other scriptures,
Thou art the illustrious deity of every sacred shrine,
Thou art he that has the Earth for his car (chariot),
Thou art the inert elements that enter into the composition of every creature,
Thou art he that imparts life into every combination of those inert elements,
Thou art the Pranava and other sacred mantras that instill life into dead matter,
Thou art he that casts tranquil glances,
Thou art exceedingly harsh by Thy being the destroyer of all things,
Thou art he in who are innumerable precious attributes and possessions,
Thou hast a body that is red,
Thou art he that has all the vast oceans as so many ponds filled for Thy drinking,
The word nipana means a shallow pond or ditch where cattle drink. The very oceans are in the nature of nipanas for Mahadeva.
Thou art the root of the tree of the world,
Thou art exceedingly beautiful, and shinest with surpassing grandeur,
Thou art of the form of ambrosia or nectar,
Thou art both cause and effect,
Thou art an ocean of penances (being a great yogi),
Thou art he that is desirous of ascending to the highest state of existence,
Thou art he that has already attained to that state,
Thou art he that is distinguished for the purity of his conduct, acts and observances,
Thou art he that is possessed of great fame by virtue of the righteousness of his behavior,
Thou art the ornament of armies (as Thou art of the form of prowess and courage),
Thou art he that is adorned with celestial ornaments,
Thou art Yoga,
Thou art he from whom flow eternal Time measured by yugas and kalpas,
Thou art he that conveys all creatures from place,
This has reference to the incarnation of Trivikrama, the dwarf suddenly expanding his form till, with two steps, he covered heaven and earth, and demanded space for his third
step.
Thou art of the form of righteousness and sin, and their intermixture (as displayed in the successive yugas),
Thou art great and formless,
Thou art he that slew the mighty Asura that had approached Varanasi in the form of an infuriated elephant of vast proportions,
Thou art of the form of death,
Thou givest to all creatures such fruition of their wishes as accords with their merits,
Thou art approachable,
Thou art conversant with all things that are beyond the ken of the senses,
Thou art conversant with the tattvas,
Thou art he that incessantly shines in beauty,
Thou wearest garlands that stretch from Thy neck down to the feet,
Thou art that Hara that has the Moon for his beautiful eye,
Thou art the ocean of salt of vast expanse,
Thou art the first three Yugas – Krita, Treta and Dwapara,
Thou art he, whose appearance is always of advantage to others,
Thou art he that has three eyes in the form of the scriptures, the preceptor and meditation,
Thou art he whose forms are exceedingly subtle,
Thou art he whose ears are bored for wearing jewelled kundalas,
Thou art the bearer of matted locks,
Thou art the point which indicates the nasal sound,
Thou art the two dots – Visarga,
Thou art possessed of an excellent face,
Thou art the shaft that is shot by the warrior for destruction of his foe,
Thou art all the weapons that are used by warriors,
Thou art endued with patience capable of bearing all things,
Thou art he whose knowledge has risen from the cessation of all physical and mental functions (that is, who has possessed the knowledge of Yoga),
Thou art he that has become displayed as Truth (in consequence of the cessation of all other faculties),
Thou art that note which, arising from the region called gandhara, is exceedingly sonorous to the ear,
Thou art he that is armed with the mighty bow (called Pinaka),
Thou art he that is the understanding and the desires that exist in all creatures, besides being the supreme upholder of all beings,
Thou art he, from whom all acts flow,
Thou art that wind which rises at the time of universal dissolution capable of churning the entire universe even as the staff in the hands of the dairy-maid churns curd in the pot,
Thou art he that is full,
Thou art he that sees all things,
Thou art the sound that arises from slapping one palm against another,
Thou art he the palm of whose hand serves as the dish or plate whence to take his food,
Thou art he that is possessed of an adamantine body,
Thou art exceedingly great,
Thou art of the form of an umbrella,
Thou art he that has an excellent umbrella,
Thou art well-known to be identical with all creatures,
Thou art he that, having put forth three feet, covered the entire universe with two and wanted space for the third,

Thou art he, whose head is bald,
Thou art he, whose form is exceedingly ugly and fierce,
Thou art he that has undergone infinite modifications and become all things in the universe,
Thou art he that wears the well-known insignia of an ascetic, the stick,
Thou art he that has a kunda,
Thou art he that is incapable of being attained to by means of acts,
Thou art he that is identical with the lion,
Thou art of the form of all the points of the compass,
Thou art he that is armed with the thunder,
Thou art he that has a hundred tongues,
Thou art he that has a ‘thousand feet and thousand heads’,
Thou art the lord and the chief of the celestials,
Thou art he that is made up of all the gods,
Thou art the great Master or preceptor,
Thou art he that has thousand arms,
Thou art he that is competent to obtain the fruition of every wish,
Thou art he, whose protection is sought by everyone,
Thou art he that is the creator of all the worlds,
Thou art he that is the great cleanser of all from every kind of sin (in the form of shrines and sacred waters),
Thou art he that has three great mantras (Vija, Sakti and Kilakani),
Thou art the youngest son of Aditi and Kasyapa,
The youngest son of Aditi and Kasyapa was Upendra who, in the form of the dwarf, beguiled the asura Bali of his lordship of the three worlds, and restored it to the chief of
the celestials.
Thou art both black and tawny,
This refers to the form of Mahadeva known as Hari-Hara.
Thou art the maker of the Brahmana’s rod,
The thin bamboo rod in the hand of the Brahmana symbolizes the Brahmana’s might in the form of his curse. It is mightier than the thunderbolt of Indra. The thunderbolt
scorches only the exiting objects on which it falls. The Brahmana’s rod blasts even unborn generations. The might of the rod is derived from Mahadeva.
Thou art armed with the hundred-killer, the noose and the dart,
Thou art he that took his birth within the primeval lotus,
Thou art he that is endued with a vast womb (abdomen),
Thou art he that has the Veda in his womb (abdomen),
Thou art he that takes his rise from that infinite waste of water which succeeds the dissolution of the universe,
Thou art he that is endued with rays of effulgent light,
Thou art the creator of the Veda,
Thou art he that studies the Veda,
Thou art he that is conversant with the meaning of the Veda,
Thou art devoted to the Brahman,
Thou art the refuge of all persons devoted to the Brahman,
Thou art of infinite forms,
Thou art the bearer of innumerable bodies,
Thou art endued with irresistible prowess,
Thou art the soul or nature that transcends the three universal attributes of sattva, rajas and tamas,
Thou art the lord of all Jivas,
Thou art endued with the speed of the wind,
Thou art possessed of the fleetness of the mind,
Thou art always smeared of sandal-paste,
Thou art the end of the stalk of the primeval lotus,
Mythology says that Brahma, after his birth within the primeval lotus, became desirous of seeing the end of the stalk of that lotus. He went on and on, without succeeding to
find what he sought. The meaning, therefore, by implication, is that Mahadeva is infinite.
Thou art he that brought the celestial cow Surabhi down (from a superior station to an inferior one by denouncing a curse upon her),
Mythology records that once Brahma asked Surabhi to bear evidence before Visnu to the statement that Brahma had seen the foremost part of Siva. Surabhi, having given
false evidence out of fear for Brahma, was cursed by Siva that her offspring would eat unholy substances.
Thou art that Brahma, who was unable to see Thy end,
Thou art adorned with a large wreath of karnikara flowers,
Thou art adorned with a diadem of blue gems,
Thou art the wielder of the bow called Pinaka,
Thou art the master of that knowledge, which treats of the Brahman,
Thou art he that has subjugated his senses with the aid of his knowledge of the Brahman,
Thou art he that bears Ganga on his head,
Falling from the celestial regions, the river Ganga (the Ganges) was considered held by Mahadeva on his head, among his matted locks. At the earnest solicitation of King
Bhagiratha, he gave her out so that, flowing along the surface of the earth, she met the ocean, first passing over the spot where the ashes of Bhagiratha’s ancestors, the
sixty thousand sons of king Sagara of the solar race, lay.
Thou art the husband of Uma, the daughter of Himavat,
Thou art mighty (because of Thy having assumed the form of the vast Boar for raising the submerged Earth),
Thou art he that protects the universe by assuming diverse incarnations,

Thou art he that protects the universe by assuming diverse incarnations,
Thou art worthy of adoration,
Thou art that primeval Being with the equine head that recited the Veda with a thundering voice,
Thou art he, whose grace is very great,
Thou art the great subjugator,
Thou art he that has slain all his foes (in the form of passions),
Thou art both white and tawny (Thou being half male and half female),
This form is called Hara-Gauri or Ardhanaariswara,
Thou art possessed of a body, whose complexion is like that of gold,
Thou art he that is of the form of pure joy (being beyond the five sheaths),
Thou art of a restrained soul,
Thou art the foundation upon which rests that Ignorance (which is called Pradhana and which, consisting of the three attributes of sattva, rajas and tamas, is the cause
whence the universe has sprung),
Thou art he whose faces are turned to every direction,
Mahadeva is represented as possessed of five heads, four on four sides and one above.
Thou art he that has three eyes (the Sun, the Moon and Fire),
Thou art he that is superior to all creatures,
Thou art the soul of all mobile beings,
Thou art of the form of the subtle soul, incapable of being perceived,
Thou art the giver of immortality (in the form of Emancipation as the fruit of all acts of righteousness, achieved by living beings without the desire thereof),
Thou art the preceptor (of even those that are the gods of the gods),
Thou art Vasu, the son of Aditi,
Thou art he that is endued with innumerable rays of light (who brings forth the universe and who is of the form of Soma which is consumed in sacrifices),
Thou art Vyasa (the author of the Puranas and other sacred scriptures),
Thou art the creations of Vyasa’s brain (both abridged and unabridged, because of Thy being identical with the Puranas and other sacred scriptures),
Thou art the sum-total of all Jivas,
Thou art the Season,
Thou art the Year,
Thou art the Month,
Thou art the Fortnight,
Thou art those sacred days that end these periods,
Thou art the Kalas,
Thou art the Kashthas,
Thou art the Lavas,
Thou art the Matras,
Thou art the Muhurtas, days and nights,
Thou art the Kshanas,
These are all names for different portions of time.
Thou art the soil, upon which the tree of the universe stands,
Thou art the seed of all creatures,
Thou art Mahatattva,
Thou art the sprout of Jiva,
Thou art Sat or Effect,
Thou art Asat or Cause,
Thou art manifest (being perceivable by the senses),
Thou art the Father,
Thou art the Mother,
Thou art the Grandfather,
Thou art the door to Heaven (because of Thy identity with penances),
Thou art the door of the generation of all creatures (because of Thy identity with desire),
Thou art the door of Emancipation (because of Thy identity with the absence of desire which alone can lead to the merging into the Brahman),
Thou art those acts of righteousness which lead to the felicity of heaven,
Thou art Nirvana (or that cessation of individual or separate existence which is Emancipation),
Thou art the gladdener (who gives all kinds of joy to every creature),
Thou art that region of Truth (to which they that are the foremost in righteousness attain),
Thou art superior to even that region of Truth which is attainable by the righteous,
Thou art he that is the creator of both the deities and the asuras,
Thou art he that is the refuge of both the deities and the asuras,
Thou art the preceptor of both the deities and the asuras, or
Thou art of the form of both Brihaspati and Sukra,
Thou art he that is ever victorious,
Thou art he that is ever worshipped by the deities and the asuras,
Thou art he that guides the deities and the asuras even as the Mahamatra guides the elephant,
Thou art the refuge of all the deities and the asuras,
Thou art he that is the chief of both the deities and the asuras, or Thou art of the form of both Indra and Virochana,
Thou art he that is the leader in the battle of the deities and the asuras, or
Thou art of the form of Kartikeya and Kesi (the leaders of the celestial and the daitya armies),
Thou art he that transcends the senses and shines by himself,
Thou art of the form of the celestial Rishis like Narada and others,
Thou art the grantor of boons unto the deities and asuras (in the form of Brahma and Rudra),
Thou art he that rules the hearts of the deities and the asuras,
Thou art he into whom the universe enters (when it is dissolved),
Thou art the refuge of even him, who is the ruler of the hearts of both the deities and the asuras,
Thou art he, whose body is made up of all the deities,
The Srutis declare that Fire is the head; the Sun and the Moon are the eyes, etc of Mahadeva.
Thou art he that has no being superior to Thee, of whom to think,
Thou art he that is the inner soul of the deities,
Thou art he that has sprung form his own self,
Thou art of the form of immobile things,
Thou art he that covers the three worlds with three steps of his,
Thou art possessed of great learning,
Thou art stainless,
Thou art he that is freed from the quality of rajas,
Thou art he that transcends destruction,
Thou art he in whose honour hymns should be sung,
Thou art the master of the irresistible elephant represented by Time,
Thou art of the form of that lord of tigers, worshipped in the country of the Kalingas,
In the country of the Kalingas (Orissa), Mahadeva has an image called Vyaghreswara.
Thou art he that is called the lion among the deities (in consequence of the pre-eminence of Thy prowess),

Aum!
He that enters all things in the cosmos, besides Himself,
He that covers (pervades) all things,
He, unto whom sacrificial libations are poured,
He that is the lord of the past, the present and the future,
He that is the Creator (or Destroyer) of all existent things,
He that is the upholder of all existent things,
He that is the Existent,
He that is the Soul of all,
He that is the Originator of all things,
He that is of cleansed Soul,
The word putatman in the text means ‘of cleansed soul’. This implies that though He is the lord of all existent objects, yet He is dissociated from them.
He that is the Supreme Soul,
He that is the highest Refuge of all emancipated persons,
He that is the Immutable,
He that lies enclosed in a case,
The word purusha means one that lies in a pura or the nine-doored mansion, that is, the body.
He that is the Witness,
The word sakshi means ‘witness’ and implies that He sees all things directly, without any medium obstructing His vision.
He that knows the material case (body), in which He resides,
The word kshetrajna implies the chit lying within the body and it means one who knows the body. However, the body, being inert, is not cognizant of the chit it holds.
He that is the Indestructible,
He upon whom the mind rests during Yoga-abstraction,
He is called Yoga because of the mind resting upon Him while it is in yoga abstraction. Yoga, in other words, is union with the Divine in spirit.
He that is the guide or leader of all persons conversant with Yoga,
He that is the Lord of both Pradhana (Prakrti) and Purusa,
In Sankhya philosophy, Pradhana is another name for Prakrti, meaning Nature. All things have sprung from the union of Prakrti and Purusa. Visnu transcends Prakrti and
Purusa.
He that assumed a human form with a leonine head,
He assumed the human form with a lion’s head for slaying the asura Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada.
He that is of handsome features and equipments,
He that is of beautiful hair,
He that is the foremost of Purusas,
He that is the embodiment of all things,
The word sarva implies the source of all existent and non-existent things and that in which all existent and non-existent things become merged at the universal dissolution.
He that is the Destroyer of all things,
He that transcends the three attributes of sattva, rajas and tamas, He that is the Motionless,
He that is the Beginning of all things,
He that is the Receptacle, into which all things sink at the universal dissolution,
He that is the Immutable,
He that takes birth at his own will,
The word sambhava signifies Him who takes birth at His own will. Acts cannot touch Him. The birth of all other things is determined by their acts in previous lives.
He that causes the acts of all living creatures to fructify (in the form of weal or woe),
The word bhavana signifies one who attaches to acts their respective fruits, that is, one in consequence of whom the weal and woe of all features flow as due to acts.
He that is the Upholder of all things,
He that is the Source, from which the primal elements have sprung,
He that is the Puissant One,
He in who is the unbounded Lordship over all things,
He that is the Self-born,
The word svayambhu implies one whose birth has not been determined by extraneous circumstances, or other influences than his one’s wish. On the other hand, the birth of
all other creatures is determined by forces extraneous to themselves.
He that gives happiness to His worshippers,
He that is the presiding Genius (of golden form) in the midst of the solar disc,
The word aditya may also mean the foremost one among the deities especially called the Adityas. They are twelve in number.
He that is the Lotus-eyed,
He that is the Loud-voiced,
He that is without beginning and without end,
He that upholds the universe (in the form of Ananta and others),
The word dhata may also imply One who upholds everything in the universe by multiplying Oneself infinitely.
He that ordains all acts and their fruits,
He that is superior to the Grandsire Brahma,
The word dhaturuttama may, besides, signify One who, as Chit, is superior to all elements like earth, water etc. which constitute all that is not-Chit.
He that is the Immeasurable,
The word aprameya literally means immeasurable. Shankara explains it thus: He has no such attributes such as sound, etc. In consequence, He is not an object of direct
perception by the senses. Nor can He be an object of inference, as a result of there being nothing to which belong the same attributes as His, etc. His inconceivability is the
foundation of His immeasurableness.
He that is the Lord of the senses, or
He that has curled locks,
The word hrishikesa implies the lord of the senses, meaning One who has One’s sense under complete control. It may also mean One who sways the senses of others, that is, causes them to exercise their functions.

He, from whose navel the primeval lotus sprang,
He that is the Lord of all the deities,
He that is the Artificer of the universe,
Shankara proposes another meaning: He that is the form of the Sun or the Moon and, as such, the rays of light emanating from those luminaries and gladdening all
creatures are the hairs on His head.
He that is the Mantra,
Manu is another name for Mantra or sacred words having great efficacy.
He that weakens or emaciates all things,
He that is vast,
He that is the Ancient one,
He that is enduring, or
He that is incapable of being seized (by either the senses or the mind),
He that is the Eternal One,
He that is Krisna,
Krisna is one of the foremost names of the supreme God-head. It means One who is always in transports of joy. It is derived from kris who implies ‘to be’ and na meaning
final liberation or cessation of existence. The compound probably means One in whom every attribute has been extinguished. As such there is absence of change, of
sorrow, of gift etc. There is the eternal and highest joy.
He that is the Red-eyed,
Lohitaksha is red-eyed from His eyes being of the hue of polished copper.
He that kills all creatures at the time of universal dissolution,
Pratardana, according to Shankara, means the killer of all creatures
He that is Vast for knowledge and puissance and other attributes of the kind,
Prabhuta is One who is Great or Vast as a result of knowledge, puissance, energy, renunciation, etc.
He that resides in three parts (above, middle, and below) of every creature,
He that which cleanses, is auspicious, and high,
The words Pavitram, Mangalam and Param are taken as one name, although each of them has a separate meaning.
He that urges (controls) all creatures in respect of all their acts,
He that causes the life-breaths to act,
The word Pranada is interpreted variously. It may mean He that causes the life-breaths to operate. It is He that connects the life-breaths, meaning that He sets them a-going
when threatened with extinction. As such, He is the healer of diseases, too.
He that causes all living creatures to live,
Prana implies He who is the cause of the life of every living creature, being Himself, as it were, the life-breath that inspires them.
He that is the Eldest, the Foremost of all those that are regarded as the lords of all creatures,
He that has gold in His abdomen,
Hiranyagarbha signifies He that is identical with the Brahman.
He that has the Earth for his abdomen,
Bhugarbha is One who has the Earth for his abdomen, implying that all things on Earth are His abdomen.
He that is the Lord of Sri or Lakshmi,
He that is the Slayer of Madhu,
He that is the Omnipotent,
He that is endued with great prowess,
He that is armed with the bow,
He that is possessed of a mind capable of bearing the contents of all treatises,
He that roves through the universe riding on Garuda,
He that is well suited to the offerings made unto Him and that has the power to enjoy them properly,
He that is the Unrivalled,
He that is incapable of being discomfited,
He that knows all acts that are done,
He that is identical with all acts,
He that rests on His own true self,
The supreme God-head is the Atmavan, the Supreme Spirit. On the other hand, other beings are said to be sariravan, indriyavan, etc in consequence of the possession of
such attributes as sarira, indriyas, etc. Visnu rests on His own true nature or essence without requiring anything extraneous like the deities or human beings whereon to live
or exist.
He that is the Lord of all the deities,
He that is the Refuge of all, the embodiment of the highest felicity,
He whose seed is the universe,
He that is the source of all things,
He that is the day,
Ahah is the day. He is so called because of Jiva being, as it were, awakened when it goes to Him. As long as the Jiva is away from Him, it is steeped in avidya or
nescience.
He that is the Year,
He is called samvatsara or the year as His essence is Time.
He that is the Snake (owing to His being incapable of being seized),
He is called Vyala, the huge and fierce snake that inspires dread.
He that is the embodiment of Conviction,
He that sees all things,
He that is the Unborn,
He that is the Lord of all creatures,
He that has achieved success,
He that is Success itself, or
He that is Awareness itself,
He that is the beginning of all things (in consequence of His being the cause of all things),
He that is beyond deterioration,
He that is Righteousness in the form of the bovine Bull and that great Boar that raised the submerged Earth,
The word vrishakapi is also explained as being He that showers blessings on His worshippers and causes all His foes to tremble with fear.

He that is always engaged in Yoga,
He that slays great asuras for establishing righteousness,
He that is the lord of that Lakshmi who sprang from the ocean when it was churned by the deities and the asuras, or
He that cherishes both the goddesses of prosperity and learning,
He that is honey (in consequence of the pleasure He gives to those that succeed in having a taste of Him),
He that transcends the senses (or is invisible to those that turn away from Him),
He that is possessed of great powers of illusion (manifested in His beguiling Mahadeva and the deities on many occasions),
He that puts forth great energy (in achieving mighty feats),
He that transcends all in might,
He that transcends all in intelligence,
He that transcends all in puissance,
He that transcends all in ability,
He that discovers the universe by the effulgence emanating from His body,
He whose body (form) is incapable of being ascertained by the eye (or any other sense organ of knowledge),
He that is possessed of every beauty,
He whose soul is incapable of being comprehended by either deities or men,
He that held on His back, in the form of the vast Tortoise, the huge mountain, Mandara (which was made the churning staff by the deities and the asuras when they set
themselves to churn the great ocean for obtaining there-from all the valuables hidden in its bosom), or
He that held up the mountain of Govardhana in the woods of Brinda (for protecting the denizens of that delightful place, who were special objects of His kindness, from the
wrath of Indra who poured incessant showers for days together, with a view to drowning everything),
He that can shoot His shafts to a great distance, piercing through obstruction of every kind,
He that raised the submerged Earth, having assumed the form of the mighty Boar,
He on whose bosom dwells the goddess of Prosperity, or
He that is identical with Kama, the lord of Rati,
He that is the refuge of those that are righteous,
He that is incapable of being won without thorough devotion, or
He that is incapable of being immured or restrained by any one putting forth His powers,
He that is the delight of the deities, or
He that is the embodiment of fullness of joy,
He that rescued the submerged Earth, or
He that understands the hymns addressed to Him by His devotees,
He that is the Master of all eloquent persons, or
He that dispels the calamities of all those who know Him,
He that is full of blazing effulgence,
He that suppresses the afflictions of His adorers, or
He that assumes the form of Yama, the universal Destroyer, for chastising all persons that fall away from their duties,
He that assumed the form of a Swan for communicating the Vedas to Brahma, or
He that enters into the bodies of all persons,
He that has Garuda, the prince of the feathery denizens of the welkin, for His vehicle,
He that is the foremost of snakes in consequence of His identity with Sesha or Ananta (who upholds on his head the vast Earth), or
He that has the hood of the prince of snakes for His bed while He lies down to sleep on the vast expanse of water after the dissolution of the universe,
He whose navel is as beautiful as gold,
He that underwent the severest austerities in the form of Narayana at Badari on the breast of Himavat,
He whose navel resembles a lotus, or
He from whose navel sprang the primeval lotus, in which Brahma was born,
He that is the Lord of all creatures,
He that transcends death, or
He that wards off death from those that are devoted to him,
He that always casts a kind eye on His worshippers, or
He that sees all things in the universe,
He that destroys all things, or
He that drenches with nectar all those that worship Him with single-minded devotion,
He that is the Ordainer of all ordainers, or
He that unites all persons with the consequences of their acts,
He that Himself enjoys and endures the fruits of all acts, or
He that assumed the form of Rama, the son of Dasaratha, and going into exile at the command of His father made a treaty with Sugriva the chief of the Apes for aiding Him
in recovery of His kingdom from the grasp of his elder brother Vali in return for the assistance which Sugriva promised Him for recovering from Ravana His wife Sita who had
been ravished by the Rakshasa King and borne away to his island-home in Lanka,
He that is always of the same form, or
He that is exceedingly affectionate unto His worshippers,
He that is always moving, or
He that is of the form of Kama that springs up in the heart of every creature,
He that is incapable of being endured by danavas and asuras, or He that rescued His wife Sita after slaying Ravana, or
He that shows compassion even to members of low castes when they approach Him with devotion,
It is an allegory to His friendship, in the form of Rama, for Guha, the chief of the Chandalas, inhabiting the country known by the name of Sringaverapura.
He that chastises the wicked, or
He that regulates the conduct of all persons by the dictates of the srutis and the smritis,
He whose soul has true knowledge for its indication, or
He that destroyed Ravana, the foe of the gods, having assumed the form of Rama that was full of compassion and other amiable virtues,
He that destroys the foes of the deities, or
He that slays those who obstruct of forbid the giving of presents unto deserving persons,
He that is the instructor in all sciences and the father of all,
He that is the instructor of even Brahma,
He that is the abode or resting place of all creatures,
He that is the benefactor of those that are good and is free from the stain of falsehood,
He whose prowess is incapable of being baffled,
He that never casts His eye on such acts as are not sanctioned or approved by the scriptures,

He that casts His eye on such acts as are sanctioned or approved by the scriptures, or
He whose eye never winks or sleeps,
He that wears the unfading garland of victory called Vaijayanti,
He that is the lord of speech and that is possessed of great liberality in so much that He rescued the lowest of the low and the vilest of the vile by granting them His grace,
He that leads persons desirous of Emancipation to the foremost of all conditions, that is, Emancipation itself, or
He that assumes the form of a mighty Fish and scudding through the vast expanse of water that covers the Earth when the universal dissolution comes, and dragging the
boat tied to His horns, leads Manu and others to safety,
He that is the leader of all creatures, or
He that sports in the vast expanse of water which overwhelms all things at the time of universal dissolution,
He whose words are the Veda and who rescued the Veda when it was submerged in the water at the universal dissolution,
He that is the accomplisher of all functions in the universe,
He that assumes the form of the wind (air) for making all living creatures act or exert themselves, or
He whose motions are always beautiful, or
He that wishes His creatures to glorify Him,
He that is endued with a thousand heads,
He that is the Soul of the universe and as such pervades all things,
He that has a thousand eyes and a thousand legs,
He that causes the wheel of the universe to revolve at His will,
He whose soul is freed from desire and who transcends those conditions that invest Jiva and to which Jiva is liable,
He that is concealed from the view of all persons that are attached to the world, or
He that has covered the eyes of all persons with the bandage of nescience,
He that grinds those that turn away from Him,
He that sets the days a-going in consequence of His being identical with the Sun,
He that is the Destroyer of all-destroying Time itself, or
He that conveys the libations poured into the sacred fire unto those for whom they are intended, or
He that bears the universe, placing it on only a minute fraction of His body,
He that has no beginning, or
He that has no fixed habitation,
He that upholds the Earth in space (in the form of Sesha), or
He that rescues the Earth in the form of the mighty Boar, or supports it as a subtle pervader,
He that is exceedingly inclined to grace, insomuch that He grants happiness to even foes like Sisupala,
He that has been freed from the attributes of rajas (passion) and tamas (darkness) so that He is pure or stainless sattva by itself, or
He that has obtained the fruition of all His wishes,
He that supports the universe,
He that feeds (enjoys) the universe,
He that is displayed in infinite puissance,
He that honours the deities, the pitris, and His own worshippers,
He that is honoured or adored by those that are themselves honoured or adored by others, or
He whose acts are all beautiful and enduring,
He that accomplishes the purposes of others, or
He that is the benefactor of others,
He that withdraws all things (beings) unto Himself at the time of the universal dissolution, or
He that destroys the foes of the deities or of His own worshippers,
He that has the Waters for His home, or
He that is the sole Refuge of all creatures, or
He that destroys the ignorance of all creatures,
He that is distinguished above all,
He that cherishes the righteous,
He that cleanses all the worlds,
He that crowns with fruition the desires of all creatures,
He whose wishes are always crowned with fruition,
He that gives success to all, or
He that bestows success upon those that solicit Him for it,
He that presides over all sacred days, or
He that overwhelms Indra himself with His own excellent attributes,
He that showers all objects of desire upon His worshippers,
He that walks over all the universe,
He that offers the excellent flight of steps constituted by Righteousness (unto those that desire to ascend to the highest place),
He that has Righteousness in His abdomen, or
He that protects Indra even as a mother protects the child in her womb,
He that nurtures (aggrandizes) His worshippers,
He that spreads Himself out for becoming the vast universe,
He that is aloof from all things (though pervading them),
He that is the receptacle (in the nature of the rivers joining the ocean) of srutis,
He that is possessed of excellent arms (that is, arms capable of upholding the universe),
He that is incapable of being borne by any creature,
He that from whom arose the sound, called the Brahman (Veda),
He that is the Lord of all lords of the universe,
He that is the giver of wealth,
He that dwells in His own puissance,
He that is Multiform, or
He that is of vast form,
He that resides in the form of Sacrifice in all animals,
He that causes all things to be displayed,
He that is endued with great might, energy and splendour,
He that displays Himself in visible forms to His worshippers,
He that scorches the unrighteous with His burning energy,
He that is enriched with the six-fold attributes (of affluence, etc),
He that imparted the Veda to Brahma, or
He that is indicated by the syllable AUM,