विक्षरो रोहितो मार्गो हेतुर्दामोदरः सहः।
महीधरो महाभागो वेगवानमिताशनः॥
വിക്ഷരോ രോഹിതോ മാര്ഗോ ഹേതുര്ദാമോദരഃ സഹഃ
മഹീധരോ മഹാഭാഗോ വേഗവാനമിതാശനഃ
விக்ஷரோ ரோஹிதோ மார்கோ ஹேதுர்தாமொதர ஸஹ
மஹீதரோ மஹாபாகோ வேகவானமிதாசன
ವಿಕ್ಷರೋ ರೋಹಿತೋ ಮಾರ್ಗೋ ಹೇತುರ್ದಾಮೋದರಃ ಸಹಃ
ಮಹೀಧರೋ ಮಹಾಭಾಗೋ ವೇಗವಾನಮಿತಾಶನಃ
విక్షరో రోహితో మార్గో హేతుర్దామోదరః సహాః
మహీధరో మహాభాగో వేగవానమితాశనః
viksharo rohito maargo hetur daamodarah sahah
maheedharo mahaabhaago vegavaan-amitaasanah363. Viksharah - Ksharah means “decaying,” “that which is perishing”, and so Viksharah means “Imperishable”. Those who are meditating upon the Lord in His un-manifested State of Glory, this term is very often used. All material things are conditioned by time and all objects are, therefore, perishable. The Lord, the Self, is the Subject and is, therefore, ever Unchanging and always Imperishable.
364. Rohitah - The term ‘Rohita’ means fish, and this name has come to indicate Lord Vishnu because of His first incarnation as the Fish. When the entire world was submerged in the waters of the deluge, the only living creatures that were available at that time could only be fishes. Lord could incarnate at that time only in the form of the Fish. Therefore, here the term means “One who had manifested to serve the living creatures as the Fish among the fishes.”
365. Maargah – “The Path.” In order to realise the Highest which is the Nameless and Formless, human mind will have to first hold on to a divine form, and that is Lord Vishnu. He is the Way and the Goal. In short, “He is the One whom seekers of the Highest meditate upon in order to reach the Supreme.”
366. Hetuh – “The Cause”. One who is the cause for the whole universe. He is at once the material-cause (Upaadaana Kaarana), the instrumental-cause (Nimitta Kaarana) and He who alone is also the efficient-cause in the creation of this universe. Hence, He is called The Cause.
367. Daamodarah – This term has come to indicate the Lord because, He is One who is known through a mind which is purified (Udara) by means of self-control (dama) and such other qualities. According to Mahabharata, “We call Him as Daamodara as He is known by means of Dama.” Brahmapurana re-capitulates the incident in the early childhood of the Lord when He was tied with a cord (daama) round His waste (udara). This term can also mean “One in whose bosom rests the whole universe.”
368. Sahah – “All enduring”. The Lord is One who has patience at everything, and is One who readily forgives all the defaults of His sincere devotees.
369. Maheedharah – “The Supporter or the Bearer of the Earth”. Since He is the very essence in the universe as its material-cause, He is the One who supports all forms in the universe. The Lord supports the world, just as gold ‘supports’ the ornaments, the cotton ‘supports’ the cloth, the ocean ‘supports’ the waves.
370. Mahaa-bhaagah - He who has extreme beauty in all His limbs, or He who is ever fortunate, or fie who gets the greatest share (Bhaaga) in every Yajna.
371. Vegavaan – “He who is swift”; One who is the fastest in reaching the devotee the moment his loving heart remembers Him. By import it means that He is All- pervading, therefore, He is the fastest, inasmuch as “nothing can ever overtake Him.” In the Isavasyopanishad He is indicated as swifter than the mind- (Manasojaveeyah).
372. Amitaasanah – “Of endless appetite.” This should not be taken literally, but it only means that the entire world of plurality projected by the mind, merges back when the mind is transcended at the time of the experience of the Self. Just as we can say that the waker swallows the dreamer, the Higher Consciousness, with an infinite appetite, as it were, swallows the Infinite Cosmos; hence figuratively, He is considered as ‘the Great Consumer’ of the whole world of plurality during involution (Pralaya).
