Stanza-081

तेजोवृषो द्युतिधरःसर्वशस्त्रभृताम् वरः ।
प्रग्रहो निग्रहो व्यग्रो नैकशृङ्गो गदाग्रजः ॥

തേജോവൃഷോ ദ്യുതിധരഃ സര്വശസ്ത്രഭൃതാം വരഃ
പ്രഗ്രഹോ നിഗ്രഹോ വ്യഗ്രോ നൈകശൃങ്ഗോ ഗദാഗ്രജഃ

தேஜோவ்ருஷோ த்யுதிதர சர்வசஸ்த்ரப்ருதாம் வர
ப்ரக்ரஹோ நிக்ரஹோ வ்யக்ரோ நைகஸ்ருங்கோ கதாக்ரஜ

ತೇಜೋವೃಷೋ ದ್ಯುತಿಧರಃ ಸರ್ವಶಸ್ತ್ರಭೃತಾಂ ವರಃ
ಪ್ರಗ್ರಹೋ ನಿಗ್ರಹೋ ವ್ಯಗ್ರೋ ನೈಕಶೃನ್ಗೋ ಗದಾಗ್ರಜಃ

తేజోవృషో ద్యుతిధరః సర్వశస్త్రభృతాం వరః
ప్రగ్రహో నిగ్రహో వ్యగ్రో నైకశృంగో గదాగ్రాజః

tejovrisho dyutidharah sarvasastrabhritaam varah
pragraho nigraho vyagro naikasringo gadaagrajah.

757. Tejo-vrishah – “One Who showers Radiance.” In the outer cosmos the Sun gives out heat and light, and because of this, rain and cultivation are possible-not directly because of the Sun, but due to the sum-total-result of an endless chain of cause-effect links. In the same way, He Who by His mere presence illumines the experiences of all living creatures with His Light, is Sree Narayana, the Self.
758. Dyutidharah - The term ‘Dyuti’ indicates the glow of beauty and strength in a form; thus the term means “One Who bears an Effulgent Form.” The expression also discloses that the seat of Pure Consciousness is described as “the Bearer of Radiance” for it is in the light of the Atman that creatures become aware of all their perceptions, emotions and thoughts.
759. Sarva-sastra-bhritaam-varah - “The best among those who wield weapons.” Since Sree Narayana is described in the Puranas as wielding the Discus (Sudarsana), it, being the greatest of all weapons, justifies this term. Also, the Lord never uses His weapon of annihilation indiscriminately-for He is ever supremely just. It is also significant that all destructions in nature are always ‘constructive destructions’, therefore the Lord’s Discus is itself called “the auspicious vision” (Sudarsana). In the maturity of one’s evolution when one becomes fit for one’s own inner unfoldment, slowly, but irresistibly the seeker can ever detect a secret hand that diligently cuts off all his connections with the outer world, and compels him to lean more and more on the higher. Our Puranic literature is replete with instances, and, without exception, in all of them Sree Narayana is described as using His weapon to destroy the devilish-and to give him Moksha! –“the Auspicious Vision”: Su-darsana. Others, when they employ their weapons of destruction, the result invariably end in a sad ‘destructive destruction’, and, therefore, to invoke Him as “the best among those who wield weapons” is most significant for a seeker.
760. Pragrahah - One who is the sole receiver of all the worship of every devotee, irrespective of his creed or race, or his location in the world, at all times. The devotee may invoke the spiritual presence in various institutions, using different symbols, believing in his own creed and scripture, but, whoever he be, when he comes to transcend his vehicles of perception, feeling and thinking, the experience of the Self (God) should be universally one and the same-as God is All-Pervading and Changeless. This great factor-transcendental IS the Self, Sree Narayana, and therefore, He is the ultimate, sole Receiver of all prayers that rise consciously or unconsciously in every heart, be it from a plant, an animal or a man. The term ‘Pragrahah’ is used in Sanskrit to mean the reins with which horses are controlled and their movements regulated. In this sense when we reflect, the metaphor of the chariot In the Upanishad suddenly comes in front of us. In this famous scriptural metaphor, mind is the rein by which the steeds of the sense-organs are controlled and regulated. Here Lord Sree Narayana Himself is invoked as ‘Pragrahah’ because when the mind has turned in devotion to His feet, the devotee need not strive to control his sense-organs, but the Lord’s own glory shall imperceptibly do the job for His beloved seeker. Therefore, a truly devoted heart in its utter surrender, calls the Lord ‘‘as the very controller of his sense-organs.”
761. Nigrahah – “The killer.” An uninitiated student may get shocked when he finds that the Lord is invoked as a murderer! But it is true. The only difference is that He is only the destroyer of the ego-just as a doctor is a ‘murderer’ of diseases; just as the sun is the destroyer of the night; as summer is the annihilator of winter. Similarly, the Lord is the destroyer of ego and ego-centric limitations in the devotee. In Sanskrit this word also indicates “One who absorbs the devotee unto Himself.” Once an individual withdraws himself even a wee bit from his total pre-occupation with the world and turns his attention to the spiritual centre in himself, the Lord fascinates and enchants the seeker’s attention more and more to His own Infinite Glory, and ultimately “absorbs (Ni-grahah) the individual totally into the state of Pure-Consciousness.
762. Vyagrah – “One Who is ever engaged in fulfilling the devotee’s desires.” Desire arises in the human mind due to a sense of imperfection in oneself. In the absolute sense of bliss and peace, which is the true nature of Sree Narayana, there cannot arise any desire and, therefore, He is described as “the fulfiller of all desires.”
763. Naika-sringah – “One Who has many (na-eka=Naika) horns.” To a modern student it would look fantastic and even foolish should one worship his Lord, the God, as One with many horns. This mental shock can even stun him when he understands also that his Lord has three legs: “Chatvaarah Sringaah Trayo Asya Paadaah,” says the Maha Upanishad. If the literal translation shocks the student, the very jolt prods him to a more vigorous enquiry. The four horns mean the four States of Consciousness-the waking, dream, deep-sleep and the fourth plane of consciousness, the Pure Awareness. The three feet (paada) indicate the three states of consciousness in which we now revel in our gross, subtle and causal bodies respectively.
764. Gadaagrajah - “The elder brother of Gada.” Lord Krishna had a younger brother whose name was Gada. The term Gada has also the meaning in Sanskrit of ‘mantra.’ Mantra are chanted and therefore Gada can indicate ‘mantra, -” Gadyate iti gadah.” A commentator insists that Ni-gada means mantra, but the prefix Ni gets dropped, so Gada means mantra. Naturally, “Gadaagraja” would mean One who manifests or is invoked through mantras.