(1.1.4)
naimiṣe
‘nimiṣa-kṣetre
ṛṣayaḥ
śaunakādayaḥ
satraṁ
svargāya-lokāya
sahasra-samam
āsata
One possible Translation:
(naimiṣe):
In the forest named Naimiṣa;
(animiṣa-kṣetre):
the place belonging to Animiṣa (Lord Viṣṇu);
(ṛṣayaḥ):
sages;
(śaunakādayaḥ):
viz. Śaunaka etc.;
(āsata):
were seated;
(satram):
for a fire-sacrifice;
(sahasra-samam):
that would continue for a thousand years;
(svargāya-lokāya):
for attaining the Supreme Lord, who is known as svargāya-loka;
[About the verse: Now that the first
three verses have repeatedly invoked the Supreme Lord as well as described the
purpose of the literature as well as the four introductory topics, the
narration of the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam begins].
Q.1) What is the meaning of the term “naimiṣe”?
Ans) Naimiṣa or Naimiṣāraṇya is the name of an ancient forest where the narration of the Bhāgavatam took place. The term araṇya means ‘forest’. Therefore naimiṣa-araṇya or naimiṣāraṇya is the Naimiṣa forest. This place is currently known by the Hindi name Nīmasāra and is situated at a distance of about sixty yojanas (~ 500 kms.) from the Vṛndāvana forest in Uttara-pradeśa, India.
Q.1) What is the meaning of the term “naimiṣe”?
Ans) Naimiṣa or Naimiṣāraṇya is the name of an ancient forest where the narration of the Bhāgavatam took place. The term araṇya means ‘forest’. Therefore naimiṣa-araṇya or naimiṣāraṇya is the Naimiṣa forest. This place is currently known by the Hindi name Nīmasāra and is situated at a distance of about sixty yojanas (~ 500 kms.) from the Vṛndāvana forest in Uttara-pradeśa, India.
This name Nīmasāra appears to be a corruption of
the name Naimiśāraṇya. Śrīla Śrīdhara
Svāmī says that this verse has two readings for the name of the forest — naimiśa and naimiṣa. Both names have a slight difference in pronunciation. The
‘ṣ’
in Naimiṣa is retroflex whereas in Naimiśa it is the palatal consonant ‘ś’.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī describes two different histories for these two different
names.
Q.2) What are the histories behind these two names?
Ans) History of naimiśa — Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes a history from a text named vāyavīya. According to this history, Lord Brahmā said that he would create a wheel within his mental frame and then release it. Lord Brahmā declared that the location where the rim (nemi) of this wheel would land (śīryate) would be a place auspicious for performing tapasyā (austerities).
Having said this, Lord Brahma then created the mental wheel, which was as brilliant as the sun. Having paid his obeisance to Lord Shiva, he released the wheel. Śrī Śukadeva in his commentary adds the detail that Lord Brahma created this wheel because he was requested by various twice-born sages to suggest a suitable forest for performing austerities. These sages were delighted on the sight of the wheel and they paid their obeisances to Lord Brahma and went after the wheel released by him. Therefore the place where the rim [nemi] landed [ś]īryate became nemiś or nemiśa. This nemiśa later became known as naimiśa. The term nemi is etymologically formed using the Uṇādi-sūtra (4.43) — ‘niyo miḥ’ and it is used to denote the rim of a wheel.
History of naimiṣa — Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the history of this name can be seen in the Varāha-purāṇa (Chapter 11). In that purāṇa, the Supreme Lord appeared in front of a sage named Gauramukha. The sage Gauramukha requested the Lord to kill the demoniac king named Durjaya, who was attacking his hermitage. On his request, the Lord’s Sudarśana-cakra killed the demoniac king and his armies in the blink of an eye (nimiṣa). The Lord then said — “Since the demoniac forces were killed here in the blink of an eye (nimiṣa), this forest will be known as naimiṣa. In the future, this place will be a bestower of great results on the brāhmaṇas.”
Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha however says that there was a sage named ‘nimiṣa’ and he used to perform his austerities in this place, and due to him the forest became known as ‘naimiṣa’. Alternatively, he also suggests that nimiṣa can refer to a special tree whose fruit is useful in many ways to the sages. He also quotes a statement from an unknown literature which says that this tree is also known by the name nemi. My further research in this direction led me to the Ayurvedic lexicons named Dhanvantarīya-nighaṇṭu and Rāja-nighaṇṭu. In both these lexicons, the term nemi-vṛkṣa (nemi-tree) is used to denote the ‘Senegalia Catechu’ tree, whose fruit has various general and medicinal uses. Therefore, another possibility is that the term nemiṣa refers to this tree whose fruit (catechu) has various uses for the sages. Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha also suggests that another meaning of the term naimiśa could be a place where the rim (nemi) of the sudarśana-cakra of the Lord fell (śīryate). This sudarśana-cakra was requested by the demigods to locate a suitable auspicious place. However, he does not mention the source of this history.
Q.3) Are there any other variant readings of this name?
Ans) Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya says that another alternate reading is ‘naiviśa’. The meaning given by him is as follows — niviśanty atra maharṣayaḥ iti niviśaṁ, tadaiva naiviśam — ‘The great sages enter into this forest (to reside here), and therefore it is called as niviśa and similarly it is also known as naiviśa.’
Q.4) Are there any spiritual implications of these names?
Ans) Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives some spiritual implications of these names. According to him, the term ‘naimiśa/naimiṣa’ is placed in this verse for a very good reason. However, before that it is important to know that in Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s edition of the Bhāgavatam, an ‘oṁ’ is placed before this verse. This means that the first three verses of the bhāgavatam were invocations and now the bhāgavatam has begun with the auspicious sound ‘oṁ’. Why is this ‘oṁ’ considered so auspicious? Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes a smṛti which says:
oṁ-kāraś cātha-śabdaś ca
Q.2) What are the histories behind these two names?
Ans) History of naimiśa — Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī quotes a history from a text named vāyavīya. According to this history, Lord Brahmā said that he would create a wheel within his mental frame and then release it. Lord Brahmā declared that the location where the rim (nemi) of this wheel would land (śīryate) would be a place auspicious for performing tapasyā (austerities).
Having said this, Lord Brahma then created the mental wheel, which was as brilliant as the sun. Having paid his obeisance to Lord Shiva, he released the wheel. Śrī Śukadeva in his commentary adds the detail that Lord Brahma created this wheel because he was requested by various twice-born sages to suggest a suitable forest for performing austerities. These sages were delighted on the sight of the wheel and they paid their obeisances to Lord Brahma and went after the wheel released by him. Therefore the place where the rim [nemi] landed [ś]īryate became nemiś or nemiśa. This nemiśa later became known as naimiśa. The term nemi is etymologically formed using the Uṇādi-sūtra (4.43) — ‘niyo miḥ’ and it is used to denote the rim of a wheel.
History of naimiṣa — Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the history of this name can be seen in the Varāha-purāṇa (Chapter 11). In that purāṇa, the Supreme Lord appeared in front of a sage named Gauramukha. The sage Gauramukha requested the Lord to kill the demoniac king named Durjaya, who was attacking his hermitage. On his request, the Lord’s Sudarśana-cakra killed the demoniac king and his armies in the blink of an eye (nimiṣa). The Lord then said — “Since the demoniac forces were killed here in the blink of an eye (nimiṣa), this forest will be known as naimiṣa. In the future, this place will be a bestower of great results on the brāhmaṇas.”
Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha however says that there was a sage named ‘nimiṣa’ and he used to perform his austerities in this place, and due to him the forest became known as ‘naimiṣa’. Alternatively, he also suggests that nimiṣa can refer to a special tree whose fruit is useful in many ways to the sages. He also quotes a statement from an unknown literature which says that this tree is also known by the name nemi. My further research in this direction led me to the Ayurvedic lexicons named Dhanvantarīya-nighaṇṭu and Rāja-nighaṇṭu. In both these lexicons, the term nemi-vṛkṣa (nemi-tree) is used to denote the ‘Senegalia Catechu’ tree, whose fruit has various general and medicinal uses. Therefore, another possibility is that the term nemiṣa refers to this tree whose fruit (catechu) has various uses for the sages. Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha also suggests that another meaning of the term naimiśa could be a place where the rim (nemi) of the sudarśana-cakra of the Lord fell (śīryate). This sudarśana-cakra was requested by the demigods to locate a suitable auspicious place. However, he does not mention the source of this history.
Q.3) Are there any other variant readings of this name?
Ans) Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya says that another alternate reading is ‘naiviśa’. The meaning given by him is as follows — niviśanty atra maharṣayaḥ iti niviśaṁ, tadaiva naiviśam — ‘The great sages enter into this forest (to reside here), and therefore it is called as niviśa and similarly it is also known as naiviśa.’
Q.4) Are there any spiritual implications of these names?
Ans) Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura gives some spiritual implications of these names. According to him, the term ‘naimiśa/naimiṣa’ is placed in this verse for a very good reason. However, before that it is important to know that in Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s edition of the Bhāgavatam, an ‘oṁ’ is placed before this verse. This means that the first three verses of the bhāgavatam were invocations and now the bhāgavatam has begun with the auspicious sound ‘oṁ’. Why is this ‘oṁ’ considered so auspicious? Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes a smṛti which says:
oṁ-kāraś cātha-śabdaś ca
dvāv etau brahmaṇaḥ purā
kaṇṭhaṁ bhittvā viniryātau
kaṇṭhaṁ bhittvā viniryātau
tena māṅgalikāv ubhau
“In the beginning of the creation, two sounds came out piercing the throat of Lord Brahma. These two sounds were — ‘oṁ’ and ‘atha’. Therefore these two sounds are considered as auspicious .”
“In the beginning of the creation, two sounds came out piercing the throat of Lord Brahma. These two sounds were — ‘oṁ’ and ‘atha’. Therefore these two sounds are considered as auspicious .”
[Translator's Note: Super-commenting on this verse, Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā asks the question “How can piercing of the throat be considered auspicious?” He replies by saying ‘mahatāṁ dūṣaṇaṁ bhūṣaṇam’ — the faults in great personalities become renowned as auspicious qualities.
He gives the example of Lord Shiva, whose throat got a blackish-blue complexion because of drinking poison, but that blackish-blue throat added to his reputation in this world and he became known as Nīlakaṇṭha (the one with the bluish throat).]
Usually therefore, many Sanskrit compositions begin with one of these two sounds. For example, the Vedānta-sūtras begin with the term ‘atha’. The Nārada-bhakti-sūtras also begin with ‘atha’.
Also, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the term ‘naimiśa’ has been placed in this verse for a special reason. Since the first three verses were invocations, the bhāgavatam is technically beginning from this verse. ‘Naimiśa’ is the first word placed in this verse. The history behind this name (as already explained above in Q.2) is that Lord Brahma’s mentally created wheel landed here. In other words, it attained stability at this place. Thus, this is a place where even Lord Brahma’s mental wheel attained stability.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura uses this fact to say that this literature Śrīmad-bhāgavatam also has a similar nature. Various devotees have various devotional desires and moods. The bhāgavatam is like a desire-tree that can fulfill all these varieties of devotional desires and moods. Whatever devotional desire one has, one will find that by studying different sections of the bhāgavatam, these various desires will be fulfilled and once these desires are fulfilled, the mind will attain stability in devotion by reading that particular section. For example, someone may desire to serve Krishna as a parent. Their desire will be fulfilled by reading the various narrations in the bhāgavatam in which the Lord’s parents served him. The wheel of their mind will become stabilized (naimiśa) in that location within the bhāgavatam. That is the deep significance of the term namiśa.
If the alternate reading (naimiṣa) is selected, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura still says that this reading too has a deep significance. The history behind the term ‘naimiṣa’ is that it is ‘a place where demoniac forces were destroyed in a moment’. Similarly, by placing the term ‘naimiṣa’ in the beginning of the bhāgavatam, it is indicated that one’s deep-seated demoniac enemies like lust, anger etc. will be destroyed quickly (naimiṣa) in this literature, and therefore one should reside here in the association of this literature.
Q.5) What is the meaning of the term ‘animiṣa-kṣetre’?
Ans) The term animiṣa-kṣetre is an adjective for the term ‘naimiśe/naimiṣe’ and it means — ‘in the forest of Lord Vishnu.’ According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the Lord Viṣṇu is animiṣa because his eyes do not blink. According to the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (Canto 9, Chapter 13) and other purāṇas, king Nimi was cursed by the sage Vasiṣṭha to lose his body. Since king Nimi did not want to take another body, he was granted a place in the eyelids of all conditioned living entities. Due to this, all conditioned living entities have eyes that blink. Due to king Nimi’s presence in the eyelids of all embodied conditioned souls, the time period for which an eye blinks is called as nimeṣa. However, Lord Viṣṇu’s eyes never blink, and hence he is known as a-nimiṣa. His forest is known as animiṣa-kṣetra. Śrī Vallabhācārya also says that animiṣa-kṣetre means ‘forest of Lord Viṣṇu’. He says that Lord Viṣṇu has no faults in him and only spiritual qualities and therefore, he is known as animiṣa.
Q.6) What is the significance of the term ‘ṛṣayaḥ’?
Ans) This term indicates that those who were staying in the forest of naimiśa/naimiṣa were sages. The term ṛṣayaḥ is the plural of the term ‘ṛṣiḥ’. The term ‘ṛṣi’ is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root √ṛṣ. The meaning of this term is popularly understood as follows — ṛṣati prāpnoti jñānena saṁsāra-pāram iti ṛṣiḥ — “A ṛṣi is one who takes us beyond the material world by the dint of his knowledge.”
Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha says that ṛṣi here means a tri-kāla-darśī, or 'a person who can see the past, present and future'. Alternatively Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha and Śrī Vallabhācārya say that it can also mean a mantra-draṣṭā, or ‘a seer of a mantra’.
Q.7) What is the significance of the term ‘śaunaka-ādayaḥ’?
Ans) The term śaunaka-ādayaḥ means ‘śaunaka etc.’ It can also mean ‘headed by śaunaka’. Mentioning only śaunaka and including all other sages in the term ‘ādayaḥ’ implies that the sage śaunaka was the leader of all the other sages in the forest. This term ‘śaunakādayaḥ’ is an adjective of the term ṛṣayaḥ. The leader of all the ṛṣis was Sri Shaunaka. Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says that according to the literature named ‘Līlāvatī’, śaunaḥ sarva-vivekaḥ syāt — “A person who possesses all wisdom is known as śaunaka”. He further says that only a devotee of the Lord can have all wisdom because such a devotee understands the all-pervading Lord as he is.
Another meaning
of śaunaka given by Śrī Vaṁśīdhara
Śarmā is śunasya apatya — a descendant
of śuna. He quotes the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (9.17.3) — śunakaḥ śaunako yasya bahvṛca pravaro muniḥ —
‘Gritsamada’s son was śunaka and śunaka’s son was śaunaka who was a leader expert on the Ṛg-veda.’
Q.8) What is the meaning and significance of the term ‘satram’?
Ans) Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā gives a definition of the term ‘satra’ in his commentary. He says — ‘yatra bahu-kartṛka-yāgas tatra satra-śabdaḥ prayujyate’ — ‘Wherever many priests are involved in performing a sacrifice, it becomes denoted as satra.’
He also gives a definition as follows:
bahubhyo dīyate yatra
Q.8) What is the meaning and significance of the term ‘satram’?
Ans) Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā gives a definition of the term ‘satra’ in his commentary. He says — ‘yatra bahu-kartṛka-yāgas tatra satra-śabdaḥ prayujyate’ — ‘Wherever many priests are involved in performing a sacrifice, it becomes denoted as satra.’
He also gives a definition as follows:
bahubhyo dīyate yatra
tṛpyanti prāṇino bahu
kartāro bahavo yatra
kartāro bahavo yatra
tat-satram abhidhīyate
“Wherever charity is given to numerous people; wherever numerous living entities are satisfied by offering food, water etc; wherever many people are involved in performing the sacrifice, it is known as a satra.”
He also says ye ṛtvijas ta eva yaja-mānāḥ — a satra is a sacrifice in which the hosts themselves are the performers. Usually, a sacrifice is hosted by a king or a householder and the priests are invited to perform it. In this sacrifice however, the hosts were the performers. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya says that alternatively, the term ‘satra’ here refers to a brahma-satra. He says that the characteristics of a brahma-satra are given in the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (10.87.11):
tulya-śruta-tapaḥ-śīlās
“Wherever charity is given to numerous people; wherever numerous living entities are satisfied by offering food, water etc; wherever many people are involved in performing the sacrifice, it is known as a satra.”
He also says ye ṛtvijas ta eva yaja-mānāḥ — a satra is a sacrifice in which the hosts themselves are the performers. Usually, a sacrifice is hosted by a king or a householder and the priests are invited to perform it. In this sacrifice however, the hosts were the performers. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya says that alternatively, the term ‘satra’ here refers to a brahma-satra. He says that the characteristics of a brahma-satra are given in the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (10.87.11):
tulya-śruta-tapaḥ-śīlās
tulya-svīyāri-madhyamāḥ
api
cakruḥ pravacanam
ekaṁ śuśrūṣavo 'pare
“All the sages present were equal in learning, austerity and good behavior; all of them were equal to friends, enemies and neutral parties. Yet they organized a brahma-satra where one of them was the speaker and the others were eager listeners.”
[Note: There are two types of satras — karma-satra and brahma-satra. When various sages of equal qualifications gather and appoint one among them as a host (yaja-māna) and the remaining become priests (ṛtvijas) in a Vedic sacrifice, then such a sacrifice becomes known as karma-satra; and when various sages of equal qualifications gather and appoint one among them as a speaker (vaktā) and the remaining become listeners (śrotā) in a discussion on the absolute truth, then that too is a sacrifice known as brahma-satra.]
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also says that the words — āsīnā dīrgha-satreṇa kathāyām in Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (1.1.21) indicate that the satra was actually a brahma-satra, which is nothing but a discussion on the absolute truth among great sages. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya indicates that this particular satra was special because it was bhagavad-guṇānubhavātmaka — replete with topics regarding the divine qualities and experience of the Lord.
Q.9) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘svargāya lokāya’?
Ans) Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the term ‘svargāya’ means ‘Hari’. He derives it as follows — ‘svaḥ svarge gīyata iti svargāyo hariḥ sa eva loko bhaktānāṁ nivāsa-sthānaṁ tasmai tat-prāptaya ity arthaḥ’ — “The term svaḥ means heaven and he who is glorified (gīyate) in svaḥ (heaven) is svargāya (= Hari). The term ‘loka’ means ‘abode’, so ‘svargāya-loka’ means ‘Hari who himself is the abode of all the devotees’. Thus, svargāya-lokāya means ‘to attain Hari, who is the abode of all devotees’. In this way, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that svargāya-lokāya are not two different terms but a single samāsa (compound term).
Somebody may question this unique interpretation of svargāya, since the literal meaning of ‘svargāya lokāya’ would be “to attain heaven”. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura defends Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s stance by saying that the term ‘svargāya’ is grammatically similar to the term ‘urugāya’ found in the Vedas and in the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (2.3.20). Since urugāya in that verse is also an adjective of Lord Krishna, similarly svargāya in this verse can also be considered as an adjective of Lord Krishna. The exact grammatical derivation of svargāya is (svaḥ + √gai + ghañ).
Śrī Vallabhācārya is known for speaking out against some portions of Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary. While interpreting ‘svargāya lokāya’ too, he disproves Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition of svargāya-lokāya as a single compound term and sticks to the traditional meaning of svargāya lokāya i.e. ‘heavenly abode’, and says that Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition is incorrect because the Vedas already have passage saying, ‘svargāya vā etāni lokāya hūyante’ — ‘The sages perform sacrifices to attain the heavenly abode.’ In this Vedic passage, the terms ‘svargāya’ and ‘lokāya’ are separated and not joint together in a compound term. Thus, according to Śrī Vallabhācārya, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s interpretation is incorrect. The aim here seems to be disproving Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s explanation and establishing his own opinion as superior. It is also interesting to note that although Śrī Giridhara-lāla is a follower of Śrī Vallabhācārya, he ends up accepting Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition. He also gives another proof that the term ‘svar loka’ means Vaikuṇṭha. He says that in Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (11.7.1), a similar term ‘svar-vāsam’ has been used to refer to Vaikuṇṭha.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the sacrifice of the sages was initially for attaining heaven. However, they heard the various other Purāṇas from Romaharṣaṇa and became more inquisitive about the Lord. Thereafter, they got the association of Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī and became interested in bhakti-rasa, or the mellows of devotion. Thus, they said:
karmaṇy asminn anāśvāse
dhūma-dhūmrātmanāṁ bhavān
āpāyayati govinda-
pāda-padmāsavaṁ madhu
We have just begun the performance of this fruitive activity, a sacrificial fire, without certainty of its result due to the many imperfections in our action. Our bodies have become black from the smoke, but we are factually pleased by the nectar of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, which you are distributing. (Śrīmad-bhāgavatam 1.18.12)
Thus, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that although the sages began performing a sacrifice to attain heaven, the purpose of the sacrifice was lost in due course of time and they all began to focus on Hari alone.
Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says that ‘svargāya-lokāya’ can also mean ‘to attain Hari’s abode, Vaikuṇṭha’.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also says that ‘svarga’ means a place of unsurpassed joy and it indicates the parama-pada or Vaikuṇṭha. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also adds that the sages cannot be aiming for the heavenly planets found in this world, because their leader Śaunaka is a topmost devotee (parama-bhāgavata).
Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha also gives an interpretation on similar lines.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya and Śrī Śukadeva also quote a passage from the Kaṭha-upaniṣat (1.13) which proves that those who stay in ‘svarga’ are those who have attained true immortality. The passage is as follows — ‘svarge loke ‘mṛtatvaṁ bhajante’ — “Those who reside in that abode named svarga experience true immortality’. Thus, even from this quote, it can be established that svarga means ‘the place of true immortality’, or Vaikuṇṭha and ‘svargāya lokāya’ can mean ‘to attain that Vaikuṇṭha’
Q.10) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘sahasra-samam’?
Ans) Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says it means ‘a thousand years’. Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā accepts this but raises a question that in the Mahābhārata (9.36.40), there is a phrase which says ‘satre dvādaśa-vārṣike’ i.e. a satra is of dvādaśa (twelve) years. How can these two be reconciled?
Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says by defending Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī that in this case, the term dvādaśa in the Mahābhārata should be interpreted as ‘dvābhyāṁ bindubhyāṁ adhikā daśa’ i.e. two zeroes after 10 (=1000). Thus by this novel definition, the contradiction is resolved.
Or Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says that the Mahābhārata must be speaking about some other day of Lord Brahmā, where the definition of a satra was different. Or he says that sahasra-samam can mean ‘thousand months’. This is because in the Vedas as well as in the commentaries of the Mahābhārata, there is a statement that sometimes, a month can be considered as long as an year.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya, Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha, Śrī Vallabhācārya and other commentators agree with the interpretation of Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī.
Q.11) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘āsata’?
Ans) According to the commentators, this is a prefix + verb. ‘ā’ is the prefix and ‘asata’ is the verb. The intention of this verb is to say that “they performed”. It is interesting to note that ‘asata’ a form not to be found or derived according to Pāṇini’s rules easily, and thus this verb gets interpreted in various ways by various commentators. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that it means “they performed”. Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha says that it means “they were seated”, or “they were initiated in”.
Most commentators say that the meaning of some verbal forms is determined mainly by looking at their prefixes. They give examples of verbal forms in the Vedas such as ‘ā-labhante’, ‘nir-vapanti’, ‘upa-yanti’, all of which mean “they performed”. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that in many such verbal forms, a suitable prefix is used to give the same meaning i.e. “they performed”.
“All the sages present were equal in learning, austerity and good behavior; all of them were equal to friends, enemies and neutral parties. Yet they organized a brahma-satra where one of them was the speaker and the others were eager listeners.”
[Note: There are two types of satras — karma-satra and brahma-satra. When various sages of equal qualifications gather and appoint one among them as a host (yaja-māna) and the remaining become priests (ṛtvijas) in a Vedic sacrifice, then such a sacrifice becomes known as karma-satra; and when various sages of equal qualifications gather and appoint one among them as a speaker (vaktā) and the remaining become listeners (śrotā) in a discussion on the absolute truth, then that too is a sacrifice known as brahma-satra.]
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also says that the words — āsīnā dīrgha-satreṇa kathāyām in Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (1.1.21) indicate that the satra was actually a brahma-satra, which is nothing but a discussion on the absolute truth among great sages. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya indicates that this particular satra was special because it was bhagavad-guṇānubhavātmaka — replete with topics regarding the divine qualities and experience of the Lord.
Q.9) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘svargāya lokāya’?
Ans) Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that the term ‘svargāya’ means ‘Hari’. He derives it as follows — ‘svaḥ svarge gīyata iti svargāyo hariḥ sa eva loko bhaktānāṁ nivāsa-sthānaṁ tasmai tat-prāptaya ity arthaḥ’ — “The term svaḥ means heaven and he who is glorified (gīyate) in svaḥ (heaven) is svargāya (= Hari). The term ‘loka’ means ‘abode’, so ‘svargāya-loka’ means ‘Hari who himself is the abode of all the devotees’. Thus, svargāya-lokāya means ‘to attain Hari, who is the abode of all devotees’. In this way, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that svargāya-lokāya are not two different terms but a single samāsa (compound term).
Somebody may question this unique interpretation of svargāya, since the literal meaning of ‘svargāya lokāya’ would be “to attain heaven”. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura defends Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s stance by saying that the term ‘svargāya’ is grammatically similar to the term ‘urugāya’ found in the Vedas and in the Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (2.3.20). Since urugāya in that verse is also an adjective of Lord Krishna, similarly svargāya in this verse can also be considered as an adjective of Lord Krishna. The exact grammatical derivation of svargāya is (svaḥ + √gai + ghañ).
Śrī Vallabhācārya is known for speaking out against some portions of Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s commentary. While interpreting ‘svargāya lokāya’ too, he disproves Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition of svargāya-lokāya as a single compound term and sticks to the traditional meaning of svargāya lokāya i.e. ‘heavenly abode’, and says that Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition is incorrect because the Vedas already have passage saying, ‘svargāya vā etāni lokāya hūyante’ — ‘The sages perform sacrifices to attain the heavenly abode.’ In this Vedic passage, the terms ‘svargāya’ and ‘lokāya’ are separated and not joint together in a compound term. Thus, according to Śrī Vallabhācārya, Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s interpretation is incorrect. The aim here seems to be disproving Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s explanation and establishing his own opinion as superior. It is also interesting to note that although Śrī Giridhara-lāla is a follower of Śrī Vallabhācārya, he ends up accepting Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī’s definition. He also gives another proof that the term ‘svar loka’ means Vaikuṇṭha. He says that in Śrīmad-bhāgavatam (11.7.1), a similar term ‘svar-vāsam’ has been used to refer to Vaikuṇṭha.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that the sacrifice of the sages was initially for attaining heaven. However, they heard the various other Purāṇas from Romaharṣaṇa and became more inquisitive about the Lord. Thereafter, they got the association of Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī and became interested in bhakti-rasa, or the mellows of devotion. Thus, they said:
karmaṇy asminn anāśvāse
dhūma-dhūmrātmanāṁ bhavān
āpāyayati govinda-
pāda-padmāsavaṁ madhu
We have just begun the performance of this fruitive activity, a sacrificial fire, without certainty of its result due to the many imperfections in our action. Our bodies have become black from the smoke, but we are factually pleased by the nectar of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, Govinda, which you are distributing. (Śrīmad-bhāgavatam 1.18.12)
Thus, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that although the sages began performing a sacrifice to attain heaven, the purpose of the sacrifice was lost in due course of time and they all began to focus on Hari alone.
Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says that ‘svargāya-lokāya’ can also mean ‘to attain Hari’s abode, Vaikuṇṭha’.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also says that ‘svarga’ means a place of unsurpassed joy and it indicates the parama-pada or Vaikuṇṭha. Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya also adds that the sages cannot be aiming for the heavenly planets found in this world, because their leader Śaunaka is a topmost devotee (parama-bhāgavata).
Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha also gives an interpretation on similar lines.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya and Śrī Śukadeva also quote a passage from the Kaṭha-upaniṣat (1.13) which proves that those who stay in ‘svarga’ are those who have attained true immortality. The passage is as follows — ‘svarge loke ‘mṛtatvaṁ bhajante’ — “Those who reside in that abode named svarga experience true immortality’. Thus, even from this quote, it can be established that svarga means ‘the place of true immortality’, or Vaikuṇṭha and ‘svargāya lokāya’ can mean ‘to attain that Vaikuṇṭha’
Q.10) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘sahasra-samam’?
Ans) Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says it means ‘a thousand years’. Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā accepts this but raises a question that in the Mahābhārata (9.36.40), there is a phrase which says ‘satre dvādaśa-vārṣike’ i.e. a satra is of dvādaśa (twelve) years. How can these two be reconciled?
Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says by defending Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī that in this case, the term dvādaśa in the Mahābhārata should be interpreted as ‘dvābhyāṁ bindubhyāṁ adhikā daśa’ i.e. two zeroes after 10 (=1000). Thus by this novel definition, the contradiction is resolved.
Or Śrī Vaṁśīdhara Śarmā says that the Mahābhārata must be speaking about some other day of Lord Brahmā, where the definition of a satra was different. Or he says that sahasra-samam can mean ‘thousand months’. This is because in the Vedas as well as in the commentaries of the Mahābhārata, there is a statement that sometimes, a month can be considered as long as an year.
Śrī Vīrarāghavācārya, Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha, Śrī Vallabhācārya and other commentators agree with the interpretation of Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī.
Q.11) What is the meaning and significance of the terms ‘āsata’?
Ans) According to the commentators, this is a prefix + verb. ‘ā’ is the prefix and ‘asata’ is the verb. The intention of this verb is to say that “they performed”. It is interesting to note that ‘asata’ a form not to be found or derived according to Pāṇini’s rules easily, and thus this verb gets interpreted in various ways by various commentators. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that it means “they performed”. Śrī Vijaya-dhvaja-tīrtha says that it means “they were seated”, or “they were initiated in”.
Most commentators say that the meaning of some verbal forms is determined mainly by looking at their prefixes. They give examples of verbal forms in the Vedas such as ‘ā-labhante’, ‘nir-vapanti’, ‘upa-yanti’, all of which mean “they performed”. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that in many such verbal forms, a suitable prefix is used to give the same meaning i.e. “they performed”.
In Sanskrit Grammar too, there is a rule “bahvarthāḥ api dhātavaḥ bhavanti” — “Sometimes, verbal roots can take many meanings.” (Mahā-bhāṣya on Pāṇini 1.3.1). This seems to be the case here with this verbal form. It has taken various meanings according to the mood of various commentators.
Amazing work, Hariji.
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