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portion of Myself, I exist." The Sruti (Mun. Up., 3-10)
says: "The Purusha is all this, sacrifice, penance,
Brahman, the highest, the immortal."
 
Such words as Vishnu' and the like, though repeated
(in this hymn) are not tautalogous, since the meaning
differs with the function. The words 'Sripati,' 'Madhava,'
etc., though one and the same in meaning differ in expres-
sion. Although one and the same in meaning, yet it is no
defect, since the questioner wanted to know the one Deity
whose names were a thousand and because these denote a
single Devata.
 
VISHNU SAHASRANAMA
 
The thousand Names consist of words in the mas-
culine, feminine and neuter genders. Those in the
masculine gender qualify Vishnu, those in the feminine
qualify Děvata and those in the neuter qualify Brahman.
 
THE THOUSAND NAMES ¹
 
1 The universe. (Visvam.)
 
Beginning from the stanza "from whom all beings,
etc." (verse 11) up to the last Verse, Brahman, the cause
of origin, preservation, and destruction of the Universe,
has been spoken of as a Single Deity. The twofold
Brahman (conditioned and unconditioned) is termed in the
beginning as Universe' (Visva). Brahman is spoken of
as Visva being the cause of the entire manifested Universe.
The word, Universe, as being the effect of a cause is used
in the beginning to show that Vishnu could be praised by
the names of Brahma, etc., who are also effects.
 
Or this Universe is in reality not different from the
Supreme Purusha. Hence, Brahman is spoken of as
'Visva'. The Srutis say: (Mun. Up., 3-10 and 4-11):
 
Before repeating the names, Anganyasa, Karanyása, and Dhyana
Slokas should be gone through; and they do not belong to the Text,
I have not translated them into English. They are added in the
Text.