Glories to Lord Shriman Lakshmi Narayana - Part 2

What and How should I understand Lord Vishnu ?

You should understand that firstly he is Anantham ! That is infinite.

Before writing anything more, I want to convey that my answer will be purely based on Adwaita (Suddha Adwaita) so it can be contradicting to other philosophies. So my interpretations will be based on Adwaita (Non-Dualism) only.

Shri Bhagwaan is referred as Preserver of whole Universe as main + also as creator, preserver and destroyer all. For knowing about Shri Bhagwaan, you need not to go in search of thousands of books as because his glories and powers and qualities of him even cannot be written in crores of books. That’s why Shri Shri Goswami Tulsidas ji Maharaj wrote a beautiful line in Shri Ramcharitmanas (Hindi Ramayana) :-

हरि अनन्त हरि कथा अनन्ता
कहहि सुनहि बहुविधि सब संता

Hari Annantha Hari Katha Annantha,

Kahahi sunahi bahuvidhi sab santaa

Hari is ananntha (infinite), Hari katha (story) is too ananntha (infinite),

All the different saints have differently interpreted it and told it.

:- Shri Ramcharitmanas

So, Shri Shri Goswami Tulsidas ji helped me to make my both points cleared in just one Chaupaai (verse). Hari is infinite, his powers, his love, his qualities and every thing are infinite. Diffeerent saints with different philosophy have interpreted his qualities and powers. Like me interpreting it on Adwaita basis, someone can interpret it with Dwaita basis and some other can interpret it with Vishista-Adwaita basis but everyone’s goal is same and we all will reach to that one supreme goal only.

Now I will quote a verse of Shri Vishnu Stotram from Shri Shri Vishnu Mahapurana. This stotram is composed by Mahabhakta Prahlaad ji and its too much auspicious that explains Lord Vishnu in such a great manner ! This stotram actually defines even how great and simple was Mahabhakta Prahlaad ji.

नमस्ते पुण्डरीकाक्ष नमस्ते पुरुषोत्तम ।
नमस्ते सर्वलोकात्मन्नमस्ते तिग्मचक्रिणे ॥१॥

Namastey Pundarikaaksha Namastey Purushottama,

Namastey Sarva-Lokaatman namastey tigmachakriney !!!!!!

All saluations to the great lord Pundarikaaksha, to Lord Purushottama, to the one who is Srava-loka aatman, to the tikshana chakradhaari !!!!!!!

:- Shri Vishnu Purana

The main word to be noticed here is this :- सर्वलोकात्मन्न (Sarva-Lokaatman ) i.e. he is the aatma (soul) of every loka (dimension or place) as well as of those too who resides there. Being soul he resides every place and also in everyone. From a smallest atom to the highest Vaikuntha, he resides everywhere. This actually proves that he is power of everyone. He is the power or the soul of this countless great and ever expanding Universe !

Moreover if we go through Vedas, In Rig Veda’s Purusha Suktam’s 1st line only its written that :-

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशाङुलम्

Sahasra-Shiirssaa Purussah Sahasra-Akssah Sahasra-Paat
Sa Bhuumim Vishvato Vrtva-Atya[i-Tisstthad-Dasha-Angulam

The Purusha who is Universal Being has Thousand Heads, Thousand Eyes and Thousand Feet (Thousand signifies innumerable functions of the Universal Being),
He envelops the World from all sides i.e. He pervades each part of the Creation, and extends beyond in the Ten Directions represented by Ten Fingers.

:- Purusha Sukta

Now let us see what Narayana Suktam of Yajur Veda states :-

पतिं विश्वस्य आत्मा ईश्वरं शाश्वतं शिवमच्युतम् ।
नारायणं महाज्ञेयं विश्वात्मानं परायणम् ॥ 3 ||

patim visvasya atma isvaram sasvatam sivamacyutam ।
narayanam mahajneyam visvatmanam parayanam ॥ 3 ॥

The protector of the universe, the Lord of all Souls (or Lord over Self), the perpetual, the auspicious, the indestructible, the Goal of all creation, the Supreme object worthy of being known, the Soul of all beings, the Refuge
unfailing (is He)

नारायण परो ज्योतिरात्मा नारायणः परः ।
नारायण परं ब्रह्म तत्त्वं नारायणः परः ।
नारायण परो ध्याता ध्यानं नारायणः परः ॥ 4 ||

narayana paro jyotiratma narayanah parah ।
narayana param brahma tattvam narayanah parah ।
narayana paro dhyata dhyanam narayanah parah ॥ 4 ||

The Lord Narayana is the Supreme Absolute; Narayana is the Supreme Reality; Narayana is the Supreme Light; Narayana
is the Supreme Self; Narayana is the Supreme Meditator; Narayana is the Supreme Meditation.

Hence superiority of Narayana is proclaimed even by Shri Narayana suktam of Yajur Veda !!!!!

Another power of him which I would like to discuss about is his power of giving the results of all Karmas.

Shri Vishnu Stotram mentions it in such a way :-

समस्ता कर्म भोक्ता च कर्मोपकारणानि च
त्वमेव विष्णो सर्वानि सर्वकर्मफलमश्च यत्

Samasta karma bhoktaa cha karmopakaranaanicha

Twameva Vishno Sarvaani Sarvakarmaphalamcha yat

All the Karmas are relieved by you and you alone are their giver

and you Lord Vishnu, you alone is the giver of results of all Karmas !

So basically Lord Vishnu is the giver of results of all Karmas (works) !

Some other lines of it says :-

रूपं महत्ते स्थितमत्र विश्वं ततश्च सूक्ष्मं जगदेतदीश ।
रूपाणि सर्वाणि च भूतभेदास्तेष्वन्तरात्माख्यमतीव सूक्ष्मम्

Rupam mahatte sthitmatra vishvam tatshcha jagadish

rupaani sarvaani cha bhutbhedastesvantaraatmakhyaamteeva sukshmam

Your roop (means you yourself) is the alone static in whole universe whom the Universe follows (basically telling like Sun you are stable and the whole Universe like planets revolve around you) and you protect whole Universe Oh Jagadish !

You are in every being, everything is you from the all highest thing, self Aatman and even in the smallest atom, only you resides.

This line actually proves everything is Shri Hari Narayana only. You, me and he himself all are Hari and one. He himself the controller of all of us and one day we (his anshas) will again unite with him and will become one.

Hence even the energy from whom this universe works, you and me all do their works, all of this is Hari ! Now how can I say this? Read some other lines from it.

सर्वभूतेषु सर्वात्मन्या शक्तिरपरा तव ।
गुणाश्रया नमस्तस्यै शाश्वतायै सुरेश्वरा

Sarva Bhuteshu Sarvaatma nyaa Shaktiraparaa tawa,

Gunaashrayaa Namastassyai Shaswataayai Sureshwara

Oh ! Vishnu, you are the sarva-bhuteshu (in all beings) sarva-aatman (everyone’s soul) and who is Nirguna (Formless) and with Guna (with from) who is Shakti, Para-Shakti and everything and is eternal and who is all great God !

Hence this itself describes excellently about Lord Vishnu. He is such a great that his powers are countless because he himself have power, he himself is without powers, he himself is above any power.

He himself is Sattva, Rajas and Tamas ! He is everything in everyone. He has all qualities and he too have nothing. Every condition and qualities of dualistic material world destroys itself in from of him and only one thing remains that is devotion, service and at last and final thing which remains is merging yourself in him and to become one with him.

He in one word is infinite i.e. limitless.

Hari is Anantha !!!!!!!!

Hope this helps !!!!!!

ऊँ नमो विष्णवे तस्मै नमस्तस्मै पुनः पुनः !!!!!!

Om Namo Vishnavey tasmai namastasmai punah punah !!!!!!!!

Jay Lakshmi Narayana !!!!!!!!