Book Presentation

Vishnu Suktam

by Dr. K. Parvathi Kumar

Vishnu means the permeating light of the universe. It is in this light all forms live, move and have their being. It dwells in all forms, while the latter dwell in it. Vishnu is like the ocean of light, while the beings live as tides of the ocean. Essentially the tide is also the ocean, though seen differently.

The Vedic suktams are profound poetry relating to the grand patterns of creational manifestation. The book on Vishnu Suktam by Dr K. Parvathi Kumar is an effort to make an elaborate commentary on the suktams with the help of the word meaning and the basic meaning given by Master EK. The commentary is entirely fresh, while the nucleus is made available by the Master. It is an offering for students who have appetite for wisdom beyond religious limitations.

Dhanishta, Visakhapatnam, India 2020

Sample:

Suktam 1

Paro mātrayā tanvā’ vṛdhāna
Na te’ Mahitva Manva’śnuvanti ||
Ubhe te’ vidmā raja’sī pṛthivyā
Viṣṇo’ devatvam paramasya’ vithse ||

Word Meaning

Matraya - by volume
Paraha - beyond
Tanva - by the form
Vrudhana - permeated
Te - of you
Mahitvam - splendorous expansion
Na+Anu+Asnuvanti - cannot be experienced

Te - of your
Ubhe - both
Vidma - can be comprehended
Rajasi - of the force
Pridhivya - of the matter
Vishno - O Vishnu
Deva - O Lord
Asya - of this
Param - beyond
Tvam Vitse - you only know

Meaning

O Vishnu! By volume you are beyond measures and stay expanded beyond boundaries. Your permeating splendour cannot be experienced by many in its completeness of your three states. We only experience two, we experience the matter, we know the force. We do not completely experience your third state of all permeating consciousness.

Commentary

Vishnu means all permeating consciousness. He is the indwelling consciousness of all beings. He builds the three worlds in three steps and permeates them. Matter, force and consciousness are his three states in creation which he permeates and also stays beyond. We the humans can experience the two states of material and force. We cannot completely experience the third and sublime state of all permeating consciousness. Though, the humans carry the mind which holds the consciousness, it cannot comprehend the splendour of the all-permeating consciousness in its completeness. In its effort to know, the mind gets expanded gradually into the horizons of knowledge and grows until the mind is absorbed into the one consciousness. The observing mind in pursuit of knowledge absorbs itself into it. Hence, there remains no observer. The observer is absorbed into that which is being observed. Therefore, the third state of Vishnu can be glimpsed at but cannot be experienced or even comprehended totally.

Only Vishnu knows all his three states, he being the fourth one. The beings being the minutest particles of that Vishnu consciousness cannot comprehend the whole. The part can never comprehend the whole. In its effort to know the whole, it gets absorbed into the whole and hence Vishnu cannot be experienced in totality. This is what is popularly called the state of Samadhi or the state of at-one-ment.

Vishnu permeates as the three worlds. Men to know Vishnu, shall have to offer themselves to Vishnu in all the three planes by which they get once again absorbed into Vishnu. Therefore, salvation is seen as self-sacrifice. As long as humans hold on to anything, they cannot get absorbed into the third state of Vishnu. That is the reason why all ancient theologies speak of the ‘sacrament of all-offering’, which is called in Sanskrit as ‘sarvahuta yagna.