Bhashya
ज्वलञ्शब्दो दहनार्थे वर्तमानोऽपि अज्ञानदाहकत्वेन व्याख्येयः ।तत्र लोकाद्यज्ञानस्य प्रकाशवत्त्वादाहकः प्रकृते च उपासकाज्ञानदाहक इति ।ज्वलन् प्रकाशनेनाज्ञानदहनं कुर्वन् ज्वलिता अज्ञानदहनकर्ता तपन् तापं कुर्वन् अज्ञानस्य वितपन् स्वयं शान्तः संतपन् संतापं कुर्वन् अज्ञानस्य ।एते शतृप्रत्यया वर्तमानकालाः सन्तः यस्मिन्काले एतद्व्यूहोपासनं वर्तते तस्मिन्नेव महाविष्णुरुपासकः प्रकाशात्मकोऽधिकारी वर्तत इति दर्शयन्ति ।रोचनः अनुद्वेगकरः रोचमानः इच्छाकरः ; अत एव शोभनः शोभमानः कल्याणः इति एतदुक्तं भवति-मूलनृसिंहव्यूहस्य शिरोऽङ्गे उन्नते स्थितं तेजः सर्वप्रकाशकं सर्वाज्ञानदाहकं च इति सामाञ्जसावित्रमन्त्रेण व्याख्यातमुपास्यमिति ।यस्मादुभयोपास्यप्रतिपादनक्षमं ज्वलन्तमिति पदं तस्मादुभयोपास्यपरत्वेनोपसंहरति-तस्मादुच्यते ज्वलन्तमिति ।इति-शब्दो व्याख्यातः ।अथेदानीं क्रमप्राप्तम्, मूलमन्त्रापेक्षया पञ्चमं पदम्, पादापेक्षया द्वितीयम्, उभयोपास्ये व्याख्यातुं देवप्रश्नः-अथ कस्मादुच्यते सर्वतोमुखमिति ; स च उक्तार्थः ।स होवाच प्रजापतिरित्यनुषज्योत्तरम् ।यस्मात् स्वमहिम्नेति अनुषज्य व्याख्येयम् ।अनिन्द्रियोऽपीति सेन्द्रियस्य व्याख्यातविग्रहस्य तद्-भिमानराहित्यात् अनिन्द्रियत्वम्; अनिन्द्रियोऽप्ययं मूलनृ-सिंहव्यूहः सर्वतः पश्यति सर्वतः शृणोतीति बुद्धीन्द्रियोपलक्ष-णम्, सर्वतो गच्छति सर्वत आदत्ते सर्वगः सर्वतस्तिष्ठतीतिकर्मेन्द्रियोपलक्षणम्, एवमुभयेन्द्रियाभिमानरहितोऽप्ययं व्यू-हः उभयेन्द्रियजन्यकार्यकरणशक्तिमाञ्शिरोऽङ्गे उपास्य इतिदर्शयति ।एवमिदं सर्वतोमुखपदं मूलनृसिंहोपास्यपरत्वेनव्याख्याय अथेदानीं द्वात्रिंशन्नृसिंहोपायस्परत्वेन ऋचा व्या-चष्टे-एकः पुरस्तान् प्राक् ब्रह्मा नृसिंहाकारो बभूव, इदं सर्वंयतो बभूव, भुवनस्य गोपा गोप्ता नृसिंह एव विष्णु-र्बभूव ।यम् अप्येति लयं गच्छति सांपराये प्रलयकाले भुवनंसर्वं स नृसिंह एव महेश्वरो बभूवेति बद्धक्रमकाणां व्यू-हानां त्रयाणां प्रथमत एवोपादनेन तदादिन्यायेन इतरेषामे-कोनत्रिंशद्व्यूहानां ग्रहणमस्मिन्मन्त्रे ।नमामि नमस्करोमि तंव्यूहम् अहं नमामीत्येतत्पदद्वयमत्र वदन् सर्वपदव्याख्यानेअनुषक्तमिति दर्शयति ।सर्वत्र स्वमहिम्नेत्युपादानात् तत्रतत्र शक्तिमन्नृसिंहपदमप्येतदनुषक्तम् ।सर्वतोमुखमिति स-र्वतो नृसिंहाकाराणि मुखानि यस्य स तथोक्तः तं नृसिंहंसर्वतोमुखं नमाम्यहमित्यर्थः ।यस्मादिदं पदमुभयोपास्यप्र-तिपादने शक्तं तदुभयप्रतिपादकत्वेन तस्मादित्युपसंहर-ति— तस्मादुच्यते सर्वतोमुखमिति ।एतदुक्तं भवति—द्वितीयपादे शिरोऽङ्गविशिष्टः प्रतिपादितसर्वप्रकाशकत्वसर्वा-ज्ञानदाहकत्वोभयेन्द्रियाभिमानरहित्वोभयेन्द्रियकार्यकरण-शक्तिमत्त्वगुणविशिष्टः सामाङ्गसवितृमन्त्रव्याख्यातगुणवि-शिष्टः मूलनृसिंहव्यूहः उपास्यः, तत इतरो व्यूह इति ।एवमाद्यादङ्गादुन्नतप्रदेशस्थितत्वाच्छिरसः शिरस्त्वम् उ-न्नतत्वम् ।अत एव शिर आदित्यः सर्वोत्कृष्टः प्रकाशः तस्मैउन्नताय उन्नतस्थायादित्याय सर्वोत्कृष्टाय प्रकाशाय स्वाहेतिप्रपञ्चविलापनम्; तस्मात्प्रपञ्चाकारात् तदाकारं बुद्धिंप्रत्याहृत्य नृसिंहाकारमेव उपासीत इत्येवं शिरोऽङ्गमन्त्रस्या-र्थः, 'यो वै नृसिंहो देवो भगवान्यश्च सर्वम्' इति श्रुतेः ।अत एवोक्तं शिरोऽङ्गमन्त्रार्थं व्याचक्षाणैः अस्माभिः प्रप-ञ्चागमशास्त्रे—'तुङ्गार्थत्वाच्छिरोऽङ्गस्य विषयाहरणे त्विषः ।शिरोमन्त्रेण चोत्तुङ्गविषयाहृतिरीरिता' इति ।एवं द्वितीयेपादे साङ्गोपासनामभिधाय तथैव तृतीयपादोपासनामभिधातुंतदाद्यं पदम्, षष्ठं च मूलमन्त्रापेक्षया, उक्तोपास्ये व्याख्यातुंदेवप्रश्नः—अथ कस्मादुच्यते नृसिंहमिति ; स च उक्तार्थः ।सहोवाच प्रजापतिरित्यनुषज्योत्तरम् ।अत्र च यस्माच्छब्दप्र-योगात् स्वमहिम्नेति अस्य अनुषङ्गं दर्शयति ।यस्मात्सर्वेषांभूतानां मध्ये ना पुरुषाकारो वीर्यवत्तमः ततः सर्वातिशा-यिनः श्रेष्ठतमश्च सिंहो वीर्यवत्तमः श्रेष्ठतमश्चेत्युक्तार्थम् ।त-तश्च उभयात्मरूपप्रदर्शनेन यद्यद्रूपं कामयते तत्तद्धारणे ली-लयैव शक्तोऽयमिति दर्शयति ।यस्मादेवं तस्मान्नृसिंहःपरमेश्वर आसीदित्यन्वयः ।न च नृसिंहे परमेश्वर आसी-दित्यन्वयः, वैयधिकरण्यापत्तेः, सामानाधिकरण्यान्वयोप-पत्तौ सत्यां वैयधिकरण्यानुपपत्तेः ।तस्मान्नृसिंहः परमेश्वर-स्त्रिनेत्रो नीलकण्ठः पिनाकीति सिद्धम् ।ऋतं सत्यमितिप्राग्व्याख्यातं मन्त्रवर्णाच्च उक्तं जगद्धितं जगतो हितं जग-द्धितम् अनिष्टनिरसनेन, वै प्रसिद्धम्, एतद्रूपं प्रागुपास्यत्वेनयदुक्तमक्षरं भवति यदक्षरमविनाशं चिद्रूपं निराकारं तदेवसाकारमुपासकानुग्रहाय भवतीत्यन्वयः ।एवं नृसिंहपदंषष्ठं मूलनृसिंहव्यूहोपास्ये व्याख्याय तदेव पदम् ऋचा द्वात्रिं-शन्नृसिंहव्यूहे व्याचष्टे—विष्णुः मृगः सिंहः प्रस्तवते स्तुतिंप्राप्नोति स्तुतिमन्त्रैः तद्वीर्याय तत्तत्सामर्थ्याय नभीमः नभयंकरः ।कुचरः कुत्रांयं न चरति सर्वदेवविग्रहेषुलीलया स्वयं विचरति सर्वदेवलीलाविग्रहधारीत्यर्थः ।गि-रिष्ठाः गिरिः पर्वतः तत्स्थ ईश्वरआत्मक इत्यर्थः ; यद्वागिरिषु वाग्रूपासु स्तुतिषु यद्यद्रूपमभिलषन् स्तोता कामयतेतत्तद्रूपं स्वस्मिन्स्थापयतीति गिरिष्ठाः ।यस्य त्रिषु विक्रमणेषु विग्रहेषु विविधं क्रमणं विक्रमणं तेषु ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वरात्मकेषु ।अधि इत्युपरिभावे ।अध्युरुषु बहुलीलाविग्रहेषु ।भुवनानि सर्वाणि श्रियन्ति निवसन्ति, स्वभावतः तानि ज्ञानपूर्वकाणि निवसन्ति विनिवसन्ति- एषु लीलाविग्रहेषु वयं तिष्ठाम इति ।तर्हि क्षियतिरैश्वर्यकर्म ऐश्वर्यं प्राप्नुवन्तीति ।एवं नानाविधविक्रमणावतरणे वीर्याय सामर्थ्याय तद्दर्शनाय विष्णुर्मृगः सिंहः प्रस्तवते प्रकर्षेण स्तुतिं लभत इत्यर्थः ।
In plain words
The word blazing, though it usually just means burning, is meant here as burning away ignorance. Fire illumines, and so it burns; in this verse, it burns the meditator's own ignorance. Blazing is the one who lights up the dark and burns ignorance in that light; the blazer is simply the one who does this burning; the scorcher heats ignorance; the one who heats it through stays at peace himself even as he burns; the one who heats it fully carries that burning to completion. All these words sit in the present tense, and that tells you something: right now, in this very meditation, the great Viṣṇu, made of light, is the one present and worthy to be worshipped. The pleasing one causes no unease; the one who delights grants what is wished for — which is why he is also called beautiful, radiant, and good. Here is what that comes to: the light standing in the raised head of the root form of Nṛsiṃha — the light that illumines everything and burns away all ignorance — is the very thing the Sāma-limb Sāvitrī mantra explains as the object of meditation. Because the word 'blazing' can carry the weight of both meditations at once, the text sums it up with 'therefore': 'That is why it says, blazing.' And with that, the word 'thus' has done its work. Now comes what follows in order — the fifth word of the root mantra, the second of this quarter, meant for the object shared by both — and the question arrives: why does it say all-facing? That has already been answered. 'He, Prajāpati, then said' carries forward as the reply, and 'by his own greatness' carries forward with it, to be read in. Without senses does not mean he lacks a body with organs — his form has already been described — it means he holds no pride of ownership in them. And yet this root form of Nṛsiṃha sees everywhere and hears everywhere, which quietly points to the senses of knowing; he goes everywhere, reaches everywhere, pervades everywhere, stands everywhere, which points to the senses of action. Free of any claim on either kind of sense, he still carries the power both kinds of sense exist to produce — that is what is meant by placing him, worshipped, in the head. Having explained all-facing as belonging to the root Nṛsiṃha's meditation, the text now opens it, by verse, to all thirty-two forms: 'One, first of all, before anything else, Brahmā took the shape of Nṛsiṃha — the one from whom everything came. He alone, protector and guardian of the world, became Viṣṇu. And the one into whom it all returns, when the world dissolves at the end of time — he too, the same Nṛsiṃha, became Maheśvara.' By naming, first, the three forms that unfold in fixed order, the verse gathers in the other twenty-nine the same way — what is true of the first holds for the rest. I bow means exactly that: I pay homage to this form. By speaking the two words 'I bow' here, the text shows they belong wherever a word is being explained. And because 'by his own greatness' recurs everywhere, the powerful Nṛsiṃha belongs there too, every time. All-facing means: the one whose faces, each in the shape of Nṛsiṃha, look out in every direction — that is why he is called this. I bow to that Nṛsiṃha who faces all directions — that is the sense of it. Because this word, too, can hold both meditations, the text closes it the same way: 'That is why it says, all-facing.' Put plainly: in the second quarter, the root form of Nṛsiṃha, marked by the head-limb, carries every quality just laid out — light to all, fire to all ignorance, no claim on either kind of sense, yet the power both kinds of sense exist for — and carries what the Sāma-limb Sāvitṛ mantra explains besides. He is the object of meditation; every other form flows from him. The head is called the head simply because it sits above the rest of the body — that height is its very meaning. And because of that height, the head is the sun, the highest light there is; the offering 'svāhā' to that raised one, that highest sun, that supreme light, is the dissolving of the visible world back into him. So: pull the mind back from the shapes the world gives it, and rest it only on the shape of Nṛsiṃha — that is what the head-mantra means, and the scripture says the same: 'He who is the god Nṛsiṃha, the Lord, is also everything there is.' That is exactly why, explaining this mantra elsewhere, we wrote: 'Because the head stands for what is highest, it gathers in the brightest object there is — the head-mantra itself speaks of drawing in that most exalted light.' Having laid out the meditation with its limb for the second quarter, the text turns, the same way, to the third — and to explain its opening word, the sixth of the root mantra, shared by both meditations, the question comes: why does it say Nṛsiṃha? Already answered. 'He, Prajāpati, then said' carries forward again as the reply, and here, because the word 'since' is used, 'by his own greatness' carries forward with it. Because, among all creatures, the man is the strongest in human shape, and beyond even that, surpassing everyone, the lion is the strongest and finest of all — that much was already said. And by wearing both shapes at once, he shows that whatever form he wants, he can take on simply by playing. Since this is so, the reading is: Nṛsiṃha was the Supreme Lord — not that a Supreme Lord merely resided in Nṛsiṃha, which would split subject from predicate; where the two can be read as one and the same, splitting them apart makes no sense. So it stands: Nṛsiṃha is the Supreme Lord, three-eyed, blue-throated, carrying the bow. Truth and reality were explained earlier; the wording of the mantra also calls him the world's good — good for the world by clearing away what threatens it, which everyone already knows. This form, spoken of before as what is worshipped, is the Imperishable itself; and that very Imperishable — undying, made of pure awareness, without shape — takes on shape purely out of grace toward the one who worships it. Having explained the sixth word, Nṛsiṃha, for the root form's meditation, the text now opens the same word, by verse, to all thirty-two forms: 'Viṣṇu, the wild one, the lion, is praised in hymns for his strength, for his many powers — and he causes no fear.' Roaming-where means: where does he not go? He moves at will through the very bodies of every god, by his own play — bearing, playing, every divine shape there is. Standing-on-the-mountain means: the mountain, and he who dwells upon it, one with the Lord. Or else: in the mountains of praise — the hymns themselves, made of speech — whatever shape a worshipper longs for, he plants that very shape within himself; that is why he is called this. His three strides, his three forms — call the movement between them what you will — are Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. Over means simply above; over-the-vast means over his many playful forms. All the worlds take shelter in him — by their own nature, carried by awareness, they dwell there fully, as if saying: we live inside these forms of his play. Or, read another way, the same root can mean rule — they gain sovereignty. So: across every kind of stride and descent, for his strength, for his power, to make that visible — Viṣṇu, the wild one, the lion, is praised, and praised richly.
Close to the Sanskrit
The word 'jvalan' (blazing), though it occurs in the sense of burning, is to be explained as 'the burner of ignorance.' There, since [fire] has the nature of illumining common ignorance, it is the burner; and in the present context [it is] the burner of the meditator's ignorance. 'Jvalan' means one who, by illumining, burns ignorance; 'jvalitā' means the doer of that burning; 'tapan' means one who heats ignorance; 'vitapan' means one who, himself at peace, burns it thoroughly; 'saṃtapan' means one who heats ignorance completely. These, being present participles in the present tense, show that at the very time this vyūha-meditation is performed, at that time the great Viṣṇu, of the nature of light, is the one who is the meditator/qualified one. 'Rocanaḥ' means one who causes no agitation; 'rocamānaḥ' means one who fulfils desire; hence also 'śobhanaḥ' and 'śobhamānaḥ' mean auspicious. This is what is said: the radiance situated in the elevated head-limb of the root Nṛsiṃha-vyūha, which illumines all and burns all ignorance, is the object of meditation explained by the Sāma-limb Sāvitrī mantra. Since the word 'jvalantam' is capable of expressing the object of meditation of both, he therefore concludes, with reference to both: 'Therefore it is said, "jvalantam."' The word 'iti' has [now] been explained. Now, what comes next in order: the fifth word with reference to the root mantra, the second with reference to the pāda, to be explained as common to both objects of meditation — the divine question: 'Now, why is it said, "sarvatomukham"?' — and that has already been explained. 'He, Prajāpati, then said' — supplied from before — is the answer. [The phrase] 'by his own greatness' is to be supplied and explained. 'Though without senses': though [he] has senses, his body having already been explained, since he is free from identification with them, [he is called] 'without senses.' Though this root Nṛsiṃha-vyūha is without senses, [the statement] 'it sees in all directions, it hears in all directions' indicates by implication the organs of cognition; [the statement] 'it goes everywhere, it grasps everywhere, it is all-pervading, it stands everywhere' indicates by implication the organs of action. Thus, though free from identification with either set of senses, this vyūha, possessing the capacity to produce the effects born of both sets of senses, is to be meditated upon in the head-limb — this [the text] shows. Having thus explained this word 'sarvatomukham' as pertaining to the object of meditation of the root Nṛsiṃha, now he explains, by a verse, its reference to the thirty-two Nṛsiṃha-vyūhas: 'One, at first, before [all], Brahmā took the form of Nṛsiṃha; from whom all this arose; he alone, Nṛsiṃha, the protector, the guardian of the world, became Viṣṇu. Into whom [all] this dissolves — at the time of dissolution, when the whole world goes to dissolution — he alone, Nṛsiṃha, became Maheśvara.' In this mantra, by the mention, first, of the three vyūhas bound in sequence, the remaining twenty-nine vyūhas are included, by the maxim of 'the first standing for the rest.' 'Namāmi' means 'I bow to' — 'I bow to that vyūha' — by uttering this pair of words here, [the text] shows that it is to be supplied in the explanation of every word. Because of the mention of 'by his own greatness' everywhere, the term 'the powerful Nṛsiṃha' is also to be supplied in each place. 'Sarvatomukham' means: he whose faces, in the form of Nṛsiṃha, are on all sides — he is so called; the meaning is, 'I bow to that all-facing Nṛsiṃha.' Since this word is capable of expressing the object of meditation of both, therefore, as expressing both, he concludes: 'Therefore it is said, "sarvatomukham."' This is what is said: in the second quarter, the root Nṛsiṃha-vyūha, characterized by the head-limb, endowed with the qualities set forth — illuminator of all, burner of all ignorance, free from identification with either set of senses, possessing the capacity to produce the effects of both sets of senses — and endowed with the qualities explained by the Sāma-limb Sāvitṛ mantra, is the object of meditation; from him [proceed] the other vyūhas. Thus, because of being situated in the elevated region relative to the primary limb, the 'head-ness' of the head is its elevatedness. Hence the head is the sun, the supreme light; [the formula] 'svāhā to that elevated one, situated in the height, the sun, the supreme light' is the dissolution of the phenomenal world; therefore, having withdrawn the mind, otherwise shaped by that world, from that world-shape, one should meditate only on the form of Nṛsiṃha — this is the meaning of the head-limb mantra, in accordance with the scriptural statement, 'He indeed who is the god Nṛsiṃha, the Lord, is also all this.' Hence it has been stated by us, while explaining the meaning of the head-limb mantra, in the Prapañcāgama-śāstra: 'Because the head-limb has the sense of the lofty, in the gathering-in of the object of radiance — and by the head-mantra the gathering-in of the most exalted object has been declared.' Thus, having stated the meditation together with its limb in the second quarter, likewise, in order to state the meditation of the third quarter, [there is] the divine question, to explain its first word — the sixth with reference to the root mantra — as [common to] the stated object of meditation: 'Now, why is it said, "Nṛsiṃham"?' — and that has already been explained. 'He, Prajāpati, then said' — supplied from before — is the answer. And here, from the use of the word 'yasmāt,' [the text] shows the continuation of 'by his own greatness.' Because, among all beings, man, of human form, is the most powerful; and beyond that, all-surpassing and most excellent is the lion — most powerful and most excellent — this is the meaning already stated. And thereby, by displaying a form of both natures, [the text] shows that this [being] is capable, by mere play, of assuming whatever form he desires. Since it is thus, therefore 'Nṛsiṃha was the Supreme Lord' is the construction. And it is not the construction 'there was a Supreme Lord in Nṛsiṃha,' because that would entail a difference of grammatical substrate; since a co-referential construction is [already] tenable, a construction involving difference of substrate is untenable. Therefore it is established: Nṛsiṃha is the Supreme Lord, three-eyed, blue-throated, wielder of the Pināka. 'Ṛtam' and 'satyam' have been explained before; and from the wording of the mantra it is stated that he is beneficial to the world, beneficial to the world by the removal of the undesirable — this is well known. This form, previously spoken of as the object of meditation, is the Imperishable; that very Imperishable — undecaying, of the nature of consciousness, formless — becomes, for the sake of grace toward the meditator, possessed of form; this is the construction. Thus, having explained the sixth word 'Nṛsiṃha' as [pertaining to] the object of meditation of the root Nṛsiṃha-vyūha, he then explains that same word, by a verse, with reference to the thirty-two Nṛsiṃha-vyūhas: 'Viṣṇu, the beast, the lion, is praised by hymns of praise, for his valor, for his various powers; he is not fear-causing.' 'Kucaraḥ' means: where does this one not roam? — he himself roams, by [his own] play, in all the forms of the gods; the meaning is that he bears the sportive forms of all the gods. 'Giriṣṭhāḥ' means: 'giri' is mountain; [he who is] situated there, of the nature of the Lord — this is the meaning. Or else: in the hymns of praise, which take the form of speech, whatever form the praiser, desiring it, longs for, that very form he establishes in himself — thus [he is called] 'giriṣṭhāḥ.' Of whom, in the three strides — 'vikramaṇa' meaning the various modes of proceeding — [namely] in those embodiments of the nature of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara. 'Adhi' is used in the sense of 'above.' 'Adhy uruṣu' means 'in the many vast sportive forms.' All the worlds dwell — by their own nature, those worlds, preceded by [conscious] knowledge, dwell fully — [as if saying] 'We abide in these sportive forms.' Then, [alternatively,] the root 'kṣi' [here] denotes the action of sovereignty — [meaning] 'they attain lordship.' Thus, in the manifold descents of manifestation, for [his] valor, for [his] power, for the showing of that — Viṣṇu, the beast, the lion, is praised: the meaning is that he receives praise in abundance.