Samāpti-Suprabhātam – Reflections on South Indian Bhakti Tradition in Literature and Art, 2017
The Viṣṇusahasranāma (1,000 Names of Viṣṇu) is part of the Mahābhārata in its Śāntiparva. Accordi... more The Viṣṇusahasranāma (1,000 Names of Viṣṇu) is part of the Mahābhārata in its Śāntiparva. According to tradition it was composed by Sanaka 1 and transmitted to Bhīṣma, the pitāmaha of the Pāṇḍavas who is said to have recited it in the presence of Kṛṣṇa (Tapasyananda 1986: iii). 2 It is the holiest among the ślokas to the orthodox Vaiṣṇavas who recite it invoking the Lord in their domestic daily pūjās and in temples, especially at daybreak. Recital of these epithets offer the solace to followers of the cult, it is believed. Svāmi Tapasyananda (1986: 42) cites a verse from a Ṛg-vedic-mantra to the effect that the recital of the nāmas puts an end to the recurring cycle of human births because Viṣṇu is the Primeval Puruṣa, "eternal and true". Any personality, celestial or earthly, has two basic attributes, viz., rūpa "form" and nāma "name". In case of humans rūpa comes first and then the nāma. 3 In case of the gods the nāma comes first and then the rūpa; e.g. the several divinities noted in Vedic hymns; e.g. Veronica Ions (1975: 14-22) comes to the historical periods for illustrations of the Vedic gods and not the Vedic archaeological sources. In case of the Indic culture the case is entirely different. The rūpa appears in terracotta seals and the nāmas are undeciphered. In this respect the Indic Drāviḍians have bequeathed to historians a better material culture than the Vedic Āryans. The 1,000 epithets of Viṣṇu are redundantly noted in the hymns of the Āḻvārs who lived during 550-850 CE. As is the case with the Bhagavadgītā, it is likely to have been interpolated in the Mahābhārata by about the early Christian era, not later than the 4 th century CE. Scholars have so far viewed this piece of literature mainly from the religious or philosophical points of view (Mahadevan 1972). The present article takes the effort to view it in the art historical context. The epithets being crisp, it is easy to memorize by an individual or sculptor. The thoughts in these cryptic nāmāvalis must have influenced the śilpis to incorporate the ideas in the sculptures created by them.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. This content downloaded from 202.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. This content downloaded from 14.139.184.50 on Wed
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
Samāpti-Suprabhātam – Reflections on South Indian Bhakti Tradition in Literature and Art, 2017
The Viṣṇusahasranāma (1,000 Names of Viṣṇu) is part of the Mahābhārata in its Śāntiparva. Accordi... more The Viṣṇusahasranāma (1,000 Names of Viṣṇu) is part of the Mahābhārata in its Śāntiparva. According to tradition it was composed by Sanaka 1 and transmitted to Bhīṣma, the pitāmaha of the Pāṇḍavas who is said to have recited it in the presence of Kṛṣṇa (Tapasyananda 1986: iii). 2 It is the holiest among the ślokas to the orthodox Vaiṣṇavas who recite it invoking the Lord in their domestic daily pūjās and in temples, especially at daybreak. Recital of these epithets offer the solace to followers of the cult, it is believed. Svāmi Tapasyananda (1986: 42) cites a verse from a Ṛg-vedic-mantra to the effect that the recital of the nāmas puts an end to the recurring cycle of human births because Viṣṇu is the Primeval Puruṣa, "eternal and true". Any personality, celestial or earthly, has two basic attributes, viz., rūpa "form" and nāma "name". In case of humans rūpa comes first and then the nāma. 3 In case of the gods the nāma comes first and then the rūpa; e.g. the several divinities noted in Vedic hymns; e.g. Veronica Ions (1975: 14-22) comes to the historical periods for illustrations of the Vedic gods and not the Vedic archaeological sources. In case of the Indic culture the case is entirely different. The rūpa appears in terracotta seals and the nāmas are undeciphered. In this respect the Indic Drāviḍians have bequeathed to historians a better material culture than the Vedic Āryans. The 1,000 epithets of Viṣṇu are redundantly noted in the hymns of the Āḻvārs who lived during 550-850 CE. As is the case with the Bhagavadgītā, it is likely to have been interpolated in the Mahābhārata by about the early Christian era, not later than the 4 th century CE. Scholars have so far viewed this piece of literature mainly from the religious or philosophical points of view (Mahadevan 1972). The present article takes the effort to view it in the art historical context. The epithets being crisp, it is easy to memorize by an individual or sculptor. The thoughts in these cryptic nāmāvalis must have influenced the śilpis to incorporate the ideas in the sculptures created by them.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. This content downloaded from 202.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. This content downloaded from 14.139.184.50 on Wed
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
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