| Before commencing the recitation of the
Visnu-sahasra-nama, one is asked to meditate on the visvarupa (Cosmic Form).2
At the, conclusion of his commentary, Sri Sankara points out that those who recite this hymn gain their end by meditation on
Visvesvara (the Lord that is All).3
Just as the forms of the Divine are many, so are its attributes, excellences, glories, and the
names that express them. All things, all persons, all phenomena, in fact, are the manifestations of the Supreme. The Godhead is there even in the lowliest and the last. All spring
there from the good and the evil, the beautiful and the ugly, the true and the untrue.
For God's splendor and prowess, there is no end. In the tenth chapter of the
Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna says: "There is no limit to my magnitude"
(nastyanto vistarasya me).
In the heart of all beings, He is seated as the Self; of all beings, He is the
beginning, middle, and the end. This truth becomes evident only to those who have gained the Cosmic Vision.
2. srivisvarupa iti dhyanam.
3. 'Visvesvara' ity-adina visvesvaropasanad eva stotsrah te dhanyah krtarthah
krtakrtyah. |
