| The wise ones look upon all as upon themselves without making difference. This is because they know that the whole world is but a manifestation of Visnu who is identical with all beings. The true worship of Visnu is the perception of sameness
(samatvam aradhanam acyutasya), He who intends to inflict pain on others in thought, word, or deed, sows the seed of future birth and continued sorrow. But he who does not think of injuring others, looking upon them as upon himself, is free from the effect of sin.
All those, who are wise in the knowledge that Hari is all things, will assiduously cherish love for all beings. Since Govinda, the supreme Self, is the universe itself as well as its Lord, it is meaningless to talk of friend or foe. So, says Sri Sankara, it is obvious that praises, prostrations, etc., to Visnu should be accompanied by absolute harmlessness to all beings.
vaisnava-laksanasya evam-prakaratvac-ca himsadi-rahitena visnoh stuti-namaskaradi kartavyam iti
Many names there are in the Sahasranama besides
visvam, which bear on the immanence of God. Some of these are:
visvatma (225), the soul of the universe;
visvamurtih (717), the One whose form is the universe;
sarvah (25), the All;
sarvagah (125), All-going;
trilokatma (646), the Soul of the three worlds; bhuh (437), the Earth;
bhusayah (628), the One who rests on the earth;
bhurbhuvah (805), the Support of the earth;
bhutatma (8), the Self of beings;
bhutavasah (708), the Abode of beings;
ksaram (480), all beings that perish. |
