Shloka 154

Vishnu-sahasranāma-style Japa: Vishnu as Cosmic Cause and Inner Self

Antaryāmin

Devanagari script

अग्राहश्चैव गौरश्च सर्वः(९७०)शुचिरभिष्टुतः / वषट्कारो वषड् वौषट् स्वधा स्वाहा रतिस्तथा

Transliteration

agrāhaścaiva gauraśca sarvaḥ(970)śucirabhiṣṭutaḥ / vaṣaṭkāro vaṣaḍ vauṣaṭ svadhā svāhā ratistathā

Translation

അവൻ ‘അഗ്രാഹ’നും ‘ഗൗര’നും കൂടിയാണ്; അവൻ സർവ്വം—ശുദ്ധനും സ്തുത്യനും. അവൻ വഷട്കാരവും വഷഡും വൗഷട്ടും; അവൻ സ്വധയും സ്വാഹയും രതിയും തന്നേ.

Word by Word

• अग्राहः: ungraspable; not to be seized
• अग्राहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्राह (प्रातिपदिक; अ- + ग्राह)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• गौरः: fair; white; radiant
• गौरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• सर्वः: all; the whole
• सर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• शुचिः: pure; clean
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• अभिष्टुतः: praised; well-lauded
• अभिष्टुतः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभि+√स्तु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → अभिष्टुत
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle)

• वषट्कारः: the exclamation ‘vaṣaṭ’
• वषट्कारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वषट्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वषट्: vaṣaṭ (ritual call)
• वषट्: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वषट् (अव्यय/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्र-निपात/उद्गार (ritual exclamation)

• वौषट्: vauṣaṭ (ritual call)
• वौषट्: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वौषट् (अव्यय/मन्त्र-शब्द)
• Form: मन्त्र-निपात/उद्गार (ritual exclamation)

• स्वधा: svadhā (offering-formula for ancestors)
• स्वधा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वधा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; पितृयज्ञ-सम्बद्धा

• स्वाहा: svāhā (offering-formula)
• स्वाहा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वाहा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; देवयज्ञ-सम्बद्धा

• रतिः: delight; love
• रतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ (also)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Vishnu Sahasranama-style enumeration)

Shraddha Ritual

Beneficiary: Pitr

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Divine is present as the very efficacy of mantra and offering—vaṣaṭ, svāhā (to devas), svadhā (to pitṛs)—and as purity (śuci) and totality (sarva).

Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa as pointers: sacred sound and ritual function are manifestations of Brahman/Īśvara; unity behind diverse liturgical forms.

Application: Sanctify speech: treat mantra, gratitude, and offering-intent as worship; remember the Lord during homa, daily prayers, and ancestral remembrance.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.15 (nāma-stuti including Vedic ritual terms)

Characters & Entities

• Svāhā
• Svadhā
• Rati

FAQs

What is the importance of Vaṣaṭ/vaṣaḍ/vauṣaṭ in the Garuda Purana?

This verse identifies the Supreme as the very sacrificial exclamations used in yajña, implying that ritual efficacy ultimately rests in the Divine presence behind the mantra and offering.

How does this verse connect Svadhā and Svāhā to spiritual practice?

By calling the Lord “Svadhā” (Pitṛ-offering formula) and “Svāhā” (Deva-offering formula), the text teaches that both ancestral rites and deity fire-offerings are spiritually grounded in the same Supreme reality.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Perform śrāddha/ancestral remembrance and daily worship with ethical purity (śuci) and devotion, understanding the mantra and offering as a means to align the mind with the Divine rather than as mere formality.