The Significance of the name Vayu From 1000 Names of the Supreme

Dear All: The following mantram chanted at the end of the traditional Mantra Pushpam (Yopaam pushpam Veda) is actually a query with a very profound answer provided for the query. kim tad vishNOr balamaahuhu | kaa deeptih kim paraayaNam | EkO yad dhaarayad dEvaha | rEjati rOdasee ubhE | vaataat vishNOr balamaahuhu | aksharaad deeptir uchyatE | tripadaa dhaarayad dEvaha | yad vishNOrEkam uttamam |

After I sent the email including this mantram to the Gita and Navarathri groups, I was fortunate to attend the Sudarshana Homam performed at the construction site of the new Venkateswara temple at Novi, MI (Sat Oct 1) and also attended a special Hanuman Pooja at the Balaji temple in Sterling Heights, MI that same evening where we chanted Hanuman Chalisaa 11 times. At that time, one of the recipients of our email asked me about the significance of this mantram and what it means. As you all know Hanuman is also known as Vayukumara, since He is the the son of Vayu. He is also known as Maruti for the same reason, the name being derived from Marut, which also means wind. Another Sanskrit word which also means wind is vaata, used quite commonly by Ayurveda practitioners to describe different types of bodily ailments (vaata, pitta, kapha, etc.) In the above mantram also we encounter vaataat, which means from vaata, or wind, or Vayu, or Marut.
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The mantra starts with a query: Kim tad VishNor balam aahuhu. The student is enquiring about the power, the strength (balam) of Vishnu. Tell me about the power of Vishnu. What is it? How can it be described? This is the question. This question is then followed with two others. Kaa deeptih kim parayaaNam. Kaa deeptih? What is the teja (radiance), splendor, glory of Vishnu? The word deepti is derived from deepa, which means a lamp (as in deepavali, or Diwali, the festival of lights that we will soon celebrate later this month). The lamp illuminates and produces light. It dispels the darkness surrounding it. Likewise, Vishnu. This is the meaning of deepti the splendor, the glory, the bright illumination, what makes Vishnu glow above and illuminate the whole Universe? Why is Vishnu so resplendent? This is the question. The next is kim parayaNam, what is the parayaNam (dedicated chanting, a regimen of prayer, etc.) that is the highest of all and most highly recommended. Exactly, the same question was posed by Yuddishttira to Bheeshma, as we see in the introductory verses of the Vishnu Sahastranamam. Kim ekam daivatam loke kim vaapyekam (vaa+api+ekam) parayaNam l Stuvantah kam kam arcantahaa praapnuyuh manavaah shubham ll Now, lets see what the mantram tells us about VishNor balam, or Vishnus power or strength. Kim VishNor balam aahuhu? The answer to this question is Vaatat VishNor balam aahuhu. The answer is Vaata, the wind, the air. This is the source of VishNus power, strength, etc, what makes VishNu the most powerful of all. This is an amazing answer, if we try to contemplate on the meaning of air, wind, or Vayu. Fortunately, we are blessed with the following commentary on the deeper significance of the Vayuhu, one of the 1000 namas that we encounter in the MahavishNu sahastranamam. It appears in sloka # 44 and it is nama 415. I have copied and pasted on the commentary for this nama of MahavishNu which also highlights why the answer is Vaataat VishNor balamaahuhu.
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Of course, beyond this there are other meanings as well, as highlighted by the following, taken from discussions at a Vedic Conference in 2007. http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/festivals/2007/veda_conference/report. html Later, Veda Nidhi Sri R Krishna Murty Ghanapathi, Chennai spoke about the evidence found in Vedic Texts on modern day discoveries. He quoted the reference Kim Tad Vishnor Balam? (What is the cause of the force?) and referred to the subjects Galaxy, Orbitary system, Strength in Aranyaka Mantras. Finally, I would also like to call your attention to the following discussion about VishNu and balam and tejo etc. from the Phalashruti portion of the Vishnu Sahasatranamam. This too describes the power of VishNu.
http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/phala_shruti.htm

dyauH sa-candrArka nakshatrA kham diSo bhUh mahodadhiH | vAsudevasya vIryeNa vidhRtAni mahAtmanaH || (14) "The firmament, along with the moon, the Sun, the stars, the sky, the directions, Earth, the great sea are all supported by the valor of vAsudeva, the Supreme Lord". indriyANi mano buddhih sattvam tejo balam dhRtiH | vAsudevAytmakAni AhuH kshetram kshetraj~na eva ca || (16) "The sense-organs, mind, intellect, the quality of sttva, power strength, firmness, as well as the body and the individual soul all of them have vAsudeva as their AtmA or Inner Soul. So it is stated (by the SAstra-s)". Very sincerely

V. Laxmanan October 1, 2011

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http://kirtimukha.com/chinnamma/sahasra/sloka44.html

The Thousand Names of the Supreme

by Sri N. Krishnamachari for the Sri Vaishnava Home Page.

Slokam 44
406. vaikunThah 407. purushah 408. prANah 410. praNamah 411. pRthuh 412. hiraNya-garbhah 413. Satru-ghnah 414. vyAptah 415. vAyuh 417. adhokshajah

415. vAyuh
Om vAyave namah. He who moves (towards His devotees). SrI BhaTTar: He is called vAyu because He Himself goes seeking His devotees wherever they may be. Examples are His going to Sabari seeking her with respect, His visit to the sage BharadvAja in his ASrama, His friendship with Guha, etc.
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SrI satyadevo vAsishTha gives the derivation - vAti sarvatra gato bhavatiiti vAyuh vishNuh - He who is spread out everywhere in this Universe. There is not a single place in this Universe where air has not entered or does not exist. This is the guNa of BhagavAn. The dharma cakram writer reminds us that this is a nAma that emphasizes BhgavAn's guNa of being all-pervasive. He gives reference to the verse from GItA - "puNyogandhah pRthivyAm - I am the principle of sweet fragrance in the earth (7.9). We can survive without food or water for a few days, but without vAyu we can't survive even for a few minutes. Without bhagavAn, we can't survive, period. This is the concept this nAma should remind us. VAyu comes to us without our seeking; so does bhagavAn - He seeks His devotees and goes after them (see SrI BhaTTar's vyAkhyAnam in the beginning). VAyu does not distinguish between people in any way; so does BhagavAn mingle with everyone with equality of disposition. SrI CinmayAnanda points out that He is not just the air but the life-giving force behind the air. SrI Sankara derives the meaning from vAti - gandham karoti iti vAyuh He who is the cause of smell. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri refers us to theupanishad - vAyurasmai puNyam gandham Avahati aitareya 1.7. BhagavAn is the antaryAmi for vAyu, and makes vAyu perform its functions -"yo vAyau tishThan-vAyorantaro yam vAyur-na veda yasya vAyuh SarIram yovAyumantaro yamayati, esha te AtmAntaryAmyamRtah" - bRhadA 3.7.7. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri gives several passages from the Sruti to bring out the uniqueness and importance of vAyu among the devatAs. The Sun, moon, fire and water all merge into vAyu when they disappear - vAyurvAva samvargoyadA vA agnirudvAyati, vAyumevApyeti, yadA sUryo'stameti vAyumevApyeti, yadAcandro'stameti vAyumevApyeti,yadApa ucchushyantivAyumevApiyantivAyuhyavaitAn-sarvAn-samvRkye (chAndogya 4.3). When the indriya-devatA-s such as the sun and the moon enter the sushupti state, vAyu continues to be active as the prANa vAyu - mlocanti hyanyA devatAh, navAyuh, saishA'nastamitA devatA vAyuh - bRhadA 1.5.22.
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BhgavAn VishNu bears the earth through His vibhUti as vAyu - kim tadvishNor-balamAhuh |vAtAt-vishNor-balamAhuh | (taittirIya 1.8.3). vAyu is the thread that keeps this world together like a string holding the beads of a chain; without this the world will break apart like a chain with a broken string; BhagavAn is this force - vAyurvai gautama tat-sUtram, vAyunA vai gautamasUtreNAyam ca lokah paraSca lokah sarvANi ca bhutAni sandRbdhAni bhavanti(bRhadA 3.5.2). Thus vAyuh and its vital role in the existence and survival of this Universe is the reason for BhagavAn's nAma as vAyuh. 417. adhokshajah

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