Hrisheekesan

Posted by: "sadagopan" sadagopaniyengar@vsnl.net sadagopaniyengar

Date: Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:45 pm ((PST))

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Hrisheekesan

All of us who perform Sandhyavandanam utter this holy name daily. And those who
perform Aachamanam
on the numerous occasions it is required to be done daily, (other than during
Sandhyavandanam),
invariably have to pay obeisance to this Emperuman. There are fourteen names of
the Lord, which
figure in every Achamanam (excluding the Govinda naama, which is repeated). Of
these, the least
popular appears to be "Hrisheekesa:". And how do you measure the popularity of
Bhagavan naamas? From
the names people give their children, of course! We are not talking here about
Rishis, Azhwars or
other Bhaktas, who have delighted in uttering all the names of the Lord, but of
ordinary people like
you and I, to whom certain of the Lord's holy names appeals much more than
others. We thus have
amongst us any number of Achyuthans, Anantans and Kesavans. Children named after
Govindan,
Narayanan, Madhavan, Sridharan, Vishnu and Padmanabhan are literally countless,
while Damodarans are also
not scarce. People named after Trivikraman and Vaamanan appear to be slightly
less in number,
though the variants of these names (like Vikram) abound.

It is the name Hrisheekesan which doesn't appear to have caught the fancy of many
people, though
of late it appears to be gaining in numbers. Still, in the name game,
Hrisheekesan is definitely
far behind the other naamas of the Lord. Tell me, can you think of one single
person who is of any
consequence in the Vaishnava Sampradaayam today, named Hrisheekesan? I personally
have not come
across any Hrisheekesa Iyengar or Hrisheekesaacharya. Neither in the Guru
Parampara, nor in the list
of Azhwars, nor even among the latter-day scholars of the Sampradaayam do you
find people named
after Hrisheekesan. Even non-Vaishnavites appear not very enamoured of the name
and but for a
Hrisheekesh Mukherjee, you are unable to recollect any popular figure with the
name. Why should this be
so-is the name any the less holy or less significant in purport or less effective
in rewarding its
 votaries? Leaving aside commoners like us, we find that even Azhwars, who are
thrilled to utter
the names of the Lord, have resorted to Hrisheekesan only sparingly, preferring
His other names.
All this made me do some research and I came up with quite a few surprising
results.

What exactly does the name Hrisheekesa: mean?

We find a definition of this tirunaamam in Harivamsam. Rudra, while showering

praise on Sri
Krishna, offers us an explanation of this holy name-

"Hrisheekaani indriyaani aahu: teshaam Eeso yato bhavaan

Hrisheekesa: tato Vishnu: khyaato deveshu Kesava:"

Hrisheekam denotes senses-senses which have a propensity to lead us astray and

make us indulge in
all sorts of excesses. It is these senses which lead to our downfall. However,
even these errant
senses find themselves completely cowed down by the Lord, who is therefore called
the Lord of the
Hrisheekaas -- Hrisheekaanaam eesa: or Hrisheekesa:

Hrisheekesa is thus the Master of the Senses. This is no mean feat, for our senses
always get the
better of us, even if we do have a strong will and resist being pulled down by
them. Says a
Sanskrit adage, "Balavaan Indriya graama: Vidvaamsam api karshati". The senses
are indeed extremely
powerful: even if one knows well their destructive power and is always on guard
against them, it is
ultimately they which win hands down and make the individual succumb to his
senses. It is these
all-powerful senses which face abject defeat at the hands of the Lord, who keeps
them in tight check
and control, thereby earning the sobriquet, Hrisheekesa:. Keeping the aforesaid
Harivamsa sloka in
mind, Sri Sankaracharya says in his Vishnu Sahasranaama Bhaashyam-"Hrisheekaani
Indriyaani,
teshaam Eesa: Khetragya roopa bhaak". The Supreme Soul in whose control all
senses subsist is known as
Hrisheekesa:--"Indriyaani yasya vase varttante, sa Paramaatma Hrisheekesa:".

We thus find that the Lord is in control of not only His own senses, but also of
all beings in His
vast creation, ranging from the exalted four-headed Brahmaa charged with the
function of
creation, to the lowliest worm languishing in the gutters-"Tat karanaanaam api
niyaamakatvaat
Hrisheekesa:". He is the controller and director of all sense organs, internal
and external, of all beings, in
every way. This is how Sri Ramanuja views the Hrisheekesa naama's purport-"
Paraavara nikhila
jana antara baahya karanaanaam sarva prakaara niyamane avastthitham" (Gita
Bhaashyam). However, the
Lord is entirely beyond the sense organs of mortals, including those of lofty
deities.

Are there any other purports of this holy name? Yes indeed, and the following are
a few:

Sri Paraasara Bhattar offers another beautiful explanation of this tirunaamam-

"Harshaat soukhyaat sukha aiswaryaat Hrisheekesatvam asnute"

The Lord is the embodiment of bliss and happiness and rules over His boundless
domain
effortlessly. His overlordship is absolutely without the strains normally
associated with administering vast
territories and peoples. Thus, due to Harsham (happiness), Sukha Aiswayram
(effortless rulership),
He is known as Hrisheekesa:.

The Lord Himself explains to Arjuna why He is called Hrisheekesa:. The rays of the
Sun and the
Moon, known as "Kesa", gladden the hearts of people by waking them up to a new
day and lulling them
to sleep after a hard day's toil, respectively. It is due to this generation of
Harsha or happiness
in His subjects through the "Kesa" or rays of the Sun and the Moon, that the Lord
is acclaimed as
Hrisheekesa:. Here is the relative sloka from the Santi Parva of Mahabharatam-

"Sooryaa Chandramasou sasvat amsubhi: kesa sanjitai:

bodhayan svaapayanschaiva jagat uttishttate prithak

bodhanaat svaapanaat chaiva jagata: harshanam bhavet

Agneeshoma kritai: ebhi: karmabhi: Paandu Nandana!

Hrisheekesoham eesaana: Varado loka bhaavana:"

Sri Sankaracharya quotes the Taittireeya Samhita in support of this
explanation-"Soorya rasmi:
Harikesa: purastaat".

Swami Desikan, expanding on the ideas of Sri Ramanuja, refers to the Ahirbudhnya
Samhita, quoting
copiously to drive home alternate purports. Emperuman, while being the Supreme
Overlord, delights
from the sport of Creation. This delight or Harsham gives Him the name
Hrisheeksesa:, apart from
establishing His supremacy-

"Kreedayaa hrishyati vyaktam Eesa: san srishti roopayaa

Hrisheekesatvam Eesasya devatvam cha asya tat sphutam".

The Ahirbudhnya Samhita says further that Hrisheekesa is one who has the quality
of Veeryam (the
attribute of being unchanged and unaltered, despite being the sole material cause
of Creation)-

"Avikaaritayaa jushta: Hrisheeka: veerya roopayaa

Eesa: svaatantrya yogena nityam srishtyaadi karmani

Isvarya Veerya roopatvam Hrisheekesatvam uchyate"

Thus the overlordship of all worlds (Isvaryam) and immutability (Veeryam) give the
Lord the name
Hrisheekesa:

We have another beautiful comment on the origin and meaning of Hrisheekesa:--this

is from Sri
Madhwaacharya, who splits the word into four parts-Harsha, ee, ka and eesa:. Ee
refers to Sri
Mahalakshmi, Ka to the four-headed Brahmaa and Eesa to Rudra. Harsham means
happiness. Thus, Hrisheekesa
refers to one who confers bliss on Sri, Brahmaa and Rudra. One is reminded here
of the Tiruvaimozi
paasuram-"Eraalum Irayonum Disai mukhanum Tirumagalum kooraalum tani udamban".
The Lord has
allotted space on His divine body to His beloved Consort (on His broad chest), to
Brahma (on the lotus
rising from His navel) and to Rudra, thereby affording them boundless bliss.
Could Sri Madhwacharya
 be referring to this paasuram while commenting on the tirunaamam?

Having seen the purport of this divine name, shall we go on to the characteristics
of this
Hrisheekesa?

According to Agamas, each individual form of the Lord is endowed with distinct
traits, colour,
weapons, etc. We learn from Swami Desikan that Hrisheekesa has the complexion of
lightning. He sports
four beautiful hands and in each of them is held a Hammer/Mallet or Mudgaram.
When we wear
tiruman and sree choornam at the twelve appointed places, the place belonging to
Hrisheekesan is the
left neck.

Here is the relative slokam from Panniru Naamam-

"En Ideekesan irai keezh idakkazhutthu endru ivattril

nannilai minnuruvaai naalu murkaram kondu alikkum"

While this is the popularly accepted form of Hrisheekesa, in agreement with the
description in the
Panchaayudha Stotram, another version has Him holding the Chakra, Padma, Shankha
and Gada and
naming His Consort as Mangala or Harsha (a form of Mahalakshmi).

The twelve Emperumans represented by the Dvaadaasa Naamas are said to emanate from
the four Vyooha
Moorties-Vasudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Sankarshana. Of these, our
Hrisheekesa is said to
emanate from Aniruddha. According to the Gayatri Saara Sangraha, each of the
twenty-four letters in
the Gayatri Mantram represents one of the twenty-four moorties of the Lord. As
such, Hrisheekesa is
represented by the letter "Rga:" (from the word Bharga:), whose presiding deity
is Saavitri.

For those interested in the Mantra incorporating the Hrisheekesa naamam, it can be
found in the
18th sloka of the 18th Chapter of the Fifth Skandam of Srimad Bhagavatam. When
Sri Krishna escapes
Pootana's murderous attempt, the frightened Gopas and Gopis invoke the blessings
of various forms
of Vishnu for the protection of the divine child. And one of the principal
deities called upon is
Hrisheekesa, whose benediction is sought for guarding the Indriyas or sense
organs of Sri Krishna-

" Indriyaani Hrisheekesa: praanaan Narayana: avatu

Sveta dveepa Pati: chittam mano Yogeswara: avatu" (Srimad Bhagavatam)

If you want to be rid of fear, it is Hrisheekesa you must apply to. This is the
prescription given
to Dhritaraashtra, who fears for the life of his sons and their kingdom-

"Jaanati esha Hrisheekesam puraanam yaccha vai navam

Susrooshamaanam ekaagram mokshyate mahato bhayaat"

In turn, Dhritaraashtra urges Duryodhana to surrender to Hrisheekesa, before it is

too late-

"Duryodhana! Hrisheekesam prapadyasva Janaardanam

Aapto n: Sanjaya: taata! Sharanam gaccha Kesavam"

Buoyed by significant victories on the battle field, Yudhishttira extols the glory
of Hrisheekesa,
praising Him as the Creator of all worlds, the Supreme Power without a beginning
and an end,
declaring that those who surrender to Hrisheekesa would have no grief, fear or
troubles. Though Sri
Krishna has any number of names which are commonly used by the Pandavas to
address Him, it is
significant that Yudhishttira repeatedly mentions Hrisheekesa in the context of
granting relief from
fear and trouble-

"Srashtaaram sarva lokaanaam Paramaatmaanam Achyutam

Ye prapanaa Hrisheekesam n te muhyanti karhichit

"Anaadi nidhanam devam loka kartaaram avyayam

Tvaam bhaktaa ye Hrisheekesa! Durgaani atitaranti te"

It is interesting to find the all-knowing Bheeshma too uttering the Hrisheekesa
naama in delight
and attributing Creation, Protection and Destruction to Him-

"Namaste Bhagavan! Vishno! Lokaanaam nidhana udbhava!

Tvam hi kartaa Hrisheekesa! Samhartaa cha aparaajita:"

The haloed residents of the Sveta Dveepam pay obeisance to the Lord, addressing
Him as
Hrisheekesan--
'Jitante Pundareekaaksha! Namaste Visva Bhaavana!

Namastestu Hrisheekesa! Maha Purusha Poorvaja!"

When requested by Rishis to recount the tales of Mahabharata as propounded by

Vyaasa, the Soota
Pouraanika commences his recitation with a salute to Hrisheekesa, holding Him to
be the most
auspicious and as the Preceptor to the whole world-

"Maangalyam mangalam Vishnum varenyam anagham suchim

Namaskritya Hrisheekesam charaachara Gurum Harim"

In his commentary to the Tiruvaimozhi paasuram devoted to Hrisheekesan, Sri

Nampillai has some
beautiful things to say. Though all the sense organs have been provided to human
beings to enable
them to realize, appreciate and delight at the sight of the Lord, normally they
are quite immune to
His attractions and insist on indulging in sensual pleasures and leading us far
from the path of
the scripture. However, in the case of His devotees, Emperuman, being
Hrisheekesan (the controller
of senses), ensures that the devotees' sense organs focus solely on Him and are
prevented from
going astray. And how does He achieve this? To the devotee, He shows Himself in
all His splendour,
lavishes all His affection on the bhakta and enslaves the latter by His
innumerable auspicious
attributes. This ensures that the devotee is totally ensnared in the Lord's net
of love, with all his
senses focused on the Lord, with no chance at all of their being misdirected
towards material
pleasures, says Sri Nampillai-"Tannai arigaikku parikaram aaga tanda
indriyangalai kondu sabdaadi
 vishayangalai virumbi naan anarttha padaame, tannaiye arigaikku parikaram aampadi
panni upakaritta
mahopakaarakan".

Is Hrisheekesan a common, generic name which can refer to any entity having sense
control? After
all, most of the Maharshis were adept at keeping their senses under tight leash.
Or does it denote
only Sriman Narayana? This question is easily resolved, if one refers to
Arunagirinathar's
Tiruppugazh, where he adulates Hrisheekesan with choice phrases that can refer
only to Narayana. Here is
the Tiruppugazh in question-

"Upasaantha chittha kurukula

Bava Paandavarkku Varadhan mai
Uruvon prasiddha nediyavan Rishikesan

Ulageendra pacchai Umai anan

Vada Venkatattil uraibavan
Uyar Saarnga Chakra karatalan marugone"

The unmistakable adjectives like Paandavarkku Varadan, Nediyavan, Vada

Venkatatthil Uraibavan,
Saarnga Chakra kara talan, etc. indicate that the Hrishikesan referred to in the
poem and elsewhere
too, is Sriman Narayana and none other.
Hrisheekesa's holy name would surely save us from the deadly spears of Yama's
minions and we would
be spared the ignominy of dogs biting off and chewing on our limbs at the
crematorium, if only we
utter the tirunaamam of Hrisheekesan, says Periyazhwar-
"Tudai vazhi ummai naaikal kavaraa
Soolatthaalum ummai paaivadum seyyaar
Idai vazhiyil neer koorayum izhaveer
Irudeekesan endru ettha valleere".
Well, from all the aforesaid, we find that Hrisheekesan is not as unknown as we
thought initially.
People may not be much enamoured of calling their children by this name, but as
we have seen
above, that is hardly a yardstick of Hrisheekesa's boundless greatness and glory.

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya
nama:
dasan, sadagopan