NAME 111

111. Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ पुण्डरिकाक्षः

Puṇḍarikākṣa means lotus eyed.  Viṣṇu’s eyes are grandeur in nature. His eyes look like petals of a lotus flower.

This nāma also conveys that He is realised in the centre of the heart chakra.  This is the seat of the soul.  Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.i.12) says, “Of the size of the thumb, Brahman resides in the centre of the body.”

Pundarikakshah – One whose eyes are like Lotus flower

Pundarikam means lotus flower – ‘Pundarike iva akshini yasya sah’.  Pundarikakshah means One whose eyes are beautiful like the Lotus flower.

A second interpretation of this is One who pervades the hearts of everyone and observes everything – ‘PundarIkam hrtkamalam akshatIti va’.

The Narayana Suktam says ‘Yat Pundareekam Puramadhya samstham – He resides in the interior of the lotus that is Heart.’

SrI Parasara Bhattar gives the meaning to be ‘Vaikuntam’ for the word pundarika based on the following:

“puNdarIkam param dhAma nityam aksharam avyayam |

tadbhavAn pundarIkAkshah ||”  (MahaBharata Udyoga Parva – 69.6)

And interprets Pundarikakshah as One who is the eye for the residents of Sri Vaikuntam. “Pundarika is the transcendental world which is eternal, indestructible, and immutable.  You are like the eye to that world and so you are known as pundarIkaksha.”

Pundarikam means lotus flower. Pundarike Iva Akshini Yasya Sah Pundarikakshah – One whose eyes are beautiful like lotus flowers. Another meaning : One who can be contacted and fully experienced in the Heart Space (Pundarikam). In the Narayana Upanishad we find the same term employed: “In the core of the body, in the Heart Space, dwells the Supreme.” In the ‘Heart’, the meditator can experience the Reality more readily and very clearly, and so the All- Pervading Reality is described as “dwelling in the Heart-cave”.

१११. ॐ पुण्डरीकाक्षाय नमः |

111. OM Puṇḍarīkākṣāya Namaḥ

Pundareekaakshah -One who can be contacted and fully experienced in the Heart Space (Pundareekam). In the Narayana Upanishad (10) we find the same term employed: “In the core of the body, in the Heart Space, dwells the Supreme.” In the ‘Heart’, the meditator can experience the Reality more readily and very clearly, and so the All- Pervading Reality is described as “dwelling in the Heart-cave”.

Puṇḍarīkaṃ hr̥daya madhyasthaṃ aśnute iti He pervades the puṇḍarīkaṃ, the Lotus of the heart. vide the Śruti Yatpuṃḍarīkaṃ puramadhyasaṃsthaṃ he pervades the Lotus that is in the center of the Purā or the heart that is situated at the center of body.

Or Puṇḍarīke iva puṇḍarīkākāre ubhe akṣiṇī yasya He whose eyes are of the form of a Lotus.

Muṇḍakopaniṣat – Muṇḍaka III, Canto I

Eṣo’ṇurātmā cetasā veditavyoyasmin prāṇaḥ pañcadhā saṃviveśa,

Prāṇaiścittaṃ sarvamotaṃ prajānāṃ yasmin viśuddhe vibhavatyeṣa ātmā. (9)

:: मुण्डकोपनिषत् – तृतीयमुण्डके, प्रथमः खण्डः ::

एषोऽणुरात्मा चेतसा वेदितव्योयस्मिन् प्राणः पञ्चधा संविवेश ।

प्राणैश्चित्तं सर्वमोतं प्रजानां यस्मिन् विशुद्धे विभवत्येष आत्मा ॥ ९ ॥

The soul is atomic in size and can be perceived by perfect intelligence. This atomic soul is floating in the five kinds of air (prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna and udāna), is situated within the heart, and spreads its influence all over the body of the embodied living entities. When the soul is purified from the contamination of the five kinds of material air, its spiritual influence is exhibited.

१११. ॐ पुण्डरीकाक्षाय नमः |

111. OM Puṇḍarīkākṣāya Namaḥ

INTERPRETATION GUIDED BY SANT VANI (WORDS OF SAINTS)

111. Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ

i. The one who pervades the lotus of the heart.

ii. The one with lotus-like eyes.

Puṇḍarīka is the lotus of the heart. He pervades, fills up the lotus of your heart, buddhi. This Lord is recognized in one’s own heart, that is, in one’s own buddhi. When a child referring to the mess of toys, sheepishly says that ‘I did it’, or a corporate professional thumps his chest in victory over the latest sales figures, saying ‘I did it’, both of them point to the region of the heart. Nobody points to the top of their head saying, ’I did it.’ Athough the recognition of ‘I’ is all over the body, it is identified in the region of the heart.

There He manifests as the ātmā, ‘I’, giving sattā and sphūrti, existence and consciousness, to the ahamkāra, and also to every thought that is there. Thus, the hṛdaya-puṇḍarīka, the buddhi, is pervaded by Parameśvara as is everything else. But this is where He is recognized as both sat and cit, existence and consciousness. Hence, He is known as Puṇḍarikākṣa.

Also because His akṣiṇī, eyes are like the puṇḍarika, lotus, He is known as Puṇḍarīkākṣa. This form is given for upāsana, meditation.

Grateful is my heart

To the sky of darkness

For from the womb

Of this dark sky

Came shining bright

The light , my light

My lord ..for me ..

He who pervades and dwells in the Puṇḍarīkam, the lotus of the heart. He is ‘congnized’ i.e. “known/realized” in it and hence he is Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ.

OR

He, whose eyes are (as beautiful) as Lotus petals.(Śaṅkara) He, who is the eye of the Puṇḍarīkam, i.e. the transcendental and eternal world of Vaikuṇṭha. “He who is that broad eye of the heavens.” OR He is as dear as the ‘eye’ to those residents of Vaikuṇṭha.(Parāsara Battar)

In the Nārāyaṇa–Upaniṣad, the reference to Viṣṇu dwelling in the heart-space as the Puṇḍarīkam is clearly articulated, in addition to this, it is also noted that this heart-lotus is Vaikuṇṭha itself and Sri Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate Brahman and synonymous with that Viṣṇu.

This is what is declared in the verses above (paraphrased below), with a snapshot of the verses from the Nārāyaṇa–Upaniṣad.

He who chants the mantra “Om Namo Nārāyaṇaya“

Attains Vaikuṇṭha – the transcendental abode of Viṣṇu.

The seat of Viṣṇu is the ‘lotus of the heart’ and this is of the nature of the pure essence of knowledge.

Knowledge of Nārāyaṇa is the highest knowledge and he is the goal and the destination.

Sri Kṛṣṇa is that ultimate Brahman (to be “known” and ‘attained’)

Further, in the Udyoga-Parva of the Mahabharata, Sanjaya refers to Kṛṣṇa as the Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ while explaining to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the true nature of Kṛṣṇa and the many names he goes by:

—–Quote

“Dhritarashtra said:

‘I request you, O Sanjaya, to tell me again of the lotus-eyed Krishna; for, by being acquainted with the import of his names, I may, O son, obtain that most exalted of male beings.’

“Sanjaya said,

‘The auspicious names (of Kesava) have been previously heard by me. Of those I will tell you as many as I know. Kesava, however, is immeasurable, being above the power of speech to describe.

He is called Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ from Puṇḍarīka implying his high and eternal abode, and Akṣa implying ‘indestructible’.

—–Unquote

Even in the Nyāsa (न्यास) done before chanting the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma, Viṣṇu is established [Prāṇapratiṣṭha (प्राणप्रतिष्ठ)] in the heart – and Kṛṣṇa is established in the Nābhi-kamala (navel region) – the Śakti (शक्ति) that animates the Stotra and guides the Jīvātma in its journey to that Viṣṇu, seated in the lotus of the heart – the Puṇḍarīkākṣaḥ.

Why lotus you may ask?

The vedic scriptures abound with analogies of the lotus flower.  The flower is used as a respectful appellation while describing various parts of krishna’s divine body.  नमः पंकज नभया….is the famous prayer from Bhagwatam, krishna’s bodly limbs are often compared to lotus like  charaṇ-kamal means “lotus-like feet,” kamalekṣhaṇa means “lotus-like eyes,” kar-kamal means “lotus-like hands,” etc…..

The word for the lotus flower is paṅkaj, which means “born from mud.”  The lotus flower grows from the mud found at the bottom of the lake, yet it rises above the water and blossoms toward the sun. Thus, the lotus flower is often used in Sanskrit literature as an example of something that is born amidst muck, and rises above it while retaining its beautiful purity. Though we are born with some inherently impure qualities – Vritti and Vikar we can rise above them through our sincere endeavour & just like lotus blossoms seeing the sun we should learn to look forward to light from saintly beings…as following their teachings shall nourish us and help us to blossom like a lotus.

The word for the lotus flower is paṅkaj, which means “born from mud.”  The lotus flower grows from the mud found at the bottom of the lake, yet it rises above the water and blossoms toward the sun. Thus, the lotus flower is often used in Sanskrit literature as an example of something that is born amidst muck, and rises above it while retaining its beautiful purity. Though we are born with some inherently impure qualities – Vritti and Vikar we can rise above them through our sincere endeavour & just like lotus blossoms seeing the sun we should learn to look forward to light from saintly beings…as following their teachings shall nourish us and help us to blossom like a lotus…

Further, the lotus plant has large leaves that float atop the water surface of the lake.  Lotus leaves are used in remote villages for plates, as they are waterproof, and liquid poured on them does not soak through, but runs off.  The beauty of the lotus leaf is that, although the lotus owes its birth, growth, and sustenance to the water, the leaf does not permit itself to be wet. Water poured on the lotus leaf runs off the side, due to the small hair growing on its surface….the leaf teaches the principle of influence because of its own developed qualities it doesn’t get wet in similar way after been taught & guided under saintly begins we should never get influenced by anything which will detoriate us back to the life of conditioning…

I remembered also a beautiful shloka from Bhagvad Gita (5.10) which says,

ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि संगं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।

लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा

Lord also gives analogy of the lotus leaf, Shree Krsna  says that just as it floats atop the surface of the lake, but does not allow itself to be wet by the water, similarly, the karm yogis remain untouched by sin, although performing all kinds of works, because they perform their works in Krishna consciousness…..if we work with having the goal to offer everything to Krishna including the desire for liberation from such a offering then such a life will not accrue any Karmas ….

Another observation I had, is that as soon as the water lilies open these bumblebee start attacking them for its inner nectar….in our growing in spiritual path we often meet around people who try to discourage and dissuade us from the path of perfection….the lotus never reacts it only blossoms…we should learn the same…to never react to and succumb to such attacks from energy vampires… for the purpose is to blossom looking towards the sun…

नम: पङ्कजनाभाय नम: पङ्कजमालिने ।

नम: पङ्कजनेत्राय नमस्ते पङ्कजाङ्‍घ्रये ॥ २२ ॥