NAME 20

This nāma should be read as pradhāna + puruṣa + īśvara. Pradhāna refers to the essential part of creation, the prakṛti, the primordial nature. For every creation, an individual soul (puruṣa) has to interact with Prakṛti. The Brahman unleashes His power of māyā through prakṛti. Both puruṣa and prakṛti are ruled by the Brahman. In other words, both are His own creations or His very Self. This nāma says that Viṣṇu is the Chief of both puruṣa and prakṛti. The power of the Brahman manifests as puruṣa and prakṛti.

२०. ॐ प्रधानपुरुषेश्वराय नमः

20. Om Pradhaana-Purusha-Eesvaray Namah

Pradhaana-purusha-eesvarah -Lord of both Pradhaana and Parusha.

The term Pradhaana means ‘maayaa’-the total cause for the entire universe of forms.

The term Purusha indicates the individuality in each one of us-the Jeeva.

Lord Eesvara means the Master (EeshteitiEesvarah).

The Lord of Maayaa and Jeeva means the one who makes both these possible to exist and function. The One Infinite Reality which Itself manifests as Maayaa, Jeeva and Eesvara is the Essence in Vishnu.

One who is the Lord of Primordial Matter as well as the Jivas.

INTERPRETATION GUIDED BY SANT VANI (WORDS OF SAINTS)

Pradhānapuruṣeśvaraḥ

The Lord of pradhāna and purusha.

Anything put together requires a material cause and an intelligent cause. There was a time in India, when assembled personal computers were purchased. The spare parts of each assembled computer was put together with some intelligence, because of which it worked! Each personal computer was the product of an intelligent cause and the material cause. For this entire jagat, pradhāna is māyā or prakriti, the material cause and here puruṣa refers to the jīva. Viṣhṇu is the lord of both the pradhāna as well as the puruṣa.The word pradhāna is generally used by the Sānkhyas, a school of thought based on dualism.

This is not to be confused with the word Sānkhya meaning Brahman, the absolute reality. The Sānkhya school of thought says that pradhāna, the material cause of the creation is jaḍa, inert and consists of the three guṇas–sattva, rajas and tamas. But, they say that pradhāna creates everything by itself independently. Again, according to them, ātmā, puruṣa, is totally asanga, uninvolved and therefore, does not participate in the creation. Being jaḍa, how can pradhāna create anything by itself? Only when it is blessed by Īśvara-caitanya, it is possible. The nimitta-

kāraṇa, intelligent cause is necessary or else creation is not possible. Same is the issue with the big bang theory. Why the hot soup of matter started to cool down is not known.

When asked how pradhāna creates, they say that, at the time of dissolution, the three guṇas in the pradhāna, which account for the variety in the creation, are in a state of equilibrium, that is, they gain the same proportion and go beyond the gunas to NirgunaAvastha. Because of this equilibrium there is dissolution. When this equilibrium is disturbed by vibrations, then creation takes place. This is the view of the Sānkhyas. This leads us to ask , ‘Who created this disturbance in Stillness?’ How can something that is in a state of equilibrium loose that state, when there is nothing else to disturb it? Everything else has to come only later on! Pradhāna being jaḍa, cannot disturb/vibrate or cause Spandan itself. So, what is it that disturbs the equilibrium of stillness?

There must be somebody there to bring about this movement in Stillness and that is Īśvara. But Īśvara is not accepted by the Sānkhyas and hence, their system becomes incomplete in its full understanding. Here, He is the Lord of māyā and therefore, the one who keeps the power of māyā under His control. The creation of this entire world will not be possible, if Brahman were mere Brahman, mere limitless consciousness. To create without creating, to be in this world without being the world, it must have an apparent power, because the world itself is apparent. It does not have a reality of its own. When we analyze the world, to determine its most defining, independent aspect, it reduces itself further and finally, what is there is only Brahman. That Brahman, which is the limitless consciousness, cannot be further reduced into anything else.

The Lord is the māyāvī and He has this magic power called māyā or prakriti. He does not come under the power of māyā but keeps it under His control. He is like a magician, who does not come under the spell of his own magic. So with the power of māyā, Brahman becomes Īśvara, who is the cause of the creation. Māyā has an existence only because of Brahman. That is why it is mithyā. The jīva, person who is identified with the body-mind-sense-complex is under the spell of māyā and looks up to Īśvara. Hence, He is the Lord of the jīva also. He is the Lord of the jīva by giving the body to him as the karma-phala. One gains a given physical body, mind, parentage and so on, as one’s karma-phala. So, by giving the karma-phala to the jīva, He becomes Īśvara.

The jīva always looks up to Īśvara, who is the giver of the karma-phalas, the results of his actions, and mokṣa. Karma-phala-dātrtva makes Him the Īśvara of the puruṣa, that is, the jīva.

Thus, the Lord is puruṣasyapradhānasya ca Īśvara–the Lord of both the pradhāna and the jīva.