NAME 59
Pratardanaḥ प्रतर्दनः
Pratardana means destruction. Viṣṇu is also the destroyer, another aspect of the Brahman. Here destruction means annihilation of the universe at the time of deluge. He absolves the universe unto Him at the time of annihilation, only to recreate again. (Pralaye bhūtāni) Pratardayati (hinasti) Destroyer of all at the time of cosmic dissolution.
Basically this term means ‘The Destroyer’. This Nama is derived from the root word ‘tardih’ – to cause destruction. Pra-tarda means total destruction.
Sri Bhattar gives the following from Katha Upanishad – ‘yasya brahma cha kshatram cha ubhe bhavatah odanah’ – He who has for His food the Brahmins and the Kshatriyas (i.e., all beings of the Universe) at the time of the great Deluge (Pralaya).
Sri Radhakrishna Shastri points out that given the interpretation for this Nama, the redness of the eye in the previous Nama can be appropriately construed as arising as a result of His anger at the time of dissolution.
Who deals with His enemies mercilessly.
५९. ॐ प्रतर्दनाय नमः |
59. OM Pratardanāya Namaḥ
Pra-tarda-nah – The root Tarda means “destruction” and with the prefix Pro the root (Pra-tarda) means “supreme destruction”. One who does this total destruction (Pratardanah) is the Lord in the form of Rudra at the time of the great dissolution (Pralaya).
INTERPRETATION GUIDED BY SANT VANI (WORDS OF SAINTS)
Pratardanaḥ
The destroyer.
At the time of dissolution, He completely dissolves the entire jagat without leaving any trace of its existence. Hence, He is known as Pratardana. In fact, He does not destroy, but dissolves everything into Himself. It is a state like samādhi. All the three, jñātṛ, jñeya and jñāna–knower, known and knowledge, all that is projected, is dissolved into Him.
Śhiva is presented in that particular form of samādhi. That Śhiva and Viṣhṇu are same. Only functionally there is a difference in the form of Śhiva, Viṣhṇu, Brahmā and so on. All of them are one single ever existent Supreme Divine Energy.
He who ‘pierces’ tears asunder, destroys, consumes, shatters – the great destroyer of all illusion.
Śaṅkara as well as Parāsara Battar interpret this name to mean, he who consumes the world that he has created at the time of Pralayā (the great dissolution). However, this is an interpretation that has already been provided in part for the name BHŪTAKṚT (creator and destroyer) and also another reference specifically to the role of destruction at the time of Pralayā (the great dissolution) for the name ŚARVAḤ .
As has been mentioned earlier, the names in the Sashasranama are not random names strung together but carefully arranged pattern connected to the previous name and leading on to the next in the string. Therefore it stands to reason that this name also has to follow that pattern. Also, the names have to necessarily have a practical application as well in order for people to meaningfully connect to the Supreme being.
The previous two names in this string being:
Kṛṣṇa – who is the epitome Sacchidānanda – “sat“, “chit” and “ananda” and who has the quality of ākarṣaṇa (attraction) and delights in the sport of his own Līlā – the divine play.
Lohitākṣa – whose eyes are rose-tinged reflecting the great joy that ‘he’ is with compassion and love for his devotees.
Therefore, Pratardanaḥ in this context and with reference to the previous two names can only mean he who destroys the illusion of ‘separateness‘ between the Ātman and the Paramātmān – he who pierces and tears that veil of Māyā – which is also his own Līlā. The illusory veil of Māyā can disappear only when that Kṛṣṇa–Lohitākṣa so wills it. The one who grants Moksh or liberation is Pratardana.
Therefore Pratardanaḥ here refers to the destruction of our ignorance that fails to see the reality of our own Self. It is the Gada (mace), Kaumodakī of Viṣhṇu that shatters all illusions and ignorance and the Sudarshana Chakra that cleaves the veil of Māyā.
Wake up!! Time is running out. Your liberation is in your hands.
जन्म के समय ‘नाम’ नही होता मात्र ‘सांसे’ होती है
मृत्यू के समय ‘नाम’ होता है पर ‘सांसे’ नही होती और इन्हीं ‘सांसों’ और ‘नाम’ के बीच की यात्रा को….. ‘जीवन’ कहते है..
https://os.me/a-buddha-story-wake-up-time-is-running-out/
In continuation with the aspect of The Lord being the only permanent one, our liberation truly depends on our ownselves. It’s in our own hands to accept the transient nature of samsara and rejoice in the present moment with gratitude for all that this. This alone leads to liberation from all that we cling to and all that eventually becomes the cause of our miseries. The one who meditates on this impermanence of life and surrenders to love and devotion to Krishna is sure to merge with the ever compassionate Lord and dissolve in him in love while alive being a jivanmukta and becoming a part of him. Upon shedding this impermanent cloak of the body he merges into Krishna. We merge into what we have meditated upon the whole life whether in hate or in love….choose wisely.
Read how Shishupal’s soul merged into Krishna.
