695. Vāsudevaḥ वासुदेवः

Repetitive nāma 332.

He was born as a son of Vasudeva during His incarnation as Kṛṣṇa. Vāsu means the Supreme Self or the Brahman and deva means other gods and goddesses. This means that He is present as the Self in all the gods and goddesses. Except Brahman, everything else is mortal and this includes gods and goddesses.  Vāsu being the inner most self in all the beings, channelises them  according to their karmas, without partaking in any of their actions.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (XVIII.61), “Arjuna, Brahman abides in the heart of all creatures, causing them to revolve according to their karmic account by His illusive power, seated as those beings are in the vehicle of the body.”

696. Vasuḥ वसुः

Repetitive nāma-s 104 and 270.

Vasu means most excellent, which is described in Īśa Upaniṣad (1). Everything is constantly changing, but the One who sustains these changes never changes and He is known as Vasu. Another name of Brahman is Vasu, who is the ultimate Refuge of all the beings. Refuge means liberation where transmigration ceases for ever. In other words, he is liberated and will never be reborn.

697. Vasumanāḥ वसुमनाः

Repetitive nāma 105. Previous nāma and this nāma are successive nāma-s like 104 and 105. This nāma can be explained as the Supreme mental power, whose sole possessor is Brahman alone. From this Supreme Mental Power, all the acts of Brahman such as creation, sustenance and dissolution unfold. In other words, this nāma refers to the exclusive and independent will power of Brahman, which is known as His icchāśakti.

As Brahman, He does not show favouritism to anyone. His favours purely depend upon one’s karmic account. Even for the best of His devotees, He does not absolve them from their karmic accounts. For such devotees, He ensures that no further karmas are accrued. Any act done with personal motive causes karma. On the contrary, any act done on His behalf does not cause the accrual of karma, as the doer firmly believes that the act is done on His behalf. In this instance, his ego does not exist as the doer considers himself as His servant, where His command alone prevails.

698. Haviḥ हविः

Any oblation offered in the fire is known as havis. In the recent times, havis means plain cooked rice offered in the fire rituals. Agni is the carrier of all the oblations to the respective gods, goddesses and pitṛ-s (deceased ancestors).

What is the necessity of such rituals and associated oblations, when Brahman is omnipresent? Kṛṣṇa answers this in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.24) through this verse:

ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्महविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्।

ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना॥

brahmārpaṇaṁ brahmahavirbrahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam|

brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahmakarmasamādhinā||

Before we proceed to the interpretation of this verse, we need to know the meaning of a verse in Chāndogya Upaniṣad (IV.14), which says, “All this is Brahman. Everything comes from Brahman, everything goes back to Brahman and everything is sustained by Brahman.” This verse confirms the omnipresence of Brahman. That is why Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.ii.20) says, “aṇoraṇīyānmahato kahīyānātmā” meaning ‘Self is smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest’ confirming the omnipresence of Brahman.

This foregoing is the reality and Kṛṣṇa interprets this reality in a different way, with more assertiveness. “Brahman is the ladle with which oblation is offered into the fire; Brahman is the oblation; Brahman is the fire, into which oblation is offered; Brahman is the performer of the act of oblation or the doer.” When everything is Brahman, why then these rituals? Rituals are only practice that leads to this realization. Spiritual practice begins with rituals. Rituals are only the curriculum of elementary school where only the basics are taught. For realizing Him, one has to go past these rituals. They should try to perform these rituals through their mind. At the time of perfection in practice is attained,   knowledge dawns automatically and ultimately realization happens through meditation. At some point, meditation should also stop, which means one should always stay connected with Him all the time. This stage is known through the level of Bliss one experiences. Spirituality has several stages before attaining the goal. The final goal can be attained only through His Grace.

699. Sadgatiḥ सद्गतिः

Sadgati means happy state, the Bliss. This is almost the end of his spiritual pursuit. When the union between jīvātmā and Paramātamā takes place, the resultant factor is the Bliss. As Paramātamā is always in the state of Bliss, upon uniting with Him, jīvātmā also enters the state of Bliss. Only at this state, the Yogī becomes worthy of worship and not before. Such a Yogī  commands respect and does not demand respect. It must always be remembered that all scholars are not Yogī-s and all Yogī-s are not scholars.

700. Satkṛtiḥ सत्कृतिः

Brahman protects the universe through His good actions and kindness. Such acts are known as Divine acts, as all His acts are beyond selfishness. Whether one is a devotee or not He treats all equally. The only exception is liberation, which He gives to those who contemplate on Him. Offering of liberation is also bound by His own laws, the Law of Karma, which is also known as the Law of the Lord.

Kṛṣṇa explains this in Bhagavad Gītā (IV.11), “Arjuna, howsoever men seek Me, even so do I approach them as all men follow my path in everyway.” It is the expression of kindles to the beings. When an aspirant puts a step forward towards Him, He approaches the aspirant with more than a step. He is in a hurry to offer liberation. He is looking for His true devotees all round.