Yajña-kartrī यज्ञ-कर्त्री (882)

Yajña means sacrifice.  She is in the form yajamānā’s wife. Yajamāna is the one who performs the yājña or for whom the yājña is performed, or who funds the yājña.  Wife of yajamāna holds an important place in an yājña.  She is known as yajamāna-patnī.  In the house of yajamānā three kinds of fires are kept.  They are gārhapatya also known as the domestic fire; the second is āhavanīya where oblations are offered; and the third one is dakṣiṇa or the southern fire.  All the three fires are installed in altars made of clay.  A person who maintains all the three fires is known as agnihotrin.  Wife of yajamāna is also empowered to maintain gārhapatya fire during short absence of yajamāna.

In an yājña, the performer is considered as Śiva Himself.  His wife is Śaktī.

Yajamāna-svarūpiṇī यजमान-स्वरूपिणी (883)

She is in the form of yajamāna.  In the eight forms of Śiva, His Rudra form is the form of fire.  Nāma 769 yājña-rūpa said that She is the yājña itself.  Kṛṣṇa says (Bhagavad Gīta IX.24) “I am the enjoyer and also the Lord of all sacrifices.”  In Viṣṇu Sahasranāma there are many nāma-s about yājña. 

{Further reading:  The eight forms of Śiva are Sarva – earth; Bhava – water; Rudra – fire; Ugra – mind; Bhīma – ākāś; Paśupatī – soul; Īśāna – sun; and Mahādeva – moon.} 

Dharmā-dhārā धर्मा-धारा (884)

Dharma is the way of life, prescribed by scriptures.  Dharma of one place may not suit the dharma of another place.  The origin of the dharma is based on the cultural heritage and living conditions in a particular place.  Dharma is explained as the way of life lived by those who were devoid of evil qualities and the way lived by sages and saints.   Sages like Manu, Āpastamba, Parāśara, Nārada have explained dharma more or less in a unified voice.  It is said that dharma, without following the prescribed guidelines does not yield desired results. 

Viṣṇu Sahasranāma uttara bhag (verse 17) says, ācāra prabhavo dharmo dharmasya prabhu acyutaḥ which means that dharma is primary in all śāstra-s. Ācāra means custom, practice, usage, tradition or immemorial usage as the foundation of law.  Dharma arises out of customs and practice only.  Dharma originates from ācāra and Lord of dharma is Viṣṇu or Acyuta. 

Mahānārāyaṇa Upaniṣad says that everything is established in dharma. 

This nāma says that She is in the form of Dharma. 

Dhanādhyakṣā धनाध्यक्षा (885)

Dhanādhyakṣā is Kubera, the lord of wealth.  Yakṣa-s are super human beings and generally considered as attendants of Kubera. Kubera is the chief of Yakṣa-s. He is one of Her twelve great worshippers. Since there is no difference between the worshipper and the worshipped, She is said to be the Lord of wealth.

Dhana-dhānya-vivardhinī धन-धान्य-विवर्धिनी (886)

She is the increaser of wealth and granary.  This happens automatically for Her true devotees. 

Vipra-priyā विप्र-प्रिया (887)

Vipra means learned.  She is fond of the learned and wise.  Knowledge alone is needed for Self realisation. 

Vipra-rūpā विप्र-रूपा (888)

This is an extension of the previous nāma.  After having said that She is fond of learned men, this nāma goes a step further and says that She is the embodiment of knowledge itself.  A quality existing in the self is always liked. 

The one who is purified by certain rituals, knower of Vedas, knower of scriptures, follower of dharma and śāstra-s and the one who has controlled his mind and senses is known as brāhmaṇa.  She makes such brāhmaṇa-s become more learned.  A comparison is drawn between a cow and a brāhmaṇa.  The cow is nourished by fodder and a brāhmaṇa is nourished by japa-s and homa-s (fire rituals).  One of the primary duties of brāhmaṇa-s is to help others, by performing rituals for their upliftment. They should, by way of discourses impart knowledge to others.  Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gīta (IV.13) “The four orders of the society were created by me, classifying them according to the mode of their prakṛti predominance.”  Kṛṣṇa uses the order based classification in a number of places in Bhagavad Gīta.  This order system is based on the predominance of guṇa-s, sattvic, rajas and tamas.  If a person is highly sattvic in nature, it becomes one of the qualifications to become a brāhmana.

The words of true brāhmaṇa -s are said to purify the sinners (possibly referring to the blessings of the learned, who are close to attaining the Brahman).  They should not subject themselves to extolment, which could lead to egotism.  If a brāhmaṇa is worshipped he turns out to be a milked cow.  Brāhmaṇa -s do not mean a community, caste or creed.  Brāhmana is a qualification based on the knowledge acquired and its quality.  The one who is close to Brahman is a brāhmaṇa and his next stage is to merge with the Brahman.

Viśva-bhramaṇa-kāriṇī विश्व-भ्रमण-कारिणी (889)

Viśva means entirety and in this context all the universes or brahmāṇḍa-s (brahmāṇḍa-s mean more than one universe).  There are many universes existing that are beyond human comprehension.  Though universes are many, Brahman is One.  She is always referred as akhilāṇḍakoṭi brahmāṇḍa nāyakī अखिलाण्डकोटि ब्रह्माण्ड नायकी which means that She is the creator of number of universes.  She manifests as prakṛti by conjoining with puruṣa or soul in different universes. 

Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (I.i.1) opens by asking, “Is Brahman the cause of this universe? Where have we come from?”  The same Upaniṣad answers this question at the end by saying (VI.1) “Some scholars think this world came into existence naturally.  They are wrong.  Some again think time created it.  This too is wrong.  The power of Brahman is manifested as this cycle.”

Kṛṣṇa says (Bhagavad Gīta XVIII.61) “Brahman abides in the heart of all creatures, causing them to revolve according to their karma-s by His illusive power, seated as those beings are in the vehicle of the body.”

Viṣṇu Sahasranāma first nāma is ‘Viśva’, conveying the same meaning as discussed above.

This nāma means that She creates, sustains and dissolves the universes like cyclic motion.  When a universe is created it has to be sustained to ultimately dissolve into Her. 

Viśvagrāsā विश्वग्रासा (890)

She devours universes.  This refers to Her act of dissolution.  This has been discussed in nāma 752 māhāgrāsā and repeated here.

Kaṭha Upaniṣad (I.ii.25) says “the best among all people are like food to the Self.  Death overcomes everyone, yet even death is a mere condiment for the Self.”

Brahma Sūtra (I.ii.9) also says “The eater (the Brahman) on account of the appropriation of all that moves and does not move.”

She annihilates universes, as said in the previous nāma.