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 The word 'Sahasra', literally meaning 'a thousand' in many of our ancient lore - epics, puranas, Upanishads and spiritual literature.
Purusha Sooktam
In the 'Purusha Sooktam' opening verse this word 'Sahasra' occurs thus: 'Sahasra Seershaa Purushah Sahasraakshah Sahasrapaadh...'The one thousand hymnal names of the Lord are hailed as 'Sahasranaamaas'. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Rukmini, the Vidarbha princess, faces the gloomy prospect of being proposed to Sisupala, the king of Chedi (the cousin of Sri Krishna as well) in wedlock.
Rukmini's message
She sends a missive to Sri Krishna through a venerable and trustworthy brahmin (said to be the manifestation of Sri Garuda, the chief of birds himself) in the form of seven appealing verses - Skandam X - Ch. 52 - verses 47 to 43: 'Srutvaa Gunaan Bhuvana Sundara...Chittamatrapam Me'. These are meaningfully significant and lovely verses, fervent recitation of which, by eligible girls frustrated with delayed marriage prospects, would ensure speedy marriage, so it is averred by knowledgeable scholars.
'Hundred births' - significance
The point here is, Rukmini uses the word 'Satha Janmabhih' in the course of her appeal to Lord Sri Krishna. The words means, 'a hundred births'. The princess declares that if she does not succeed in her mission in this birth, she will starve to death and take a hundred births more and succeed in her efforts. Sri Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar, possibly the most experienced and scholarly discourse exponent of present times in this part of our country (he is a great Vedic savant), was once asked by the Ahobila Math Pontiff (the present 45th Jeeyar) what would Rukmini do if she did not succeed in her mission even in hundred births!
The meaning of numbers!
Mukkur Swami replied thus: 'The words 'Sahasra', 'Satha' etc., should be taken to mean 'a great many' only. It is a symbolic assertion of a large number. In the Purusha Suktam verse, arithmetically speaking a thousand faces must have two thousand eyes and two thousand legs. But, the verse says only, 'that one-thousand faced Lord, of 1000 eyes and 1000 legs is also the tiniest of tiny beings.' Symbolically, the verse represents the infinite and the tiniest particle - vide Kathopanishad verse, 'Anoraneeyaan Mahato Maheeyaan...' - greater than the greatest and subtler than the subtlest.
Credibility and calculations
Similarly, when Rukmini refers to 'Satha Janmabhih' she means 'a large number'. 'I will not give up my efforts even if it takes a hundred births. I will keep on trying till I succeed' - this is her vow conveyed to Sri Krishna to convince him of the depth of her love for him. She had not at all seen him. She had only heard of his manifold attributes through others blessed enough to have been in His exalted company for quite a while. These are all imaginative poetic exaggerations, poetic licence, to convey an intended meaning! One should not indulge in strict arithmetical calculations and question the credibility of such pronouncements.
Caesar and Colossus
In Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar', Cassius, the conspirator, exclaims to Brutus, with a view to stress Caesar's arrogant stance, thus: 'Why man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus!' - Act I, Scene II. We will pursue this.
R Srinivasan
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