Child Dhruva was sorely disappointed as he was denied his right to sit on the lap of his father king Uttanapada! His mother consoled and pacifying him bade him pray to Lord Vishnu who is capable of granting things thousand times better than occupying the lap of his father. Young Dhruva takes the words of his mother very very seriously and prepared to perform tapas in a secluded place in the forest! On his way to the forest, Dhruva happens to meet the illustrious saint and seer Narada who is stunned at the determination of the young child! He tries to dissuade the child by describing the rigors of penance and the dangers involved! Still Dhruva remains imperturbable and the Maharshi, the embodiment of compassion, gives him the wonderful ‘Narayana Mantra’--”Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya,”and departs. With the repetition of this mantra, Dhruva performs tapas with single minded devotion and has the vision of the Lord who grants the child incredible boons hundreds and thousands of times better than what the innocent child aspired for!
What is this mantra and what is its efficacy? Vasudeva means the One that has manifested itself in every creature in all the worlds.” Ekah paratma bahudeha varti”. It Indicates Lord Vishnu who pervades the entire universe. The word “Bhagavate” precedes the word “Vasudeva”. What does the word “Bhagawan” signify? One who possesses the qualities ‘Bhaga’ is named “Bhagawan!” ‘Bhaga’ includes six specific qualities that make a person ‘Bhagawan’. They are 1 Jnana, 2 Strength, 3 Iswarya ,4 Virya or heroism, 5 Shakti, or Energy, and 6 Teja or Radiance. ‘Bhagawan' is Jnana swarupa. He knows everything through jnana. There is nothing that one can hide from Him! He is silent secret witness to every action and thought of beings. God doesn't require the physical eyes with which we see things to know and understand them! In fact he is the eye of the eye, ear of the ear, taste of the taste, and thought of the thought as the Upanishad points out!
The next quality is strength. God is called Almighty, all powerful! There is nothing that can bend Him down.While man is unable to bear a very heavy burden and its pressure, there is no limit for the burden God bears for the welfare of humanity! It is said that once there was a discussion among the great sages and saints like sage Viswamitra, sage Markandeya and others. One of them suddenly asked the question: “ Who is bearing the burden of the entire world or universe?” There was complete silence for a while when SriVatsa Maharshi rose and said it is Lord Vishnu who bears the burden of the entire universe! It is just by his will or Sankalpa that everything happens in the world! There is no physical strain or stress for God as in the case of Man. It is through His desire and wish that the world is running! That is His Strength! The moment He thinks that something should be like this or that, it happens instantly
The next quality of ‘Bhaga’ is “Iswarya” which can be described as extreme riches and prosperity! He is the Lord of Vaikunta, the ideal abode scintillating with brilliance.There is nothing which is not there! He is Viswanatha-the Lord of the entire universe! What more Iswarya can anyone have and aspire for? Heroism or Viryam is the next quality held by Bhagawan! It is the quality of achievement under the most difficult situations! God has demonstrated beyond any doubt His heroism and invincibility during the course of his various incarnations!
Starting from the first avatar Matsya, till the end of Krishna avatar, many hordes of asuras were destroyed by the Lord! Madhu, Kaitabha, Hiranyaksha,Hiranyakasipu, Karthaveeryarjuna, Marica, Subahu and fourteen thousand Asuras in Dandakaranya, Khara, Dushana, Ravana, the ten headed diehard, Putana, Sakata, Baka,Thrunavartha and a host of others were despatched to hell by the Lord! He met their tricks with His subtle and amazing tantrums and saw their end! When the Devas, tormented by the Asuras, came to the Lord for help, He promised to take avatar and destroy the evil and protect Dharma and the wise and good people! “ Parithranaya sadunam vinasayacha dushkrutham Dharma samsthapa narthaya sambhvami yuge yuge!,”The Lord kept up the word and saved the world!
The other quality of ‘Bhaga’ is Tejas or effulgence, the radiance of bright light that issues forth from God! The great Nammazhwar points out that the wonderful effulgence from His face has formed itself into the beautiful lotus on which the Lord stands! The connection with the body of the Divine changes the color of everything in the world! The sun, the moon, the stars, fire and every other thing shines with the radiance of God only! This is what the Upanishad says: “ na tatra suryo bhati na Chandra tarakam ne Mo vidyuto bhanti ku toya magnihi tameva bhanta manubhati sarvam tasya bhasa sarva midam vibhati! The sun doesn't shine; the moon doesn't shine; there is no lightning; stars don't twinkle; fire doesn't burn! It is through His radiance alone that everything shines in the world!! Sakthi or energy is the next quality of ‘Bhaga'! God or Brahman is the smallest of the small and the greatest of the great! He is eternal, indestructible, cannot be cut to pieces,or burnt! It cannot be made wet nor can it be dried in air! This is Paramatma manifesting Himself in every object of His creation! “ anoraniyan mahto mahiyan” says the Upanishad! Thus the Lord is eminently qualified to be called BHAGAWAN! No one else without the above-mentioned qualities can call himself Bhagawan!!
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