Padmanab
MEANING
I bow to Lord Vishnu the One Master of the Universe, who is ever peaceful, who reclines on the great serpent bed, from whose navel springs the Lotus of the Creative Power, who is the Supreme Being, who supports the entire universe, who is all-pervading as the sky, who is dark like the clouds and has a beautiful form; the Lord of Lakshmi, the lotus-eyed One, whom the yogis are able to perceive through meditation, He, who is the destroyer of the fear of Samsar."
I bow to Lord Vishnu the One Master of the Universe, who is ever peaceful, who reclines on the great serpent bed, from whose navel springs the Lotus of the Creative Power, who is the Supreme Being, who supports the entire universe, who is all-pervading as the sky, who is dark like the clouds and has a beautiful form; the Lord of Lakshmi, the lotus-eyed One, whom the yogis are able to perceive through meditation, He, who is the destroyer of the fear of Samsar."
The above image depicts Lord Vishnu resting on the spiral bed of Lord Ananthan (the Snake). An umbilical chord extends from him to a lotus on which Lord Brahma is resting (in patmasan). Now it is Brahma’s responsibility to create the universe. He carries the Vedas (the embodiment of knowledge) in his arms and his four heads depicts the four axis (x, y, z and t) to which the universe extends.
In short, my understanding of this symbolic depiction is, the following
In Vishnu Sahasranama, Lord Vishnu is praised as Padmanab. Padmanab stands for Padma = Lotus, Nab = bellybutton. Through the lotus stock which represents the umbilical cord Lord Vishnu who is the Vishwadhara (Vishwa = Universe, Dhara = Sustenance) provides the cosmic energy to Brahma just like how a mother nourishes her child.
Comments