The adjective “vi”

The adjective "vi"

In the name vinayakar, there is a vi before the nayakar. We can notice that the Lord Vigneswarar, the head of the Siva's troops, is very much suited to the title nayakar. What is the meaning of putting "vi" ahead of the title?

 

In Sanskrit "vi" is one of the several prefixes used before words. The speciality of vi is that it can change the meaning of the words that come after that in two ways. The two ways are totally different from each other! Malam means dirt. Adding vi, vimalam means clean. In this case, vi, changed the meaning of the word coming afterwards to become its opposite. However, adding vi to shuddam, we have a word "vishuddam". We are wrong if we take the meaning of this word as "unclean", i.e. the opposite of shuddam. In this case, the vi does not create opposite of the word following it. it gives it more strength and superiority. Vishuddam means highly clean. We have a word viparidam. Paridam means to go around following the rules. Viparidam means to swerve from the rules and behave badly. Here vi gave the opposite meaning. Jayam means victory. Vijayam does not ofcourse means the opposite, i.e. loss! Special victory, with a cause for celebration, is called vijayam.

 

We can take the word "visesham". Sesham – visesham. Sesham means left over. That is correct. There is also another superior meaning. Sesham means that which is distinctly superior to the rest of the things and so stays away from them. We call learned scholars as sishtars. Sishta came from sesha. The people who are distinct from the normal society and the average citizen are called sishtars. Because sesham commonly refers to left over, than to that which is distinctly superior, the word visesham is used to stress the superiority.

 

vi-nayaka in both meanings

 

When we put vi plus nayakar, does vi give the opposite meaning or special superiority to nayakar?

 

Both. You may wonder how that can be. I will tell you.

 

Tavan means husband. Madavan means the husband of 'ma' the mahalakshmi. Vidava means the one who does not have a husband. Like that vinayakar means the one who does not have a leader or head above him. He is the head of everyone. There is no leader above him. Therefore, the one with no leader is "vi-nayakar".

 

One devotee went to the lord. He told "If I am an orphan (anatha), you are also like that!" The lord asked him, "Do you say that I am an orphan?" "Yes. I am (an anatha) struggling without a lord (natha) to rescue me, while you do not have any lord above you (so you are a-natha)" told the devotee.

 

The lord who does not have a leader greater than him is vinayakar. Here vi gives that meaning.

 

The vi also gives a superior meaning, as opposed to the above. In that way also vigneswarar is vinayakar. He is not an ordinary leader (head). He is a special, celebrated head. Therefore he is vinayakar.

 

Because he does not have a leader above him – he is vinayakar. And because he is a leader par excellence, he is vinayakar. He is deserving of both the meanings.