Shriiman NaaraayaNiiyam -background

[Guest guest]

Ashish Chandra wrote:

> Yes please continue posting. Thank you very much for posting these beautiful

> verses. Also, since I am clueless about the Naaraayaneeyam (since I come

> from North India), could you also post a background to its composition.

 

Dear Ashish mahodaya and other mahaanubhaavas on the list,

 

Guruvayuur is a famous temple town in Kerala (close to Coimbatore which

is in Tamilnadu). Legend has it that Lord KR^shhNa told his devotee and

minister Uddhava that an image would come floating in the sea which would

engulf Dwarakaa soon after His incarnation was over. Uddhava was asked

to request Brihaspati the guru of the devas to install the image at a

suitable place.

Accordingly, Brihaspati took the image and along with Vaayu went all over

the world and finally selected this spot and installed the image there. As

the place was selected by Guru and Vaayu, it is called Guru-vaayuur ,or

guru-vaata-pura. (uur means

pura in malayaalam and tamil). People have unshakable faith that sincere

prayers

offered to the Lord of guruvaayuur (affectionately called guru-vayuur-appan)

can solve all their problems.

 

Melpathur NaaraayaNa Bhattatiri was born into a family of scholars in a village

 

in Kerala in 1560 A.D. At a very young age he had mastered the vedas and

vedangas.

He learnt miimaamsaa and other shaastras from his father, tarka (the science of

logic)

from his elder brother, and vyaakaraNa (grammar) from one Achyuta Pishharoti.

He wrote a monumental work on sanskrit grammar called prakriyaa-sarvasva,

which is similar to siddhaanta-kaumudii which was written much later by

Bhattoji Diikshhita. He composed the NaaraayaNiiyam when he was only 27.

 

At the age of 27, he was afflicted with a crippling disease and asked to be

carried to

the Guruvayuur temple. There he started composing a hymn recounting all the

incarnations of Lord NaaraayaNa. In this hymn he summarised the Bhaagavatam,

which consists of about 18000 verses and condensed it to 1034

verses. These are divided into 100 dashakams (cantos) with about ten verses in

each.

He composed at the rate of one dashakam every day.

All through the work he does not adopt a third person narrative style;

but addresses the Lord directly and praises Him , saying "you did this, you did

that"

referring to His exploits in his various avataaras, implying that Bhattatiri had

 

a direct vision of all His leelaas ! The last line of the last shloka

in every dashaka, implores the lord of guruvayuur to cure him of his disease.

 

Finally on the 100 th day he had a vision of Lord VeNugopaala The 100 th

dashakam

composed on that day gives a graphic description of this vision from head to

toe.

On that day, he was cured of his disease. From the last word used by

Bhattatiri

in the last shlokam, scholars have calculated that this happened on 27th

November 1587.

He called his work NaaraayaNiiyam- (a) because it deals with the glory of Lord

NaaraayaNa and (b) because the author's name is also NaaraayaNa.

 

Stotrams describing in detail the various limbs of the form of a God or Goddess

 

can be either paada-adi kesha-antam (from foot to head), or kesha-adi

paada-antam

(from head to foot). This particular description is of the former type.

 

I started with the 100th dashakam because this dashakam is considered to

be

very effective for meditation yielding mental peace. I posted the first shlokam

 

of this dashakam yesterday. With the kind words of encouragement given by

many scholars on this list, I am emboldened to continue with the rest of the

100th dashakam.

 

Sarve bhadraaNi pashyantu.-- May everyone see auspiciousness everywhere.

 

V.M.Sundaram

>

>

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V.M.Sundaram" <venkataraman@p...> wrote:

>

>

> I started with the 100th dashakam because this dashakam is

considered to

> be

> very effective for meditation yielding mental peace. I posted the

first shlokam

>

> of this dashakam yesterday. With the kind words of encouragement

given by

> many scholars on this list, I am emboldened to continue with the

rest of the

> 100th dashakam.

>

> Sarve bhadraaNi pashyantu.-- May everyone see auspiciousness

everywhere.

>

> V.M.Sundaram

>

 

namstae !

 

The story was very much moving and inspiring .Thank you

for taking time and effort for posting in detail and also for

clarifying my doubts.I am really happy I learnt about the background

of author also. I will be looking forward for the other sloekaas.

Bythe way uuru means the same in telugu also.

 

With best regards,

 

suprabha

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 2 Mar 2001 18:02:26 +0800, V.M.Sundaram

<venkataraman@P...> wrote:

>Ashish Chandra wrote:

>

> I started with the 100th dashakam because this dashakam is

considered to

>be

> very effective for meditation yielding mental peace. I posted the

first

shlokam

>

> of this dashakam yesterday. With the kind words of encouragement

given by

> many scholars on this list, I am emboldened to continue with the

rest of

the

>100th dashakam.

 

For those interested, there is also an excellent meditation technique

mentioned in the 3rd skandha, 28th adhyAya of the bhAgavatam. This

forms part of Kapila's description of the sAMkhya and yoga systems

in the bhAgavata.

 

I have personally found this meditation technique on the form of

nArAyaNa holding the shankha-chakra-gadA-padma, combined as it is

with prANAyAma (breath control exercises), to be a unique and

joyful experience. With practice, the "joyful" aspect becomes easier

and easier to achieve, especially when one learns how to concentrate

on the brilliant, glittering lotus feet of the Lord. One can feel the

mind coming to rest as it were on that image and hold absolutely

still.

(Of course, it is possible to meditate on your own favorite deity

also.)

However, I would caution that prANAyAma should be learnt from a Yoga

teacher, rather than be attempted on one's own. Doing breath control

the wrong way could lead to heart problems.

 

Anand