Why Give Devotional Names to Children - a Sri Vaishnava perspective

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Why Give Devotional Names to Children

a Sri Vaishnava perspective

SrI:

SrImathE Ramanujaya namah:

Dearest Srivaishnavas

 

In last ten, AzhwAr mentioned about naama sangeertthanam¡¦s glories

and how it takes one up in the path leading towards Paramapadham.

Even if you do not wish to utter his divine names, at least name

your children after his names and while calling them, you

(unknowingly) utter his names thereby.- AzhwAr beautifully advises

us here.

 

In the order of Vedas describing PraLayam (Cosmic dissolution) first

and then the creation (srushti), AzhwAr elaborates death first (in

last ten) and now the birth of children.

 

kaasumkaRaiyudaikkooRaikkum angOr_kaRRaikkum

aasaiyinaal angavaththappEridum aadhar_kaaL!

kEsavanpErittu neengaLthEniththiruminO

naayakann^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 1.

 

1. Desirous of silk cloth, a couple of jewellery, do not name

your children after few jeevathmas (sentient being) and achethanas

(non-sentient beings), living therein. Oh ladies! (sthrees!

MaadhargaaL) Name your children after Kesavan¡¦s name and rejoice

(uttering that sweet name) and get some goodness (irumin) in your

lives (puNyam); The mother of children whose names are after

SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan)

(naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell

thereafter.

 

If we name after our relatives¡¦ names; or the village chief¡¦s name

or some demi god¡¦s, perhaps they get pleased and give as gift some

jewel or a piece if cloth. But even they are temporary- in their

present lives; and it is not their wealth [it if given to them by

the Lord Sriman Narayanan]. Due to the divine name of Narayanan,

(namely Kesavan and others), when uttered, the mothers never enter

hell. This is also applicable to all other names listed in following

pAsurams.

 

Here maadhargaaL (ladies are addressed) ¡V in next PAsurams, he

calls nangaigaaL- and hence he may address only ladies as ladies are

the ones who take care of home and children more. Or maadhargaaL-

also may mean- ignoramuses. Thus, by naming the children after the

Lord Sriman Narayanan¡¦s names, the mothers become great like

Yasodha and Kausalya.

 

Here when AzhwAr addresses the Lord¡¦s names, he also means

PiraaTTi¡¦s names, Acharyas¡¦ names. ¡V comments Sri UttamUr Swami.

 

angorukooRai araikkuduppadhanaasaiyaal

mangiyamaanidasaadhiyin pEridum_aadhar_kaaL!

sengaNedumaal! sireedharaa! enRu_azhaiththakkaal

nangaikaaL! naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 2.

 

2. Oh ladies- Having a mean desire to get a piece of cloth

around your waist, you name your children after those human beings

(who give you such a small cloth)! Oh ladies- who listen to good

words (hitha vaarthai) when spoken! Foolish ladies! Call your

children as PundareekaakshA! (Red lotus eyed One!) Vishnu!

Sridharaaa! and The mother of children whose names are after

SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan)

(naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell

thereafter.

 

uchchiyil_eNNeyum suttiyumvaLaiyum_ukandhu

echchampolindheer_kaaL! enseyvaanpiRar_pEritteer?

pichchaipukkaakilum empiraan_thirun^aamamE

nachchumin naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 3.

 

3. Oh mothers! Who are blessed with the wealth of children! Why

do you consider getting that small bangles, the oil for the head or

the forehead gem stone and name after human beings (other than

Narayanan¡¦s names)? Even if you are asked to go begging for a

living, you should only desire for naming your children after our

most merciful, most helpful (Parama upakArakan- ParamOdhAran, Parama

kaaruNikan) Sriman Narayanan¡¦s names alone. (because) the mother of

children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan-

Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will

never ever enter into hell thereafter.

 

maanidasaadhiyilthOnRiRRu Ormaanidasaadhiyai

maanidasaadhiyinpErittaal maRumaikkillai

vaanudaimaadhavaa! gOvindhaa! enRu_azhaiththakkaal

naanudain^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 4.

 

4. If you name your children after those beings who are born as

humans (who are also samsaaric afflictions like you only- if not

worse), there is no way, you can be blessed with even material

wealth (leave alone Srivaikunatm). If you call your darling children

as ¡§Paramapadha nAthA! Maadhavaa! Sriya: Pathi! Govindhaa! Then the

mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan-

Narayanan- who is the Swami of our AthmAs- who resides in our

AthmAs- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never

ever enter into hell thereafter. Naan udai naaraNan narakam- pugaaL.

 

Here naan udai naaraNan- Jeer interest as ¡§My NaaraayaNan¡¨

Thiruvaaymozhi Pillai interprets (considering this as something

special) saying, ¡§The One who has us- the AthmAs- as His house-

sareeram- He- being NaaraayaNan. Jeevathmas are all Naaraas. And He

is the master of us. Why do you leave the master¡¦s name and have

others¡¦ name instead?

 

AzhwAr considers only himself as naan (I) and glorify His Lord as

per Jeer¡¦s commentary- which is also enjoyable.

 

malamudaiyooththaiyilthOnRiRRu Ormalavooththaiyai

malamudaiyooththaiyinpErittaal maRumaikkillai

kulamudaikkOvindhaa! gOvindhaa! enRuazhaiththakkaal

nalamudain^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 5.

 

5. For the one which is born out of the repository of dirt, and

other wastes, and contain all flesh, blood, bones etc., you name

after the same one who is also ¡§imperfect¡¨ and waste reservoir

like you, there is no way you can redeem yourself for future births.

[instead], if you call your children as Govindhaa! Then, the mother

of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan-

Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will

never ever enter into hell thereafter

 

naadumn^akarum_aRiya maanidappErittu

koodiyazhungik kuzhiyilveezhndhuvazhukkadhE

saadiRappaayndhathalaivaa! dhaamOdharaa! enRu

naadumin naaraNan_tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 6.

 

6. Mixing with the lowly human beings in the village and

suburbs, publicizing to everyone the names of your children after

those lowly human beings and do not fall down.. Instead, desire for

calling them as Dhaamodharaa! The Sakataasura mardhanaa! The one who

destroyed SakatAsurA!) etc. And let the whole world know His glories

thereby. And then the mother of children whose names are after

SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan)

(naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell

thereafter.

 

maNNilpiRandhumaNNaakum maanidappErittu angu

eNNamonRinriyirukkum Ezhaimanisar_kaaL!

kaNNukkiniya karumukilvaNNann^aamamE

naNNumin naaraNan_tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 7.

 

7. Naming your children after the beings who are born out of

the earth and go back to the same (from prakrithi back to praktithi)

there is no good that we can get. Oh shameless beings! Who think

that you are fearless after naming such lowly humans! Desire for

naming your children after the divine names of dark rainy cloud like

Emperumaan (who has aprAkrutha divya mangaLa vigraham) and then the

mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan-

Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will

never ever enter into hell thereafter.

 

nambin^ambiyenRu naattumaanidappErittaal

nambumpimbumellaam naalun^aaLil_azhungippOm

semperundhaamaraikkaNNan pErittazhaiththakkaal

nambikaaL! naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 8.

 

8. Naming your children as nimbi, pimbi etc.., after few lowly

beings (who do not even have any Athma guNas-and calling them as the

one with great Athma guNa ¡V Nambhi and naming our children after

them), with a (false) faith of accomplishing something great. Even

that faith will vanish after sometime (few days- or months or even

years- as you would realize that they too would vanish soon),

Instead, oh most virtuous ones! Name your children after the most

beautiful red lotus eyed Lord, then the mother of children whose

names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master

(naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into

hell thereafter.

 

ooththaikkuzhiyil amudhampaayvadhupOl ungaL

mooththirappiLLaiyai enmukilvaNNanpErittu

kOththukkuzhaiththuk kuNaalamaadiththiriminO

naaththakun^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 9.

 

9. Like the nectar that passes out of the foul smelling, rotten

sewage pipe, name your children (who is also the repository of a

human body like you- mootthirapiLLai- yOnijar)- who is born of you,

after the divine name of the Lord (so that your children¡¦s name

becomes sacred and pure which purifies you like nectar) and if you

call them in such sweet names, bathe them, dress them and play with

them (calling such a divine name each time), then the mother of

children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan-

Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will

never ever enter into hell thereafter.

 

seeraNimaal thirun^aamamEyidaththERRiya

veeraNitholpukazh vittuchiththanviriththa

OraNiyoN_thamizh onbadhOdonRumvallavar

pEraNivaigundhaththu enRumpENiyirupparE. (2) 10.

 

10. The most valorous Sri Vishnuchitthar of SrivilliputthUr sang

these ten PAsurams describing elaborately the glories of divine

names of Emperumaan and advises (us) to name our children after His

divine names. Those who learn these nine PAsurams and the tenth

(this one) will be blessed to be at Paramadham forever and ever

blissfully.

 

Here AzhwAr addresses himself as Veerar (valorous) as he is the one

who unambiguously established the Parathvam of Sriman Narayanan in

the assembly of Paandya king.

 

[so, name your children beautifully with His names.. and call them

lovingly with full name and enjoy.. Nowadays, people break the names

to intolerable levels.. Spoiling the very name itself¡K Srinivasan

name becomes Seenu¡K Or Seemaachu.. Narasimhan becomes Nacchu..

(poison).. Parthasarathy is Paacchaa. Srikaanth is Cheekaa. Lakshmi

is Yecchimi or lacchu. Krishnan is Kittu or Kittaa. To top it all

Ramanujan is Ramaanju¡ K Desikan is Desi.. Alas! This is worse than

nambhi pimpi.. I supposeļ ]

 

PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLe saraNam

Regards

Namo Narayana

dAsan