Sri VenkatEsa AshtOtthara Satha NaamAvaLI: Part 2

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ChithrabhAnu Samvathsaram, UttharAyaNam ,

GrIshma Ruthu , VaikAsi Aswini , DwAdasi Thithi

 

SrI:

 

NamO VenkatEsAya

 

Dear BhakthAs of the Lord of Saptha Giri :

 

Let us start our AshtOtthar Satha NaamArchanai !

 

The First Ten NaamAs of Sri VenkatEsa AshtOttharam

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1. (PraNavam) SrI VenkatEsAya nama:

2. (PraNavam) SrIvAsAya nama:(*)

3. (PraNavam) LakshmI PathayE nama:

4. (Pranavam) anAmayAya nama:(*)

5. (PraNavam) amruthAmsAya nama:(*)

6. (Pranavam) Jagadh-vandhyAya nama:

7. (PraNavam) GovindhAya nama:

8. (PraNavam) SaasvathAya nama:(*)

9. (PraNavam) PrabhavE nama: (*)

10.(Pranavam) SEshAdhri-nilayAya nama:

 

(*) These are the same as in Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam.

 

The First Naamam : Meaning

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(PraNavam) SRI VENKATESAAYA NAMA: = Salutations to

the Lord of the auspicious Venkatam Hills !

 

The names of Tiruvenkatam-udayAn,ThiruvenkatatthAn ,

Venktapathi, Venkataachala-pathi , VenkataramaNan,

Venkata Raaghavan , Venakta Varaahan , Venkata KrishNan

arise from the links of the Lord to Thiruvenkatam

( VenkatAdhri) hills . Venkatam hills have the power

to burn away all our sins and bless us with

the bliss of darsana souubhAgyam of the Lord

standing on top of it.

 

PurANic Significance of this Naama :

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The sacred temple of Lord SrinivAsa is located on

the top most (Seventh ) peak of a group of hills in

today's Andhra PradEsh and is revered as VenkatAdhri

or Venkata hills . It is considered as the hill

resting on top of the hoods of AdhisEshA . The sacred

feet of the Lord are resting on VenkatAdhri Sikharam

(crest/peak ) and that is why He is recognized as

VenaktAdhri SikharAlaya KaaLamEgham.

 

Once upon a time , in a fierce competition involving the testing of

the strength of Vaayu and AdhisEshan , latter tied himself

around the Ananda hills and Vaayu tried to blow that mountain

away . Lord intervened in that powerful contest and

suggested to AdhisEshan to let go of that mountain so

that Vaayu can place it in the southern part of the country

for the benefit of the BhakthAs to come and worship Him there.

He also blessed AdhisEsha to carry that hill on his thousand

hoods. Hence the hills below VenkatAdhri are known as SeshAdhri.

 

Spiritual and Philosophic significance of Venkatesa Naamam

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The first naama has deep philosophical and spiritual

significance. The name Venkatam has been intrepreted as

akshaya Isvaryam ( Eternal, imperishable Wealth ).

All AzhwArs except the RanganAtha pathivrathai

(ThoNDaradippodi AzhwAr) have performed their

MangaLAsAsanams of this Eternal Isvaryam with

a total of 202 Paasurams. His unique Isvaryam is

that of being SarvalOka SaraNyan.

 

SrI Venkatesa Naamam /manthram in His SuprabhAtham

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Among the 29 slOkams Of Thirumalai SuprabhAtham ,

Lord of Thirumalai is addressed 14 times as

Venkatachala-pathi (SrI VenkatAchalapathE ! Tava

SuprabhAtham ).

 

SrI Venkatesa Naamam/Manthram in Venkatesa SthOthram

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After wishing the Lord of Venkatam an auspicious dawn,

SrI VenkatEsa SthOthram acknowledges the Akshaya Nidhi

standing on top of the Venkatam hills through a powerful

slOkam :

 

VinA VenkatEsam na NaaTO na NaaTa:

SadhA VenkatEsam SmarAmi SmarAmi

HarE! Venkatesa! praseedha praseesha

Priyam Venkatesa ! prayaccha prayaccha

 

--Sri VenkatEsa SthOthram: 9th SlOkam

 

(Meaning): There is no Lord for me other than

VenkatEsa . I will always remember and reflect

on Him . Oh Hari! Oh VenkatEsA ! May Thou be

pleased (with my imperfect aarAdhanam).May Thou

shower me with the undecaying Isvaryam of

Moksha Sukham and Nithya Kaimkaryam!

 

SrI VenkatEsa Naamam/Manthram in VenkatEsa Prapatthi

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Fourteen of the Sixteen SrI VenkatEsa prapathti slOkams

concludes with a moving surrender at the holy feet of

Sri VenkatEsan : " Sri VenkatEsa Charanou SaraNam

PrapadhyE " . One of the Prapatthi slOkam refers to

the sacred feet of the Lord being hailed in Rg Vedam

as the most exalted (VishNO: ParamE padhE )and

as the fountain of honey ( Yau Madhva uthsa )

and most enjoyable.

 

Those Thiruvadis of Lord VenkatEsa are the objects

of moving surrender ( Prapatthi) as revealed in

another VenktEsa Prapatthi SlOkam :

 

SrIman ! KrupA-jalanidhE! Kritha-sarvalOka!

sarvaj~na! saktha! nathavathsala! Sarvaseshin!

SwAmin! Suseela-Sulabha-Asritha-paarijAtha!

SRIVENKATESA CHARANOU SaraNam prapadhyE

 

(Meaning): Oh the consort of the most auspicious

SrI Devi! Oh Ocean of Compassion! Oh the Creator

of all the worlds and their beings ! Oh Omniscient One!

Oh the Omnipotent One! Oh the Lord filled with DayA

for those , who prostrate before You! Oh the Lord of

the chEthanAms and achEthnams! Oh the easy object of

attainment by people of righteous conduct ! Oh boon

granting KalpakA tree for those , who seek Your refuge !

Oh VenkatesA ! I perform Prapatthi at Your holy feet.

 

SrI VenkatEsa Naamam/Manthram in VenkatEsa Managalam

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There are 14 slOkams in SrI VenkatEsa MangaLam.

Ten out of the 14 slOkams celebrate the VenkatEsa

Naama Maahthmyam .Here are selected examples :

 

ChakshushE sarva-lOkAnAm VenkatEsAya MangaLam

(MangaLam to Lord VenkatEsa , who is the eye of

all the worlds)...SlOkam 2

 

SarvAntarAthmanE Srimath VenkatEsAya MangaLam

(MangaLam to Sri VenkatEsa , who is the indweller

of All )..SlOkam 5

 

SulabhAya SushIlAya VenkatesAya mangaLam

( MangaLam to Sri VenkatEsa , who is easily

accessible to His devotees and is known for

His noble GuNAs)..SlOkam 6

 

prayunjE ParatatthvAya VenkatEsAya MangaLam

( Mangalam to VenkatEsa , who is the Supreme

principle with no equals or superiors)..SlOkam 7

 

atrupthyamrutha-roopAya VenkatEsAya MangaLam

( Auspiciousness to VenkatEsa , whose enchanting form

is like the insatiable nectar to the ChEthanams)..SlOkam 8

 

prAya: sva-charanou pumsAm saraNyathvEna paaNinA

KrupayA disathE SriMadh-VenkatEsAya MangaLam

 

( May MangaLam be to Sri VenkatEsa , who with

His right hand indicates His Feet , as refuge to

all human beings)...SlOkam 9

 

apAngai: sinjathE visvam VenkatEsAya MangaLam

( MangaLam to VenkatEsa , who moistens/nourishes

the universe with His rejuvenating glances)..SlOkam 10.

 

SarvArthi-samanAyAsthu VenkatEsAya MangaLam

( May auspiciousness be to VenkatEsa , who subdues

all afflictions /taapa thrayam )... SlOkam 11

 

SrI Vaikunta VirakthAya Swami pushkariNI-taDE

RamayA RamamAnAya VenkatesAya MangaLam

 

( MangaLam to SrI VenkatEsA , who gave up His

fondness for SrI Vaikuntam in favor of sporting

with LakshmI on the banks of Swami PushkariNi)

...SlOkam 12

 

Why such a celebration of VenkatEsa Naamam ?

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The First AshtOttharam is " (PraNavam) VenkatEsAya Nama: " .

One may wonder why such celebration of this VenkatEsa

Naamam in His SuprabhAtham , SthOthram , Prapatthi

and MangaLam . The reason is because this first nAmam

is a version of the most powerful SrI VenkatEsa manthram:

" (praNavam) namO VenkatEsAya " . His AshtOttharam is thus

the most appropriate and auspicious start and confers

on the reciters immense MangaLams .

 

VenkatEsan is the Lord of VenkatAdhri or Venkata Giri.

The significance of that Giri (Hill ) has been revealed

to us by Sawmy Desikan in the very first slOkam of his

famous SrI DayA sathakam:

 

PrapadhyE Thamm GIRIM prAya: SrInivAsaanukampayA

IkshusArasravanthyEva yannmUrthyA sarkarAyitham

 

AdiyEn performs Prapatthi at the Sacred hills of

VenkatAdhri , which is the crystalized version of

the flood of cane sugar juice representing the Dayaa

guNam of Lord SrinivAsan . The limitless compassion of

Lord SrInivAsan flows swiftly as a flood to reach

His devotees.That compassion of the Lord is most

enjoyable.That compassion is like a river of cane

juice. That cane juice transforms ultimately in to

the sweetest rock candy to be enjoyed by His BhakthAs .

That rock candy takes the form of VenkatAdhri , which

bears the trespasses of the chEthanams and grants

all the desired boons sought by the BhakthAs.

 

Such is the MahAthmyam of the First AshtOtthara

nAmam of SrI VenkatEsa !

 

(PraNavam ) NamO VenkatEsAya ,

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(PraNavam) NamO VenkatEsAya

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan/SaThakOpan