Sri Lakshmi Sahsram : 17.23 to 17.25

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs of MahA Lakshmi:

 

In the 23rd slOkam of Naama Vaibhava StaBakam , the poet states that

MahA Lakshmi's nAmes , which are small in size but have the immense

power to destroy our gigantic bundles of Sins:

 

anjath-panchasha-varNam arNavasuthE ThvannAma karNAmrutham

math-pApAni mahattharANyapi muhur-mushNAthy KrishNAnganE

aksheeNi prathirundhath andhatamasam gEhEshu bhUyishDAmapi

angushta-pramithaiva dheepa-kalikA haa hantha nO hanthy kim

 

arNava suthE = Oh Daughter of the Ocean !

KrishNAnganE = Oh wife of KrishNa BhagavAn !

anjath-panchasha-varNam = having the assembly of just 5 or 6 letters

karNAmrutham = and acting as a nectar to the ears

ThvannAma = Your NaamAs

mahattharANi math pApAni api muhu: mushNAthy = steal away (eat up)

the huge sized bundles of sins of mine effortlessly and frequently .

Haa hanttha ! = what a surprise(mystery) ?

gEhEshu bhUyishtam andhatamasamapi =even the dense darkness in the house

angushta pramithA yEva dheepa kalikA nO hanthy kim ? = is destroyed by the thumb-sized ,

lit (little) lamp . The radiance from that little lamp spreads everywhere and detroys

the huge enveloping darkness in the house inspite of the fact that the lamp is small sized .

 

Your nAmAs are small sized (made up of 5 or 6 letters) like HarivallabhA , Kamalaa ,

arNava suthA . In contrast to the small size of Your naamAs , my bundles of sins are

huge. Inspite of their small size , Your nAmAs destroy my huge bundles of sins. When

adiyEn thinks about this power of Your nAmAs , it fills me with a sense of wonder.

Can an ant chase away an elephant ? can one use a blade of grass as boat to cross the ocean?

Can one use a soft bud to crack a piece of granite ? Can a piece of thorn succeed in pulverizing

a bar of iron ? They can not and it is understandable that small entities can not take on

successfully a mighty object . In the case of Your nAmAs made up of very few letters

take on howevewr the huge accumulation of my sins and destroy them . This action

takes place quite often . It is not a once in a while thing( one day wonder) .

 

Math pApAni mahattharANi : My offenses ( insufferable apachArams , deceptions, cheatings

and trespasses against Bhagavath sAsthrams) are huge and are growing forever . Your nAmAs

destroy them again and again. What takes mighty long Prayascchitthams

( SaandhrAyaNa vratham PrAjApathya krucchiram) to do , Your short nAmAs

destroy these huge bundles of sins quickly and often .

 

The situation is similar to the radiance from a small lamp that spreads

over the entire room and destroys the surrounding darkness .

 

There are plenty of PrAsams in this slOkam as well:" anjath-Pancha ,

varNam-arNava , MushNAthi KrishNA , rundha-dandha , BhUyishtam-angushta ,

hantha-hanthy et al.These prAsams have a pleasing effect on the listener's

ears.

 

SlOkam 23

**************

avithum udhadhi kanyakE achikithsyAth

maraNa jarAdhi mayaath mahAmayAnmAm

paramavishamam Antaram kashAyam

pachathy Suchir bhavadheeya nAmavarga:

 

(Meaning): adiyEn has a deadly disease . It has the name of samsAra rhOgam

and has the constituents of old age , death et al.For saving me from that disease,

adiyEn has to make a curative concoction ( KashAyam). That act is performed by

Your nAmAs. Your namaas are the fire to cook that kashAyam to the perfect state

for curing my illness.

 

KashAyam has two meanings here:(1) The syrup that the doctor gives . It is prepared by

the slow evaporation of the solution containing the active ingredient with a huge amount of

water. KashAyam also means desire , udhvEgam( excitement) and other rAgams and blemishes

of the mind . The assembly of Your nAmAs is like the fire that condenses the potion and

forms the essence( kashAyam )to destroy my samsAric disease. " kAshAyam pachathy " refers

to the destructive evaporation of the disease causing blemishes of the mind. To secure a clean mind ,

the route to travel is the recitation of our Mother's divine naamAs.

 

The summarizing Tamil Paasuram by Sri KaNNan Swamy is:

 

Kadum nOyai kazhippathaRkku

KaashAyatthai kaaycchuhinRa

kanalukku samamAhum

KadaRkkani nAmangaL

 

For preparing the kaashAyam for dispensing with the fierce bhava rhOgam ,

the fire used is the nAmAs of the daughter of the Ocean .

 

SlOkam 25

****************

kruthaSubhatathy dhAritham kruthArTai:

Bhagavathy bhOgyamatheeva pAvanam cha

abhidhadhathy suvarNamAthmavantha:

prasamitha-dhurgathy nAma thAvakeenam

 

(Meaning): Bhagavathy Lakshmi ! Your nAmAs are like the exalted metal gold ,

which is used in all auspicious occasions . Here are six instances , where there is

similarity between Lakshmi's nAmAs and coveted gold ;

 

1) Both Lakshmi's nAmAs and the Gold generate rows of MangaLams. Auspicious

rites like vivAham take place with gold; similarly , auspicousness arise from

the sankeerthanam of Lakshmi's nAmAs.

 

2) Both MahA Lakshmi's nAmAs and the gold are adorned by the kruthArTAs

( BhAgyasAlis).

 

3) Both are bhOgyam ( most enjoyable). MahA Lakshmi's nAmAs are sweet

for the mind and the tongue to taste; Gold is similarly enjoyable to adorn and

celebrate.

 

4) Both are known for their purity ( Parisuddham). ThirunAmams of MahA Lakshmi

cleanses one's speech and mind. Gold is svatha-suddham .it does not need any

cleansing agent like tamirand , clay etc to bring out its lustre.

 

5) Both are SuvarNam: VarNam means letter or an alphabet . Since MahA Lakshmi's nAmAs

are constitued by auspicious letters , they are SuvarNam or SvarNam. Gold has the alternate

name( paryAya sabdham) of SvarNam.

 

6) Both destroy misfortunes. Gold removes poverty . The sankeerthanam of Bhagavathy's

nAmAs destroy poverty forever .

 

The double meaning for svarNam fits well thus for MahA Lakshmi's names and

the noble metal gold .

 

For realizing sObhana paramparAvApthy ( lineage of auspicious progeny) ,

one should name the girl children with MahA Lakshmi's NaamAs. Those who

follow this tradition are the fortunate ones. Those who recite Her nAmAs will not

go anywhere near narakam. Such is the power of Her nAmAs.

 

Sri PadhmAvathy SamEtha Sri SrinivAsa ParabrahmaNE nama:

Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Dear All:

 

I am happy to recieve the following note of

celebration of the glories of Our Mother ,

MahA Lakshmi . Thank you Sri Rangaswamy .

 

V.Sadagopan

 

-

" Rangaswamy Muralidhar Civ AFRL/SNHE "

<Muralidhar.Rangaswamy

" 'gopan' " <yennappan

Friday, April 21, 2006 6:52 AM

RE: Sri Lakshmi Sahsram : 17.23 to 17.25

 

 

> Sri:

>

> SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

>

> Dear Sadagopan Swamin,

>

> Thanks a lot for your lovely series of postings on Lakshmi Sahasram. The

> mahima of Thayar's divine names is matchless! Sri Venkatadwari Kavi embeds

> the essence of the Sri Sooktham salutation " thAm padhminImIm sharaNamaham

> prapadhyE alakshmIrmEnashyathAm thvAm vruNE " . This salutation glorifies

> meaning of the term Sri signified by ShruNAthi (i.e., one who destroys the

> impediments in the path of a Prapanna seeking the grace of Lord Narayana).

> The foremost impediment in this context is the mountainous pile of sins

> accumulated from beginningless time. This is the " alakshmI " precluding the

> attainment of the Dhivya Sampath (eternal Kaimkaryam rendered to the

> Divine Couple for their pleasure and at their behest). However, the

> compassionate glances of Thayar effortlessly destroy this sin pile

> enabling the Prapanna to become privy to the grace of Lord Narayana. Swami

> Desikan glorifies this mahOpakaram of Thayar in the Daya Shatakam

> salutations " karuNE nishkaruNanirUpaNEthvam athayEvahi thAvakAshrithAm

> dhurithAnam BhavathithvadhEva Bhiti; " and " sathyApitham thavabhalAdha

> kuthO Bhaya thvam "

> Thanks again for reminding adiyen of these nuggets about thayar.

>

> Namo Narayana,

>

> SriMuralidhara Dasan