SVS 55

49. OM AMARAPRABHAVE NAMA: अमरप्रभवे नम:
Granting powers to Four faced Brahma and all the gods and being the Leader of all.

From now on we are to witness the birthday celebrations of Swami Ramanuja, who is also known as Bhashyakara, Lakshmanamuni, Udayavar, Emperumanar, etc. He appeared in Ardhra star of Chittirai month [ coming 9th May]. We propose to see these festivals in Sriperumbudur, Kanchipuram, Thirumalai, Srirangam and Melkote [aka Thirunarayanapuram].
Today's [28th April 2008] lecture is from Sriperumbudur, situated in between Chennai and Kanchipuram. Swami Ramanuja was born in this place. He was born about 1000 years back [circa 1017] to Keasava Somayaji, with the blessings of Sri Partahasarathy of Triplicane. The Lord here is Sri Adi Kesava; but surprisingly the Thayar is Sri Yatiraja Natha Valli, after Swami Ramanuja.
Amaraprabhu means the Leader of devas or gods. All the gods, without exception, derive their power from the Lord only. Amara also means the residents of Vaikunta -Nitya and Mukthas. Vedas proclaim the greatest and number one or prime Deva is Sri Vishnu; and the last of devas is Agni. All other gods are in between. Just like the previous Divine name Padmanabha is counted among mantra [ and can be chanted as mantra or nama sankeertanam for begetting child], amraprabhu also is counted as a mantra. Normally mantra words have to be pronounced correctly, while nama sankeertanam is not that rigid. One person was chanting SVS regularly and by mistake he chanted this name as Maraprabhu instead of Amaraprabhu He thought the Lord was the Lord for trees also. He daily went round a tree also imagining it to be the Lord. A Pundit, once corrected him saying that it should be Amaraprabhu and chided for wrong chanting. This person got fear that he was not doing properly and so stopped the chanting of SVS altogether and stopped going around the tree also. The Lord appeared in the dreams of the Pundit for having thought he had corrected the person and questioned, was not He the Lord of trees also. The Pundit came running to the person and apologised. Like the child's unintelligible words make the parents happy, the Lord likes the uttering of the devotees.