73. OM MADHAVAYA NAMA: ॐ माधवाय नम:
Consort of Sri MahaLakshmi.
Bhoogarbha indicated He is the Consort of Sri Bhoodevi and now today's [30th May 2008] Divine name mentions He is the Consort of the God of auspiciousness, Sri MahaLakshmi. She, according to shastras and Acharyas, is One but appearing in three forms to please the Lord. Swami Nadathur Ammal says, 'akarathraya sampannam aravinda nivasinim
asosha jagatistreem vande varada vallabham.'
In temples Thayar is present in three forms as Laya archai, Bhoga archai and Kamya archai. She graces from the right chest of the Lord and secondly as Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. Thirdly, She graces as the Main Queen of the Lord and graces from a separate sannidhi. These are the three forms. Similarly, She is present in three forms as Sri MahaLakshmi, Sri Bhoodevi and Sri Neeladevi. 'Ma' indicates Sri MahaLakshmi. In Srimad Ramayana, the first sloka is 'manishada pradhishtantham' and indicates Sri Srinivasa. Therefore the Lord is Sri Madhava. Poet Venkatadvari has composed Sri Lakshmi sahasram, consisting of 1000 poems all in praise of Sri MahaLakshmi. While all pray for Her blessings, She remains to please the Lord and so the Lord's greatness can not be easily estimated. She never even for a fraction of a second deserts Him. When devas and asuras wanted to churn the ocean to obtain inferior amrut, the Lord helped them by providing them strength and later He himself churned; but He wanted to get back Sri MahaLakshmi hiding under the ocean. As She came out, under the watchful eyes of all, She got back to Her seat on the right chest of the Lord. With Her grace many got their high positions as Indra, Brahma, etc. Her constant viewing is the Lord.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
SVS 78
72. OM BHOOGARBHAYA NAMA: ॐ भूगर्भाय नम:
Consort of Sri Bhoomipiratti.
Divine names 70,71,72,73 and 74 tell us the greatness of the Lord in Vaikuntam and His parathvam. He graces as the Sri, Bhoomi, Nila devi sametha Lord. He is the Darling of Bhoomi Devi and protects Her like a pregnant Mother caring for Her child in the womb. Normally, we are to offer the food cooked to the Lord and then take that food. Offering thus is called kandarula pannuvadhu [கண்டருளப் பண்ணுவது]. It means literally showing to Him, as we do not have the capacity to offer food for Him to eat. Alwar calls Him, possessing mouth to devour the world [உலகம் உண்ட பெருவாயா].
In all avatars the Lord rescues and protects the World and the people. Mother Earth is not feeling the burden of huge mountains nor the vast oceans nor all the trees and other living beings;but She is unable to bear wicked persons like Hiranyakasipu or Ravana, who proclaim enmity with the Lord. In Sri Krishna avatara, since Mother Earth prayed for rescue, in the form of a cow, the Lord appeared as a cowherd and protected Her. When Hiranyaksha carried away Mother Earth, the Lord appeared as a gigantic Boar and rescued [Swami Desika - Maha Pothri]. We can worship the Lord as Sri Varaha on the banks of Ananthasaras pushkarini in Sri Varadaraja Swami temple, Kanchipuram. Sri Andal is the incarnation of Sri Bhoodevi.
Consort of Sri Bhoomipiratti.
Divine names 70,71,72,73 and 74 tell us the greatness of the Lord in Vaikuntam and His parathvam. He graces as the Sri, Bhoomi, Nila devi sametha Lord. He is the Darling of Bhoomi Devi and protects Her like a pregnant Mother caring for Her child in the womb. Normally, we are to offer the food cooked to the Lord and then take that food. Offering thus is called kandarula pannuvadhu [கண்டருளப் பண்ணுவது]. It means literally showing to Him, as we do not have the capacity to offer food for Him to eat. Alwar calls Him, possessing mouth to devour the world [உலகம் உண்ட பெருவாயா].
In all avatars the Lord rescues and protects the World and the people. Mother Earth is not feeling the burden of huge mountains nor the vast oceans nor all the trees and other living beings;but She is unable to bear wicked persons like Hiranyakasipu or Ravana, who proclaim enmity with the Lord. In Sri Krishna avatara, since Mother Earth prayed for rescue, in the form of a cow, the Lord appeared as a cowherd and protected Her. When Hiranyaksha carried away Mother Earth, the Lord appeared as a gigantic Boar and rescued [Swami Desika - Maha Pothri]. We can worship the Lord as Sri Varaha on the banks of Ananthasaras pushkarini in Sri Varadaraja Swami temple, Kanchipuram. Sri Andal is the incarnation of Sri Bhoodevi.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
SVS 77
71. OM HIRANYAGARBHAYA NAMA: ॐ हिरण्यगर्भाय नम:
Living in very much desired place, Paramapadam, also known as the Golden place.
We are seeing Parathvam guna of the Lord. To get satva guna and become satvika, we have to have proper food and Swami Desika has made a compilation of do’s and don’ts regarding eating in Ahara niyamam. Whatever food we eat should have been first offered to the Lord. In our house we eat food prepared but our family members. They prepare and serve with care and affection and so the food also induces good qualities. Same can not be told of food in hotels and public places. We have heard of the story of Thrisanku, while knowing the episodes of sage Viswamitra, who created a separate world for him. Thrisanku is not the original name of that king and thrisanku means one who has committed three great sins. One of the great sins this person committed was that he ate food without offering to the Lord.
Today’s [28th May 2008] Divine name is hiranyagarbha. He is the Head of Vaikuntam and bestows everything on all. Hiranya means gold and it is precious. Because it is precious everyone wants to possess it. Similarly, the Lord is liked by all. When Dasaratha wanted to know whether he could crown Sri Rama, all people in one voice wanted Sri Rama as the King. Vaikuntam is known as Golden place [ponnulakam]. In Srimad Bhagavatham, sage Sukha describes the grandeur of Paramapadam to King Parikshit. It is made of pure satva quality [suddha satva mayam]. So it is always full of happiness. We experience total happiness [paripoorna bhagavathanubhavam].
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
SVS 76
70. OM PRAJAPATHAYE NAMA: ॐ प्रजापतये नम:
Leader of most eminent Nithyasuris.
These Divine names are describing His supremacy [Parathvam]. The Lord has both Parathvam and Soulabhyam [simplicity]. Either of these alone will not be useful to His devotees. Soulabhyam means the quality of mixing with persons lower than Him. Gold is very precious and one has to make great efforts to earn gold. Once acquired, its possessor gets all fame and respect. Garbages are available in plenty but none tries to collect and store them. Prajapathi usually means King. But the Lord is the leader of all the usual prajapathi we hear. Still He is approachable by ordinary persons like us. At the same time He can grant anything we wish. In fact He can offer Himself to us. Just like the thread that binds flowers to form a garland gets all the respects for the flowers, by chanting or by speaking His names, the speaker also is respected. Ordinary persons in this world, who are regarded as powerful or great, can not be approached anytime and we have to see his mood before we go for a favor. Valmiki, before starting on writing Srimad Ramayana meets sage Narada and asks a question sampradham loke gunavan ka:? Actually the question should be who is great in character? But Valmiki asks who is great in character at all times [ sampradham - सामप्रधम ]? This is the difference between the Lord and other prajapathis. Swami Ramanuja calls the Lord as Akilajagat swamin [leader of all in all worlds at all times]. His friendly approach to gopikas, Guha and Sabari proclaim His soulabhyam.
Leader of most eminent Nithyasuris.
These Divine names are describing His supremacy [Parathvam]. The Lord has both Parathvam and Soulabhyam [simplicity]. Either of these alone will not be useful to His devotees. Soulabhyam means the quality of mixing with persons lower than Him. Gold is very precious and one has to make great efforts to earn gold. Once acquired, its possessor gets all fame and respect. Garbages are available in plenty but none tries to collect and store them. Prajapathi usually means King. But the Lord is the leader of all the usual prajapathi we hear. Still He is approachable by ordinary persons like us. At the same time He can grant anything we wish. In fact He can offer Himself to us. Just like the thread that binds flowers to form a garland gets all the respects for the flowers, by chanting or by speaking His names, the speaker also is respected. Ordinary persons in this world, who are regarded as powerful or great, can not be approached anytime and we have to see his mood before we go for a favor. Valmiki, before starting on writing Srimad Ramayana meets sage Narada and asks a question sampradham loke gunavan ka:? Actually the question should be who is great in character? But Valmiki asks who is great in character at all times [ sampradham - सामप्रधम ]? This is the difference between the Lord and other prajapathis. Swami Ramanuja calls the Lord as Akilajagat swamin [leader of all in all worlds at all times]. His friendly approach to gopikas, Guha and Sabari proclaim His soulabhyam.
Monday, May 26, 2008
SVS 75
69. OM SRESHTAYA NAMA: ॐ श्रेष्ट :
Famous for granting the permanency of Nithyasuris.
Today's [26th May 2008] lecture is also from Perumpuliyur. It is said that when Thirumazhisai Alwar was in this place, the Lord [in the idol form] turned to the direction wherever the Alwar was. Hearing this a great scholar - Perumpuliyur Adigal- wanted to honour the Alwar by inviting him to the yagna he was performing. But there were a few who did not realize the greatness of the Alwar, objected. On knowing this Alwar meditated on the Lord in his heart and as a consequence the Lord appeared in those few persons conscience and made them to realize the Alwar properly.
Jyeshta was explained as the Lord is the One possessing the highest qualities. Sreshta also conveys the same meaning. In Mahabharatha we learn that when that Yudhishtra performed the Rajasooya yagna, all persons like Sahadeva insisted that the Agrapooja [ First rights] was to be conferred on Sri Krishna as He was the sreshta. Wicked persons like Sisupala objected and abused the Lord and were killed. As we saw in last Divine name, Valmiki calls Sri Rama jyeshta and sreshta. He grants the unparalleled bliss to His devotees. Worldly pleasures get stale after sometime. But the Lord gives His devotees pleasure afresh every time [ அப்போதைக்கு அப்போது ஆராவமுதமே!]. Swami Desika felt that even to elaborate a drop of His ocean of qualities, he found it extremely difficult. What to speak of us, then? But it is enough if we realize He is greatest. We can enjoy the sweetness explained by Alwars and Acharyas. He is always enjoyed by the Nthyasuris.
Famous for granting the permanency of Nithyasuris.
Today's [26th May 2008] lecture is also from Perumpuliyur. It is said that when Thirumazhisai Alwar was in this place, the Lord [in the idol form] turned to the direction wherever the Alwar was. Hearing this a great scholar - Perumpuliyur Adigal- wanted to honour the Alwar by inviting him to the yagna he was performing. But there were a few who did not realize the greatness of the Alwar, objected. On knowing this Alwar meditated on the Lord in his heart and as a consequence the Lord appeared in those few persons conscience and made them to realize the Alwar properly.
Jyeshta was explained as the Lord is the One possessing the highest qualities. Sreshta also conveys the same meaning. In Mahabharatha we learn that when that Yudhishtra performed the Rajasooya yagna, all persons like Sahadeva insisted that the Agrapooja [ First rights] was to be conferred on Sri Krishna as He was the sreshta. Wicked persons like Sisupala objected and abused the Lord and were killed. As we saw in last Divine name, Valmiki calls Sri Rama jyeshta and sreshta. He grants the unparalleled bliss to His devotees. Worldly pleasures get stale after sometime. But the Lord gives His devotees pleasure afresh every time [ அப்போதைக்கு அப்போது ஆராவமுதமே!]. Swami Desika felt that even to elaborate a drop of His ocean of qualities, he found it extremely difficult. What to speak of us, then? But it is enough if we realize He is greatest. We can enjoy the sweetness explained by Alwars and Acharyas. He is always enjoyed by the Nthyasuris.
Friday, May 23, 2008
SVS 74
68, OM JYESHTA: ॐ ज्येष्ट:
In high esteem.
We are at Perumpuliyur, in Chola region. Though not one among the 108 Divya desam, it is a famous one and still retaining the very eco-friendly as not many visitors come here. Thirumazhisai Alwar is connected with this place. This place had an agraharam, where brahmins lived. They were once practicing vedas. At that time this Alwar entered the street. Not knowing that this Alwar was the incarnation of Sudarsana and considering only his non-brahmin birth, the brahmins stopped the chanting. When Alwar was about to leave, these brahmins did not know where they stopped the vedas and were struggling. Alwar realizing their plight indicated the place where they had stopped the Vedas by certain signs and this enabled the brahmins to continue. Then only they realized the greatness of the Alwar and his proficiency in vedas. The Lord here is Sri Sundara Varadarajan. Jyeshta means highly esteemed. He is highly esteemed for His qualities, for His actions, for His position. His greatness knows no bounds. When Dasaratha wanted to coronate Sri Rama as the King of Ayodhya, Dasaratha called all people and asked for their opinion. Unanimously, everyone declared that they were waiting for Sri Rama to be crowned. Poet Valmiki says at this point jyeshta sreshta. Sri Rama was no doubt the eldest; but He was much above all others in respect of every quality and not merely age.
He is also simple and approachable for true devotees. He will be an obedient servant to such devotees. Instances in Thirumazhisai Alwar's life and the way Sri Rama and Lakshmana followed sage Viswamitra are examples in this regard.
In high esteem.
We are at Perumpuliyur, in Chola region. Though not one among the 108 Divya desam, it is a famous one and still retaining the very eco-friendly as not many visitors come here. Thirumazhisai Alwar is connected with this place. This place had an agraharam, where brahmins lived. They were once practicing vedas. At that time this Alwar entered the street. Not knowing that this Alwar was the incarnation of Sudarsana and considering only his non-brahmin birth, the brahmins stopped the chanting. When Alwar was about to leave, these brahmins did not know where they stopped the vedas and were struggling. Alwar realizing their plight indicated the place where they had stopped the Vedas by certain signs and this enabled the brahmins to continue. Then only they realized the greatness of the Alwar and his proficiency in vedas. The Lord here is Sri Sundara Varadarajan. Jyeshta means highly esteemed. He is highly esteemed for His qualities, for His actions, for His position. His greatness knows no bounds. When Dasaratha wanted to coronate Sri Rama as the King of Ayodhya, Dasaratha called all people and asked for their opinion. Unanimously, everyone declared that they were waiting for Sri Rama to be crowned. Poet Valmiki says at this point jyeshta sreshta. Sri Rama was no doubt the eldest; but He was much above all others in respect of every quality and not merely age.
He is also simple and approachable for true devotees. He will be an obedient servant to such devotees. Instances in Thirumazhisai Alwar's life and the way Sri Rama and Lakshmana followed sage Viswamitra are examples in this regard.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
SVS 73
67. OM PRANAYA NAMA: ॐ प्राणाय नम:
Life of all.
We should remember that by chanting His Divine names, our mind gets purified. After getting up, remembering the Lord as the Protector of Gajendra the elephant from the clutches of crocodile, will make our activities in that day smooth and successful. He is called prana: as without Him or separated from Him is unthinkable for great souls. Gopis and Gopikas enjoyed the company of Sri Krishna. They were not learned and did not know shastras. When Kamsa sent Akrura as an emissary to bring Sri Krishna from Brindavan to Mathura, Akrura told the gopikas the purpose of his visit. On hearing all the gopikas fainted and fell down. They accused Akrura for separating Sri Krishna from them; and they praised the rakshasas who never indulged in separating Sri Krishna. They further blamed that Akrura was more a demon in the guise of a Bhakta! They considered Sri Krishna as their soul, life or prana. We in spite of our learning do not have this feeling when we see the Lord in temples. Sages of Dandakaranya say to Sri Rama that He was their prana. When His Avatar was over Sri Rama returned to Vaikuntam. At that time all - life full and life less , objects and creatures- in Ayodhya cried in sorrow and so Sri Rama carried all of them to Vaikuntam, says Alwar.
Life of all.
We should remember that by chanting His Divine names, our mind gets purified. After getting up, remembering the Lord as the Protector of Gajendra the elephant from the clutches of crocodile, will make our activities in that day smooth and successful. He is called prana: as without Him or separated from Him is unthinkable for great souls. Gopis and Gopikas enjoyed the company of Sri Krishna. They were not learned and did not know shastras. When Kamsa sent Akrura as an emissary to bring Sri Krishna from Brindavan to Mathura, Akrura told the gopikas the purpose of his visit. On hearing all the gopikas fainted and fell down. They accused Akrura for separating Sri Krishna from them; and they praised the rakshasas who never indulged in separating Sri Krishna. They further blamed that Akrura was more a demon in the guise of a Bhakta! They considered Sri Krishna as their soul, life or prana. We in spite of our learning do not have this feeling when we see the Lord in temples. Sages of Dandakaranya say to Sri Rama that He was their prana. When His Avatar was over Sri Rama returned to Vaikuntam. At that time all - life full and life less , objects and creatures- in Ayodhya cried in sorrow and so Sri Rama carried all of them to Vaikuntam, says Alwar.
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