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Sri Venkateswara Ashtotthram 

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 On this PurattAsi SravaNam day of the SvabhAnu  year  , I would like toseek the anugraham of my revered  AchAryan ,  SrI VaNN SaThakOpa NaarAyaNa YathIndhra Maha Desikan and  Sri VenkatanAthan of Thirumalai for initiating  this Kaimkaryam of  writing about the Sri VenkatEsa AshtOtthara  and Sahasra Naamams .

Today is also the avathAra dinam of Lord VenkatEsan , Swamy Desikan and the First Brahma Tantra YathIndhra MahA Desikan , the founder of the ParakAla Mutt .

adiyEn will start with the AshtOttharam of Lord VenkatEsa.

SrI VenkatEsa Sahasra NaamAvaLi at the First Bell
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Every day at Thirumala, our Lord is woken up with SrI VenkatEsa SuprabhAtham, Suddhi, ThOmAla SevA and Koluvu Dharbaar follow thereafter.

Now is the time for the First Bell and the First NaivEdhyam. Lord's SatthumuRai follows . At this time of the first bell , Sri VenkatEsa SahasranAmams are recited by archakAs. It takes approximately 45 minutes to recite the Sahasra- nAmams housed in BrahmANDa PurANam as Conversation between Sage Vasishta and the great VenkatEsa Bhaktha, Sri NAradha. This Sahasra Naamam recitation concludes with the following ancient benediction for the Lord:

Sriya: KaanthAya kalyANa NidhayE nidhayEarTinAm
SrI Venkata-nivAsAya SrinivAsAya MangaLam

SrI VenkatAchalAdhIsam SriyAadhyAsitha Vakshasam
Sritha-chEthana-mandhAram SrInivAsam aham BhajE

The First NaivEdhyam for the Lord is offered now.

SrI VenkatEsa AshtOtthara NaamAvaLi at the Second Bell
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Now an EkAntha Pooja (aparanha poojA) takes place . Only ArchakAs are inside the sanctum and they recite the 108 NaamAs of the Lord housed in VarAha PurAnam . Cherupulu and PaNiyArams are offered to the Lord as naivEdhyam during this period known as the second bell. Afterwards sarva darsanam and aarjitha sEvAs for the day continue until the end of that day's AarAdhanam for the Lord.

The AshtOttharam used inside the garbha graham is fromVarAha PurANam with copious references to sthala purANam and the incidents associated with the seven hills. TheBrahmANDa purANam version is quite different in NaamAvaLis than the one enshrined in the VarAha PurANam .

At the outset , I would like to extend my sincere thanks to SrIman Sadagopan Iyengar of Coimbatore and SrIman M/G.VasudEvanof Chennai for reviewing this essay and offering their feedbacks.

The two recitations of the Lord's 1008 and 108 NaamAs take place at the early hours of the Morning as described by ANDAL in Her ThiruppAvai as "SiRRam SiRu KaalE Vanthunnai Sevitthu ". These are very sacred recitations at Thiruppathi-Thirumalai before the Lord by His archakAs.

Let us commence with the 108 NaamAs of Lord VenkatEsa first and follow it up with the meanings and commentaries reflections on the 108 Naamaas next . Very many sources will be cited and hence it may not be easy to acknowledge every one of the references completely .

May the DayA Devi , the divine Consort of Lord bless adiyEn with the insight to undertake this kaimkaryam on behalf of Her Divine consort!

  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:

    (*) One notices that number of these names are echos of
    SrI VishNu Sahasra Naamam(VSN) :

   a. SrIvAsAya nama: is the same nAmam as the 556th VSN.
   b. anAmayAya nama: is the same name as the 694th VSN.
   c. sAsvathAya nama: is the same VSN as found in the 1188th,
      244th and 568th naamAs of VSN.
   d. PrabhavE nama: is the same mangaLAsAsanam of VSN(160th naamam).

    Please add PraNavam before each of these 108 NaamAs.


The Importance of PraNavam before the NaamA
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Prior to reciting the naamA of the Lord , we always include PraNavam in front and Nama: sabdham at the end. For instance , we recite as First nAmam : (PraNavam) SrI VenkatEsAya Nama:

Let us reflect on the importance of adding PraNava OmkAram before the Lord's NaamA first . Let us follow the revelations provided by VishNu PurANam ,which is revered as "PurANa Rathnam " by our AchAryAs.

PraNavam is Sabdha Brahma Svaroopam. The UpAsanam of PraNavam is vital for realizing Para Tatthvam according to ParAsara Maharishi , the author of VishNu PurANam. He says:

DhruvamEkam Brahma OmithyEva vyavasTitham
BhruhathvAth BruhmaNathvAccha tath BrhamEthyabhidheeyathE

Here is SrImath Prakrutham Azhagiyasingar's comments on this passage :

" This PraNavam is forever eternal . It does not ever get destroyed.It has the svaroopam of YekAksharam. Even if the Vedam is divided ,this PraNavam alone stays undivided.When it is recited , it expands in its KaaraNa state into the three VyAhruthis ; in the KaaryA state, it expands into both VyAhruthis and VedAs and thus becomes Brahman. It becomes Brahman because the three VyAhruthis( BhU:, Bhuva: and Suva:) and the Four VedAs ( Rg, Yajus, Saama and Atharava) are rooted in this PraNavam . This PraNava Brahman alone is worshipful as the central element for the origin of the Universe (Jagath KaaraNam). This PraNavam has therefore to be worshipped as the cause for the origin( uthpatthi) and layam for the Universe ; it has to be worshipped as the subtle principle that is superior to the doctrine of Mahath . This is the way to peform UpAsana on PraNavam . ParAsara Maharishi salutes this PraNavam further as :

(1) anaadhi or timeless in origin (2) eternally present everywhere (vyApthi) (3) undestroyable (4) base for the TamO guNam ,which bewitches the World and deludes its beings (5) PraNavam shines through Satthva GuNa activities (6) It confers PurushArTams through the RajO guNa activities known as Pravrutthi (7) It serves as the sought after target for those have Saankya Jn~Anam / worshippers of Moola Prakruthi (8) It confers tranquility and control of IndhriyAs for those who desire them (9) It stays as the abode of all auspiciousness and reveals the Svaroopam of ParamAthmA and therefore is referred to as avyaktham and aksharam by Upanishads . Inview of these multifaceted glories of PraNavam , it is verily worshipped as the Supreme Brahman(Bhagavath Roopam ) itself ".

This PraNavam is considered as VaasudEva Svaroopam . Its avayavams are AkAram , UkAram and MakAram . Inspite of its three components (avayavam), PraNavam in its avayavi svaroopam is undivided. This is the Prabhu VaasudEvan. He is the One , who is present without differentiation in all sentients and insentiens of the universe.He is the One present as the Rg, Yajus, Saama Veda Svaroopi as well as their essence . He is the indweller of all beings . PraNavam is the Svaroopam of BhagavAn VaasudEvan , who is limitless (Ananthan, Jn~Ana Svaroopan) , who is saluted by the following slOkam :

Sa BhidhyathE Vedamaya: Sa Vedam karOthi Vedair-bahubhi: SasAkhAm
SaakhApraNathO Sa Samastha SaakhA: Jn~AnaroopO Bhagavan Anantha:

Parasara Maharishi thus celebrates PraNavam by recognizing it as Bhagavath Svaroopam . By prefixing Bhagavan NaamAs in AshtOttharams and Sahasrams , we enhance the sanctity of our utterances . PraNavam is Veda Mayam.

The Importance of Nama: Sabdham
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In the AshtOthara and Sahasra Naama Archanais , we end with the Nama: sabdham . For instance , we recite : ( Pranavam ) VishNavE nama:

The Nama: sabdham is part of ashtAkshara manthram just as PraNavam .The Nama: sabdham has many meanings as elaborated by AchAryAs in the context of the Seshithvam of the Lord and the Jeevan's Seshathvam. According to SamhithAs , there are three levels of meaning or Nama: (SthUlam , Sookshmam and Param) of meaning .The SthUla Meaning is based on VyAkaraNa sAsthram and reveals that Jeevan is prostrating before the Lord with reverence and performing Prapatthi with all the required angAs. The Sookshma meaning is derived from niruktham concludes that jeevan is not independent and is not a Master of its own destiny. The meaning at the Param level is based on rahasya SaasthrAs and it establishes that fruit of Prapatthi (SaadhyOpAyam ) is the Lord Himself ( SiddhOpAyan).

Thus by prefixing Bhagavan NaamA with PraNavam and concluding with the Nama: sabdham , we link ourselves the core and profound doctrines of SrI VaishNavam .

Bhagavad GuNa DarpaNam
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Swamy ParAsara Bhattar has given elaborate commentaries for the 1000 VishNu Sahasra Naamams (VSN) in His Commentary revered as SrI Bhagavad GuNa DarpaNam . we will focus on Swamy ParAsara Bhattar's commentary , whenever we come across the same names of VSN in Sri Venkatesa AshtOttharam and Sahasra Naamams .

NamO VenkatEsAya
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Let us start our AshtOtthara Satha NaamArchanai in unison with the blessed ArchakAs of the Lord of Seven Hills !
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