You are here: SriPedia : Oppiliappan : Sri Venkatesa Ashtotthram Home  Index  VarAha : Home  Nama List :  CD&Donation  Credits

Sri Venkateswara Ashtotthram 

Prev   ::   (pranavam) MahathE SrI VenkatEsaya nama: - 96   ::   Next

Guess the name of the perumal and Check the answer
96) Mahate nama:
 
This is a tribute to the Lord's greatness, whether it be in physical form or attributes.
 
The Upanishad tells us that the Lord is greater than the greatest, physically--"ano: aneeyaan, mahato maheeyaan". His form is unimaginably huge and is immeasurably bigger than the biggest entity we could see or even contemplate.
 
When shown a sample of the Lord's visvaroopam, Arjuna is bewildered by its hugeness and bursts out involuntarily in praise--

"Roopam mahat te bahu vaktra netram mahaa baaho bahu baahu paadam
 bahoodaram bahu damshtra karaalam dristvaa lokaa: pravyathittaa: tatthaham"
 
"Oh Mighty Armed One! All the planets with their demigods are disturbed at seeing YOur great form, with its many faces, eyes, arms, thighs, legs, stomachs and teeth"
 
The form of Trivikrama that the Lord displayed during the Vamanavatara too was huge, transcending all the Universes and galaxies. "Ongi ulagalanda Utthaman" "Amabaram oodaratthu ongi ulagalanda umbar komane!" etc. are Sri Andal's tributes to this huge Lord.
 
In greatness of qualities, splendour, brilliance, and glory too, the Lord towers head and shoulders above anyone with even a pretension to greatness.The same Arjuna bursts into praise, this time over the non-physical and innumerous auspicious attributes of the Lord--
 
"kasmaat cha te na nameran Mahaatman! gareeyase Brahmanopi aadikartre
 Ananta! Devesa! Jagan nivaasa! tvam sad asat tat param yat"
 
"Oh Great One! You are greater even than Brahma, You are the original Creator. How can anyone avoid worshipping you, in the face of all Your glory! O Infinite One! God of Gods! Sole refuge of the Universe! You are the invincible source, the cause of all causes, transcendental to all material manifestation".
 
"otthaar mikkaarai ilay aaya Maamaaya!" says Sri Nammazhwar too, attesting the Lord's unparallelled greatness, physical and otherwise.



Donate by credit card via PayPal