Sri Venkatesa Ashtotthram
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Sri Venkateswara Ashtotthram
SrI VenkatEsa Sahasra NaamAvaLi at the First Bell
****************************************
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
**********************************************
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 from VarAha
PurANam with copious references to sthala purANam and the incidents associated
with the seven hills:
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppiliappan/sva/v/index.html
TheBrahmANDa purANam version is quite different in NaamAvaLis than
the one enshrined in the VarAha PurANam .AdiyEn has released the commentary on
the
BrahmANDa PurANa AshtOttharam as a CD ROM and
the text is available at the URL:
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppiliappan/sva/intro.html
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.
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 Importance of PraNavam before the NaamA
**************************************
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
*****************************
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 .
Contributors for this 108 & 1008 NaamAvaLi Kaimkaryams
*******************************************************************
All the web page assembly related work has been brilliantly
completed by SrI SrInivAsan SrIram of California. The text of
the commentary on the 108 NaamAs housed inside the BrahmANDa
PurANam was put together by myself .
The Commentaries on the Varaaha PurANa AshtOttharams
used daily at Thirumalai SrinivAsan's sannidhi were jointly
constructed by SrI Coimbatore SadagOpan IyengAr and
myself .
The Commentaries on the 1008 NaamAs of Lord VenkatEsan
are being assembled by Dr.Venkat Kanumalla of SrI RanganAtha Temple
of Pomona, N.Y and myself . We hope to
complete that detailed work before this PurattAsi SravaNam ,
the avathAra dinam of Lord SrINivAsan .
It is a Parama BhAgyam to write the commentaries on the two
AshtOttharams and the Sahasra Naamams of the Lord of Thirumalaa Hills .
AdiyEn places all these three Commentaries at the Sacred feet of
the Lord of ThiruvEnkatam Hills .
NamO VenkatEsAya
*****************
Let us start our AshtOtthara Satha NaamArchanai now
in unison with the blessed ArchakAs of the Lord of Seven Hills !
SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Daasan , Oppiliappan KOil VaradAchAri SadagOpan
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