| Ramashtottara Shatanamavali |
nAmapArAyaNaprItAyai namaH govindarUpiNyai namaH rAmAyai namaH nArAyaNyai namaH nAdarUpAyai namaH vaiShNavyai namaH viShNurUpiNyai namaH
bhrUmadhye nigamAgamojjwalapade chandre trimArgAntare nirdwandve nikhilArthatattvavilasat-sUkShme suShumnonmuke | AsInam pralayArkabhAsuravaram jyotiHswarUpAtmakam vAmAnkasthita-mokShalakShmisahitam rAmam bhaje tArakam ||
vande nIlasarojakomalaruchim vande jagadvanditam vande sUryakulAbdhikaustubhamaNim vande surArAdhitam | vande pAtakapanchakapraharaNam vande jagatkAraNam vande vimshatipanchatattvarahitam vande sadA rAghavam ||
vande sAdhakavargakalpakatarum vande trimUrtyAtmakam vande nAdalayAntakasthalagatam vande trivargAtmakam | vande rAgavihInachittasulabham vande sabhAnAyakam vande pUrNadayAmrtArNavamaham vande sadA rAghavam ||
brahmAdi yogimunipUjita siddhamantram dAridryaduHkhabhavarogavinAshamantram | samsArasAgarasamuttaraNaika mantram vande mahAbhayaharam raghurAmamantram ||
param pavitram paravAsudevam parAtparam tam parameshwarAkhyam | guNatrayArAdhitamUlakandam AdityavarNam tamasaH parastAt ||
sakalabhuvaratnam sacchidAnandaratnam sakalahrdayaratnam sUryabimbAntaratnam | vimalasukrtaratnam vedavedAntaratnam puraharajaparatnam pAtu mAm rAmaratnam ||
ikShvAkuvamshArNavajAtaratnam sItAnganAyauvana bhAgyaratnam | vaikuNTharatnam mama bhAgyaratnam shrIrAmaratnam shirasA namAmi ||
|| shrIrAma jaya rAma jaya jaya rAma || The shastras and sages declare in unison thus: harernAma harernAma harernAmaiva kevalam | In the age of Kali, there is no better route to deliverance than nAmasmaraNa, reciting the auspicious and precious names of shrImannArAyaNa. To obtain bhagavadanugraha, dhyAna is prescribed in krta yuga, yajna in tretA and archana in dwApara yuga. The all compassionate Lord has blessed the mortals of Kali Yuga with a simple but profound path to attain the ultimate, nAmasmaraNa. The Lord himself declares thus in the gItA shAstra: yajnAnAm japa-yajnosmi ‘Among the Yajnas, I am Japa Yajna’, instructing all those seeking anugraha to practice Japa Yoga. Reciting mokShada mantras such as gAyatrI, shrIvidyA or panchAkShari is not possible by all due to various restrictions imposed by the shAstras. These practices are also complex and require in addition to devotion, initiation by Sadguru, understanding of mudra-s, nyAsas, mantrArtha, shaDangas of the mantra such as chetanI, dIpinI etc., without which the mantras do not give Siddhi in Kali Yuga. As a proof of his infinite compassion towards his creation, shrImannArAyaNa has given the great gift of nAmasmaraNa, by practicing which one can doubtlessly attain sAketa dhAma. nAmasmaraNa is available to all, irrespective of caste, creed, gender and learning . The adhikAra of even mlecchAs in bhagavadbhakti is discussed in garuDa purANa: bhaktiraShTavidhA hyeShA yasmin mlechCho.api vartate | People perform various prAyashchitta karmas to get rid of sins and afflictions resulting of these sins. The limitations of such karmas are described by Bhagavan Shuka in Srimad Bhagavata. When a forest catches fire, everything visible on the surface gets destroyed. But the roots concealed within the earth remain and in due course, new sprouts appear and a new forest begins to appear. Similarly, prAyashchitta karmas can destroy the sins committed but not the vAsanas hidden deep inside which cause the jIva to repeat the pattern of previously committed sins. The easiest way to achieve vAsanA kShaya is bhagavannAma smaraNa: kechit kevalayA bhaktyA vAsudevaparAyaNAH | Various AchAryas have appeared from time immemorial to preach the greatness of bhagavannAma samkIrtana to the world. BhagavAn VedavyAsa has taught nAmasmaraNa through his purANas and bhArata, which are interpretations of Sruti. Adi Kavi vAlmIki has preached the greatness of rAma mantrAnuShThAna by authoring the sacred rAmAyaNa, where he narrates in delicate words the vibhUti of the Lord incarnated as dAsharathi. Bhagavan Shuka, the epitome of Brahma Jnana and Vairagya, has taught bhAgavata to preach nAmasmaraNa. prahlAda, through the example of his life, has preached bhagavadbhakti. brahmA and nArada, through their skills of sAhitya and saMgIta, have given the world the impeccable rasa of bhagavannAma samkIrtana. The greatest of all vaiShNavas, shrI mahAdeva has taught nAmasmaraNa to the world by he himself engaging in santata rAma nAma japa. Is there someone who is comparable to vyAsa in describing shrutyartha? Is there someone comparable to vAlmIki in describing the lIlA visheSha of shrI rAmachandra in words that surpass nectar in sweetness? Is there someone whose vairAgya towards everything except rAmapAdAnusmaraNa is comparable to Shuka Brahma? Is there some sage whose devotion to svAmi is as innocent, pure and immovable like that of prahlAda? Is there someone, who, like brahma and nArada, has composed glorious songs in praise of shrImannArayaNa and sung them so melodiously that shAradA has shed a joyful tear of approval? Finally, is someone comparable to Sri Mahadeva, who is stationed in kamalAlaya as shrI tyAgarAja, in experiencing bhagavadanubhava arising out of the rasapAna of rAma tAraka mantra? Fortunately for us mortals groping in the darkness of ignorance, the answer is ‘yes’, shrI sadguru tyAgarAja svAmi, the first among the musical trinity. vyAso naigamacharchayA mrdugirA valmIkajanmA muniH Sri Kakarla Tyaga Brahmam, known as Sri Tyagaraja, was born as an amshAvatAra of sage vAlmIki and received tAraka mantropadesha from saint nArada on account of nArada mantropAsanA. Thus, he verify represents the combination of vAlmIki and nArada. shrI tyagarAja was not only a bhAgavatottama, but a shrIvidyopAsaka as well. Great musicians like Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Mahamahopadhyaya Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana and H H Kanchi Paramacharya have recounted the kharapriya krti “chakkani rAjamArgamulundaga” as describing the path of Srividya Upasana. Though there are no direct references to upAsana tattvas in Thyagaraja’s krtis, it should be noted that the well-known upAsaka shrI shAmA shAstry made no specific references to shrIvidyA upAsana in his krtis either. UpAsana, unlike now, was a strictly a personal activity done for AtmalAbha, free from publicity and commercialism. These masters did not seem to believe the need for shouting from rooftops to practice or teach upAsanA of the Supreme Lady who is not only antaryAgasamArAdhyA but also rahastarpaNatarpitA. One should note the Suddha dhanyAsi krti where Sadguru says: “Ajanmamu peddalu tama madilo nI japame muktimArgamanukoni”. Sangitakalanidhi Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer once mentioned to me that Sri Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar, a direct disciple of Sri Tyagaraja was a shrIvidyA Upasaka who was initiated by Sri Tyagaraja. mAma, himself belonging to tyAgarAja’s shishya sampradAya [Umayalapuram branch], had interacted with several others of the lineage and seemed to have no doubts in this regard. The nAmAvali listed below is again from Walajapet Bhagavatar’s copy in the possession of Semmangudi mama. There are some differences in the way people arrive at 108 names from the Krti and this version seems to be the best and the most popular among the disciples of shrI tyAgarAja. Sri Sadguru Tyagaraja svAmi has taught nAmasmaraNa in a very special way in the nATa rAga krti jagadAnandakAraka, the first of the ghana rAga pancharatna krtis. He has strung 108 divine names of the Lord to compose this Krti, which can thus be called nAma kusuma mAlA. These names are not random and convey the essence of rAmAyaNa. By singing the Krti, one not only earns the merit of nAma smaraNa, but also of reciting rAmAyaNa. It is said: charitam raghunAthasya shatakoTi-pravistaram | Every letter of rAmAyaNa is capable of destroying the greatest of sins. One who listens to a half-shloka of rAmAyaNa or even a single word from it, attains brahma loka and earns the respect of even the creator. rAmAyaNa is the like the sacred Ganges that arises from a hill called vAlmIki, purifies those who drink its water or take a dip in it and finally merges into the great ocean called shrI rAmchandra. The glory of rAma mantra is described thus: rAshabdocchAramAtreNa mukhAnniryAti pAtakAH | By reciting the letter ‘rA’, all of one’s sins are driven away through one’s mouth. To prevent the sins entering through the mouth again, the recitation of ‘ma’ acts as a door that shuts the mouth. [Notice how this analogy is constructed around the movements of the mouth while reciting rA and ma. While reciting rA, we open the mouth wide and close the same by brining the lips together when reciting ma]. By reciting rAma nAma, one is blessed with the merit of reciting the thousand auspicious names of shrImannArAyaNa: shrIrAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame | The letter ‘ra’ is the second in ya varga and denotes the number 2. ‘ma’ number denotes 5 similarly on account of being the fifth letter in pa varga. Thus, rAma denotes 5 times 2 which is 10. Parameshwara here repeats the name thrice, i.e. 10 X 10 X 10 which is equal to 1000. Thus, sahasra samkhyA can be derived by reciting rAma nAma thrice, each recitation representing the sat-chit-Ananda aspects of the Lord. By singing this Krti with devotion, or reciting it like a stava or performing archana with the nAmAvali, one earns the blessings of Sadguru Tyagaraja and Sri sItArAmachandra. Sadguru Sri Tyagaraja dedicates this namAvali to the most special avatAra of shrImannArAyaNa, the mahAsamkarShaNa, referred to as shrI nrsimha by bhAgavatottama-s like shrI sadAshiva [pApagaja nrsimha vara tyAgarAjanuta]. prahlAda stayed in kayAdu’s garbha for a period of ten thousand years, listening to Atma tattvopadesha from Sadguru nArada, and became a jnAna vrddha even before taking birth. The fruit of his immeasurable penance, devotion and realization was shrI nrsimhAvatAra. The story of nrsimhAvatAra is fascinating and recounting it confers shAshvata viShNuloka prApti. When prahlAda declared AtmaswarUpi nArAyaNa as the supreme, the ignorant asura hiraNyaka threatened to kill him. But prahlAda, a knower of the Atman felt no fear. Where is the question of fear to the one who knows there is no second to Atma vastu [dvitIyAdvai bhayam bhavati, Br. Upa]? Moreover, shrImadAchArya says: atasIpuShpasa~NkAsham pItavAsasamachyutam | Fear never bothers the one who propitiates the Lord. He advised his father thus: “Father! You have tried to kill me several times in several ways. When I emerged unscathed, you now wonder what the source of my power is! The source of not only my strength, but of yours and of every other creature including brahmA the creator is shrImannArayaNa. He is the supreme Lord, master of the cosmos residing in every pore of this creation. Relinquish your AsurI bhAva and the sense of discrimination between enemies and friends. In a perfect state of equipoise, you shall realize the same Atman to be the true nature of all beings. Other than the ignorant mind that dwells in duality, there is no other enemy”. This further angered the demon who challenged the child thus: “Fool! If your Lord is all pervading, is he present in this pillar in front of me?” Saying thus, he struck a pillar in his royal court with his fist. And then the pillar exploded with a noise that stilled the universe. It was as though mahArudra had initiated an untimely mahApralaya. The demon and his scared courtiers were thrown off their feet and watched perplexed as they could not determine the source of the thunderous noise. The form of the Lord that appeared was extraordinarily fearful. His three fierce eyes shone like molten gold. Shining mane extended from his fiery face. His sharp teeth reminded the wicked of yama, the Lord of death. His razor sharp lolling tongue resembled a flashing sword. The frown formed by knit eyebrows made his appearance more dreadful. His earns were erect and motionless, like those of an angry lion ready to pounce on its prey. His flaring nostrils and widely opened mouth appeared like the caves of a mighty mountain. The parted jaws evoked fear in all. His form touched the skies. His neck was short and thick, chest was broad and waist was thin. His body was covered with hair that resembled the shining moon rays. He was flanked by hundreds of arms that extended in all directions. Sri Sudarshana assumed the form of his razor sharp nails which formed the primary weapon sported by Nrsimha. He held countless other weapons in other hands and used them to destroy the demon’s army in seconds. The Lord effortlessly mitigated all attacks of the demon, lifted him like a baby, placed the demon on his lap, and tore him apart with his sharp nails seated in the doorway of the demon’s court. The Lord’s face and mane were decorated with drops of the demon’s blood and his eyes emitted fire. He garlanded himself with the intestines of the killed demon, roaring ferociously. He ripped out the demon’s heart and threw his lifeless body away. It was prahlAda alone who could calm the Lord and convince him to discard the rudrarUpa to avoid untimely pralaya. It is generally described that Lord appeared from the stambha to protect his devotee prahlAda. prahlAda had been put to various torments by the demon earlier. Had not the Lord saved him earlier, every time he was attacked by his father? If slaying the demon was the sole purpose of his appearance, could not the parama puruSha kill an insect like hiraNyakashipu by his will alone? Bhagavan Shuka describes the reason for the appearance of the lord at that particular moment very poignantly, satyam vidhAtum nijabhrtyabhAShitam. There are three bhrtyas or devotees of Lord that Bhagavan Shuka talks of, brahma, sanakAdayaH and prahlAda. Brahma had given a boon to hiraNyakashipu that the demon would be killed by nothing that came within the realms of his creation i.e. brahma srShTi [bhUtebhyastvadvisrShTebhyo mrtyurmAbhUnmama prabho]. To make the words of Brahma true, Lord, representing the Brahman free from mAyA [nArAyaNa bhaTTathiri describes the same as atyanta shuddhAkrte], Lord appeared as shrI nrsimha. Sanaka and others, after cursing jaya and vijaya, had also blessed them with shApamochana at the hands of the Lord. How can the words of these brahmajnAni-s go untrue? Also, prahlAda had stated to his father the truth of the Sruti and the essence of his realization: “paramAtman is all-pervading, is the sole truth and he exists as the Atman in all”. To prove to all the truth of the all-pervading Atma vastu, of Sruti and of his devotee’s words, shrImannArAyaNa appeared in the form of Nrsimha, man-lion. One should carefully note the usage of words, na mrgam na mAnuSham. It does not describe the Lord as ‘Half man half lion’ but instead as ‘neither a man nor a beast’, which is the best way to describe the non-qualified Brahman, neti neti. Also, he proved once again by nrsimhAvatAra that a devotee of the Lord shall never be destroyed [kaunteya pratijAnIhi na me bhaktaH praNashyati]. The knower of Brahman is Brahman himself [brahmavidbrahmaiva bhavati] and how can the Atman ever be destroyed [nainam chindanti shastrANItyAdi]? satyam vidhAtum nijabhrtyabhAShitam The scriptures are all means to sing praises of Bhagavan Nrsimha. The Sruti declares thus: bhIShA.asmAdvAtaH pavate | bhIShAdeti sUryaH | bhIShA.asmAdagnishchandrasha | mrtyurdhAvati pa~nchama iti [Tai. Upa. brahmAnandavallii]. The very first incarnation of shrImannArAyaNa described in shrI viShNu sahasranAma is of shrI nrhari [nArasimhavapuH]. The next name is shrImAn, signifying the fact that bhagavAn is always accompanied by his shakti, shrI mahAlakShmi. This is an indication of his abheda with parameshwara or shaktimAn. Also, the last name sarvapraharaNAyudhaH is clearly indicative of shrI nrsimha, as described above [kevalam etAvantyAyudhAnyasyeti na niyamyate, api tu sarvANyeva praharaNAnyAyudhAnyasyeti sarvapraharaNAyudhaH | Ayudhatvena aprasiddhAnyapi karajAdInyasyAyudhAni bhavantIti | ante sarvapraharaNAyudha iti vachanam satyasankalpatvena sarveshwaratvam darshayitum eSha sarveshwaraH iti shruteH: shAnkara bhAShya]. Thus, the sahasranAma is verily a hymn to Lord Nrsimha. Sri Rama declares his nrsimha swarUpa to Sugriva in rAmAyaNa thus: pishAchAn dAnavAn yakShAn pR^ithivyAM chaiva rAkShasAn | The mUrti, mantra and vibhUti vaibhava of Sri Nrsimha cannot be described in words. The swarUpa of Bhagavan, signifying not only jIveshwarAbheda, but also shiva-keshavAbheda and shiiva-shaktyabheda has been discussed at length in a previous writing. Vihagendra samhitA describes nava nArasimha mUrtis: lakShmI, aghora, ugra, kruddha, vIra, prachaNDa, kopa, yoga and sudarshana nArasimha-s. Based on the sequence of Bhagavan’s AvribhAva and hiraNyaka samhAra, svAmi appears as stambhodbhava, swayambhuva, rakSho-grahaNa, daitya-dAraNa and mahAsamhAra mUrtis, known as AvirbhAva panchaka. Lord appears in ten forms: matsya, kUrma, varAha, mUla, vAmana, bhAragava, rAghava, shyAmala, ananta and upasamhAra nrsimha mUrtis. Nrsimha also appears in the form of pancha bhUta mUrtis: AkAsha, amrta, jvalana, samIra and dharA nrsimha mUrtis. Based on the placement of Ayudhas, Lord appears as chakradhara, shamkhadhara, gadAdhara, padmadhara, pinAkadhara, pAshadhara, ankushadhara, khaDgadhara, shUladhara and mahAsudarshanAtmaka mUrtis. Lord appears also in the form of astra saptaka mUrtis: gaNDabheruNDa, jvAlA, prachaNDa, ugra, ghora, aTTahAsa and Avesha nrsimha mUrtis. He appears in the form of shAnta panchaka: lakShmI nrsimhA, abhaya nrsimha, kolAhala nrsimha, bhaktaprasAda nrsimha and prahlAda varada nrsimha. He appears as sumukha, dvimukha, trimukha, chaturmukha, panchamukha, aShTamukha, dvAdashamukha and sahasramukha mUrtis in aShTAra. He also appears as mahAbindu called shrIvidyA nrsimha, whose swarUpa is described in shrI mahAvaikuNTheshwara shoDaShottara sahasranAma in the kShipra sAdhana paTala of uDDAmareshwara mahA tantra: ShoDashIyuktagopAlamukhyadvayasamavitAya namaH. The significance of nrsimhAnuShTup mantra, whose praises are sung by the veda puruSha, is indicated by its very name, mantra rAja, the king of mantras. dvAtrimshat vidyA sthAnas [sadvidyA, antarAditya vidyA, AkAsha vidyA, prANa vidyA, samvarga vidyA etc.] are stationed in the 32 letters of mantrarAja and recitation of mantrarAja is thus prescribed even by the Sruti for avidyA nivrtti. The mere remembrance of shrIvidyA nrsimha and the AvaraNa devatas of nrsimha vyUha attracts the blessings of the Lord on the upAsaka. aparAdhe gurupadasmrtireva sharaNam! Remembering the extraordinary form of Sri Nrsimha, let us recite the aShTottara shatanAma of shrI rAghava simha, composed by Sadguru Sri Tyagaraja. OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jayAya namaH namaH OM jAnakI-prANanAyakaya namaH OM gaganAdhipasatkulajAya namaH OM rAjarAjeshwarAya namaH OM suguNAkarAya namaH OM surasevyAya namaH OM bhavyadAyakAya namaH OM sadA sakalajagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jayAya namaH - 10
OM jAnakI-prANanAyakAya namaH OM amaratArakanichayakumudahitAya namaH OM paripUrNAya namaH OM anaghAya namaH OM surAsurabhUjAya namaH OM dadhi payodhivAsa haraNAya namaH OM sundarataravadanAya namaH OM sudhAmayavacho bR^indAya namaH OM govindAya namaH OM sAnandAya namaH - 20
OM mAvarAya namaH OM ajarAya namaH OM ApashubhakarAya namaH OM ankekajagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jayAya namaH OM jAnakIprANanAyakAya namaH OM nigama nIrajAmR^itaja poShakAya namaH OM animiShavairivAridasamIraNAya namaH OM khagatura~NgAya namaH OM satkavihR^idAlayAya namaH - 30
OM agaNitavAnarAdhipanatAMghriyugAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jaya jAnakIprANanAyakAya namaH OM indranIlamaNisannibhapaghanAya namaH OM chandrasUryanayanAya namaH OM aprameyAya namaH OM vAgIndrajanakAya namaH OM sakaleshAya namaH OM shubhrAya namaH OM nAgendrashayanAya namaH - 40
OM shamanavairisannutAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jayAya namaH OM jAnakIprANAnAyakAya namaH OM pAdavijitamaunishApAya namaH OM savaparipAlAya namaH OM varamantragrahaNalolAya namaH OM paramashAntachittAya namaH OM janakajAdhipAya namaH OM sarojabhavavaradAya namaH - 50
OM akhilajagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jayAya namaH OM jAnakIprANanAyakAya namaH OM sR^iShTisthityantakArakAya namaH OM amita kAmita phaladAya namaH OM asamAnagAtrAya namaH OM shachIpatinutAya namaH OM abdhimadaharaNAya namaH OM anurAga rAga rAjita kathAsAra hitAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH - 60
OM jaya janakIprANanAyakAya namaH OM sajjana manasAbdhi sudhAkarAya namaH OM kusumavimAnAya namaH OM surasA-ripu karAbjalAlita charaNAya namaH OM avaguNAsuragaNamadaharaNAya namaH OM sanAtanAya namaH OM ajanutAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jaya jAnakIprANanAyakAya namaH OM OMkArapa~njarakIrAya namaH - 70
OM purahara sarojabhava keshavAdi rUpAya namaH OM vAsavaripujanakAntakAya namaH OM kalAdharAya namaH OM kalAdharAptAya namaH OM ghR^iNAkarAya namaH OM sharaNAgata jana pAlanAya namaH OM sumano ramaNAya namaH OM nirvikArAya namaH OM nigamasAratarAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH - 80
OM jaya jAnakI prANAnayakAya namaH OM karadhR^itasharajAlAya namaH OM asuramadApaharaNAya namaH OM avanIsura surAvanAya namaH OM kavIna bilajamauni kR^itacharitra sannutAya namaH OM shrItyAgarAjanutAya namaH OM purANapuruShAya namaH OM nR^ivarAtmajAya namaH OM AshritaparAdhInAya namaH OM khara-virAdha-rAvaNa virAvaNAya namaH - 90
OM anaghAya namaH OM parAsharamanoharAya namaH OM avikR^itAya namaH OM tyAgarAjasannutAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH OM jaya jAnakIprANAnAyakAya namaH OM agaNikaguNAya namaH OM kanakachelAya namaH OM sAlavidaLanAya namaH OM aruNAbhasamAnacharaNAya namaH - 100
OM apAramahimne namaH OM adbhutAya namaH OM sukavijanahR^itsadanaya namaH OM suramunigaNavihitAya namaH OM kalashanIranidhijAramaNAya namaH OM pApagajanR^isimhAya namaH OM vara tyAgarAjAdinutAya namaH OM jagadAnandakArakAya namaH – 108
shrImatkAkarlavamshAbdhi-chandrAyAmala tejase | pUrNAya puNyashIlAya tyAgarajaya ma~Ngalam || rAmabrahma-suputrAya rAmanAma-sukhAtmane | rAmachandraswarUpAya tyAgarajaya mangalam || shrI sItArAmachandra parabrahmaNe namaH |