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[sv-poetry] Sri VenkatEsa AshtOtthara Satha NaamAvaLI: Part 12: NaamAs from 11 to 20.

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • June 20, 2002 


ChithrabhAnu Samvathsaram, UttharAyaNam ,GrIshma Ruthu , 
Aani 6 ,(Mithuna Maasam ) , Sukla Paksha Dasami , ChithrA
Nakshathram , Sri Sudarsana BhagavAn's Thirunakshathram .

SrI:

NamO VenkatEsAya 

Dear BhakthAs of the Lord of Saptha Giri :

Let us reflect today on the Eleventh
naamA of SrI VenkatEsa AshtOttharam :

11.(PraNavam) KesavAya Nama:
   *************************
12.(PraNavam) Devaaya Nama:
13.(PraNavam) MadhusoodhanAya Nama:
14.(PraNavam) AmruthAya Nama:
15.(Pranavam) MaadhavAya Nama:
16.(PraNavam) KrishNAya Nama:
17.(PraNavam) SrIharayE Nama:
18.(PraNavam) Jn~Ana PanjarAya Nama:
19.(PraNavam) SrIvathsa VakshasE Nama:
20.(PraNavam) SarvEsAya Nama:

The 11th Naamam: (PraNavam) KesavAya Nama:
*******************************************

Meaning of KesavaNaamam:
*************************
KESAVA MEANS (1) THE DISPELLER OF DISTRESS IN THE WORLD 
AND (2) THE ONE WHO HAS SOFT, CURLY , SHINING BLUE LOCKS OF
HAIR (3) ONE WHO DESTROYED THE ASURAN BY THE NAME KESI.

Additional Comments:
*********************  
1) "Naarasimha Vapu: SrImAn KESAVA: PurushOtthama:"
thunders SrI VishNu Sahasra Naamam. It is the 23rd 
SrI VishNu Sahasra Naamam."Kesava" naamam is made up 
of "Kesa" with a suffix "Va" added to it for grammatical 
correctness according to Swamy ParAsara Bhattar.
Our Lord's hair(Kesa:) is known for its natural curliness ,
softness and exquisite bluish-black color. Niruktham defines 
the Kesava Naamam this way:

" Prasastha neela-kEsathvAth Kesava: Parikeerthitha:
( because of His celebrated blue locks of hair ,He
is well known as Kesavan). 

2) " ThrilOkAthmA ThrilOkEsa: KESAVA: KesihA Hari"
is another SrI VishNu Sahasra Naamam passage ,where 
Kesava Naamam appears again as the 654th Naamam.

Niruktham defines the Kesava Naamam this time with
reference to BrahmA and Sivan arising out of Sriman
NaarAyaNan's body :

"BrahmEsayO: svAngajathvAth Kesava: Parikeerthitha:"

A well known Hari Vamsa SlOkam is quoted by Swamy ParAsara
Bhattar in this context:

Ka ithi BrahmaNO nAma IsOham Sarva dEhinAm
aavAm TavAngE sambhoothou tasmAth Kesava nAmavAn

( Lord Siva describes to Sriman NaarAyaNaa the origin 
of the Kesava Naamam this way: " Ka is BrahmA's  name; 
I am Isa , who rules over all the embodied beings 
with the command of You , the sarvalOka SaraNyan.Both of  
us (BrahmA and I) have been born out of Thy body and
therfore Thou art known by the name of Kesavan").
The combination of Ka+Isa gives the name , "Kesava". 

3) Kesavaaya Nama: is the first of the 12 NaamAs 
that a SrI VaishNavan utters , when adorning the 12 
PuNDrams as VaishNava LakshaNam every day to remind 
him of the Lord's sacred feet . The PunDra SthAnam for 
Kesavan is the Forehead . His color is golden and 
He presides over the Eastern direction.His weapon is
Sudarsanam /Chakram:

"Chathuscchakram namasyAmi Kesavam Kanaka-prabham"
is the salutation as we wear the ThirumaNN on our
foreheads. Kesava Moorthy adorns four chakrAyudham 
in His Four hands.

4) After Aachmanam , we touch twelve parts of our body
with five right hand fingers . The first of them (anga
nyAsam) is the touching of the right cheek (Kannam) 
with the right thumb and the salutation at that time 
is " (PraNavam) KesavAya Nama:" . Kesava Naamam takes 
precedence among the 12 salutations to the Lord.

5) In the KesavAdhi TarpaNam during the SandhyA worship,
the first salutation is " (PraNavam) Kesavam TarpayAmi".

6) The importance of Kesava Naamam among the Twelve names of
the Lord is pointed out by Swamy NammAzhwAr in ThiruvAimozhi's
Panniru Naamap Paattu :

KESAVAN tamar keezh mEl yemarEzhuezhu piRappum
maasatirithu peRRu nammudai vaazhvu vaaykkinRavA
Isanen karu-mANikkam yenn sEnkOlakkaNNan viNNOr
Naayakan YempirAnammAn NaarAyaNanAlE 

--ThiruvAimozhi: 2.7.1

(Meaning according to Dr.V.N.VedAntha Desikan Swamy):
" My Lord , Cool like the blue gemstone , beautiful
doyen of Nitya-Sooris , the Lord with red (lotus) eyes ,
NaarAyaNa , has made all , in my line, KesavA's servants. 
What a fine achievement for me , that I had never dreamt of,
that seven generations previous, seven including me and
seven succeeding , have all been transformed into true
VishNavAs.( The twelve names from Kesava to DaamOdhara 
are the names of the Urdhva PuNDrAs to be adorned by every 
SrI VaishNava . They are the insignia of a true VaishNava.
Thus the designation of the Lord's men/BhAgavathAs
( Kesavan Tamar)is inseparably associated with this simple 
practise of adorning the upper torso with 12 nAmams , each
corrsponding to one name of the Lord)".
  
7) In the 7th ThiruppAvai Paasuram , Andal chides one of 
her beautiful friends , who is a leader of Her ghOshti
(Naayaka PeNN PILLai) for not getting out of bed to
open the front door although she is wide awake:

"Naayaka PeNN PiLLAi NaarAyaNan Moorthy
 KESAVANAIP-Paadavum nee kEttO kidatthiyO
 tEsamudayAi ! thiRavElOrempAvAi"

8) In Her NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi paasuram (NTM),
Andal prays to Manmathan to assign Her to
the Lord of ThiruvEnkatam :

"(Ananga dEvA!) VeyyathOr Tazhal umizh Chakkarakkai
  VenkatavaRkkennai vidhikkiRRiyE "--NTM: 1.1

( Oh ManmathA ! Please assign me to SrI VenkatanATan 
of Thirumalai adorning the fire-spitting Sudarsanam
on His upper right hand ).
 
" Vitthakan VenkatavANan yennum
  ViLakkinil puhavennai vidhikkiRRiyE" --NTM :1.2

(Oh ManmathA! Please bless me to enter into the Lamp
 of the MaayAvi, VenkatEsan of the Seven Hills ) 

" Kesava Nambiyai kaal pidippAL yennum
  ippErenakku aruL kaNDAi--NTM: 1.8

( Oh ManmathA! Please bless me with the boon of
  pressing the sacred feet of Kesava Moorthy 
  standing on top of the Seven Hills !)

Thus in this First decad of NTM , Our Andal reveals
the identity of VenkatanAthan, the Lord of Saptha Giri
as the One with the dark blue tresses , who removes
the distress (SamsAric afflictions) of all and who killed
the asuran named Kesi during KrishNAvathAram and
thus became known as Kesava Moorthy.  

(PraNavam) KesavAya Nama:

SrI Venkata KesavAya  Nama:
Srimad Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan  


    

        



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