Re: SrIgOvinda

From the Bhakti List Archives

• September 22, 1997


rangaswamy_m@hotmail.com wrote:
> 
> Dear Sriman Sundararajan,
> 
> Thank you very much for a most illuminating account of
> Sri Govindaraja Perumal. Doesn't the name Govindarajan have its
> origin in the Vedas?
> 
> Adiyen, Muralidhar Rangaswamy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sri Rangaswamy,

                     'gAuh' stands for cow, and is also the homonym for
vEda, and also the earth. 'gOvinda' is one who sports with any of these
[gObhi: saha vindatE].  

The name 'gOvinda' is one of the names very dear to the Lord ['ukandu
aruLina tiru-nAmam], as conferred on him by the elders of 'gOkulam' [the
land of kine], when he sportively lifted the 'gOvardhana' mountain and
held it over the common folk as a protective umbrella against the
vicious downpour of indra.    The relevant chapter in 'harivamSam' is
known as 'gOvinda-paTTAbhishEkam'.    "kurAivonRum illAda gOvindA!" is
how ANDAL adores this name.

aDiyEn rAmAnujadAsan, T.S. Sundara Rajan, @ Memphis.