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Naama Mahima

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • July 10, 1997 


Dear Naama SahasrAbhimAnis :

Sri Sudarshan's evocative essay on the mysteries of Naamaa
reminded me of PeriyAzhwAr's exhortation to us in his 
Thirumozhi 4.6 .

This decad starts with the paasuram : " Kaasum 
kaRayudaikkooraikkum  ----- " . 
Nine out of the ten paasurams
of this decad end with the refrain , " NaaraNan tam annai 
naraham puhAL " . 

In the previous decad , AzhwAr chastised those , who 
run around with out performing kaimkaryam to the Lord.
Then he went on to cajole them to abandon their worthless
ways with his upadesam as an AchAryA out of his deep 
compassion for them . He appealed to them to recite 
the Lord's names atleast before their last moments . 

His target audience was not paying much attention
even then . AzhwAr decided to encourage them by other 
means to engage them in the recitation of the names of the Lord .

He came across another ruse to involve them in reciting 
the puNya NaamAs of the Lord.  He appealed to them 
and asked them to consider naming their sons with 
the names of the Lord . He asked them to enjoy the bliss of 
calling their sons by those delectable and sacred names assoicated
with the Lord ( same line of reasoning goes for the naming of 
girls with the thousand names of Maha Lakshmi ) . He coaxed
them to follow this practise and pointed out the benefits of observing
such a practise . He told them that the naming of the children
with the names of the Lord and calling them by those sacred 
names such as NaaryaNA , Maadhava, GovindA and Kesava 
with affection will save the mothers of the children from 
entering Narakam and pave their way to Moksham . He repeated
this thought in every paasuram of this decad except the pala sruthi
paasuram . Azhwaar out of his infinite mercy for the suffering jeevans
pointed a way to escape the snares of the samsAric Taapam and 
pointed a way out through the message enshrined in 
these paasurams .

Paasuram 1 : Kaasum karayudaikkooraikkum----- 

Oh, the mindless ones , who name your sons with lowly
and meaningless ( ungodly ) names out of your longing to 
get a few pennies or out of your hope to get a pudavai with
golden border or out of expectation to get a sheaf of 
grain ! Please name your son " Kesavan , the klesa naasan
( One who destroys the mental agitations ) ! Please experience  
the bliss of calling your son  by this delectable name of the Lord 
all your life ! The mother of the child  bearing Lord NaarAyaNA's
name ( Kesavan )  would never experience the pangs of hell 
( narakam) .

Paasuram 2 : " Angoru kooRai araikuduppathan aasayAl--"

Oh , Ladies! Please name your children with the names of 
the Lord such as Lotus eyed NedumAl ( SemkaNN NedumAl )
or Sridharan and call that son with affection by those names.
Please do not follow the path of those mindless ones , who out 
of their greed for wearing a nice looking pudavai name their sons 
with empty names associated with lowly men , who are 
of low spiritual attainments and thus are degenerate .
If you name your son with names of NaarAyaNan such as
Sridharan or Ambuja Lochanan and accumulate your puNyam
by calling them by these names of the Lord with affection ,
you as the mother of this son bearing the Lord's name will never 
be exposed to the sufferings of Narakam .

Paasuram 3 : Ucchiyil yeNNaium suttiyum vaLayum ---"

Oh , Ladies , who beget children out of your desire to 
acquire the oil for rubbing your children's head , for decorating 
the forehead of your child with a pendant or to decorate their arms 
with pretty bangles ! Please name your child with the Lord's 
names and  call them by those sweet names , even if you
have to support them through  the livelihood of begging in htis broad 
land . You as the mother of the child bearing the Lord's 
name will never enter hell and suffer its terrors .

Paasuram 4 : " Maanida saathiyil thOnRiRRu ---"

If you name the human being born in the species of 
men with the names of those under the yoke of karmA 
out of your desire to get worldly goods during this life , 
there is no reward waiting for you in the other world . Oh, Mothers !  
on the other hand , if you name your sons with the names 
such as MaadhavA and GovindhA , the names of NaarAyaNA
having GarudA as His vaahanam , you as mothers of the 
sons with my Lord's name will never be scorched by the 
flames of hell .

Paasuram 5 : 

malamudai ootthayil thOnRiRRu ohr mala ootthayai 
malamudai ootthayin pErittAl marumaikkillai 
Kulamudai GovindhA ! GovindhA ! yenru azhaitthakkAl
nalamudai NaaraNan tammannai narham puhAL 

Oh, Mothers ! If you name the lowly assemblage of flesh, 
blood , fat , bile and other body fluids born out of a similar body 
with the name of another unclean , lowly being , there is no
saving grace for the other world ! If on the otherhand , you 
name your children with the name of the Lord born 
in the kulam of the shepherd folks and call them repeatedly ,
GovindhA , GovindhA , our Lord , who has the natural inclination
to rush to the side of those , who address Him by His name 
will make sure that you never will go near the gates of narakam 
and suffer there . 

Paasuram 6 : " Naadum Naharamum aRiya naatu----"

Oh , those , who name your children with the names of 
lowly men for the sake of instant recognition by the rural and 
city folks that your sons also have the name of these famous men!
Through this act , you lower yourselves  at their feet and
show your reverence for them and thereby fall into 
the same pit of their ungodly lives ! 
Oh , unwise people following this practise  ! 
Please name your sons with the name of the Lord , 
who kicked SakatAsuran with His tender feet and 
destroyed him , while He was a toddler resting in His cradle ! 
Please call your sons with the names
such as DaamOdharan and other names of NaarAyaNan . 
The mothers of children with NaarAyaNA's name will never
descend into hell and undergo the tortures of Narakam . 

Paasuram 7 : " MaNNiR piRandhu maNNAhum ---"

Oh, Unworried ignorant  ones , who name your sons ( and
daughters ) with the names of the perishable humans born
of earth and becoming earth at the end ! Please name your 
sons with the names of the Lord with the complexion of the 
dark cloud of the rainy season and call them by those sacred 
names with feeling ! If you do so , the mother of your sons will
never have to worry about the sufferings in hell .

Paasuram 8 : 

Nambi pimbi yenru naattu maanida pErittAl 
mambum pimpum yellAm naalu nALil azhungippOm 
semperumtAmaraikkaNNan pErittu azhaitthakkAl
NambihAL ! NaaraNantammannai naraham puhAL 

When deluded people name their sons with the name of 
the local leaders and chieftains of villages in the hope of 
securing some comforts in this world and call those sons 
 "this nambi" and " that pimbi " , should know that 
the perishable glory of these people whose names 
were given to the sons will disappear in a few days . 
There is no lasting benefit in naming the sons with 
the names of these people with alpAyus and alpa keerthi .
If on the other hand , those who give the name of the Lord 
with beautiful, red  lotus-like  eyes to their sons have no 
worry about the mothers of such  sons suffering in hell .

Paasuram 9 : 

ootthaikkuzhiyil amudham paayvathu pOl , unghaL
mootthirappiLLayai yen muhil vaNNan pErittu
kOtthukkuzhaitthu guNAlamAditthiriminO
naatthahu NaaraNan tammannai naraham puhAL 

Just as the divine nectar fit for consumption by
the pure-minded  falls into a dirty pit and sanctifies that 
dirty and loathsome pit , the naming of the sons with the Lord's
names purifies them of their sukla sONitha PariNAmam
associated with the birth in human wombs . When the sons
named with the Lord's names are treasured and played 
with by calling their names , the mothers of such sanctified
children will jump over the hazards of entering hell . 

Paasuram 10 : Palasruthi Paasuram 

seeraNi mAl thirunamamE idatthERRiya 
veeraNi tol pugazh vittuchittan virittha 
OraNi oN Tamizh onpathOdu onrum vallavar
pEraNi vaikunthatthu yenrum pENi irupparE 

These ten verses composed by VishNucchitthA ,
who wears as jewelery  , his valor associated with 
the conquest of his IndriyAs list and describe  
the lasting benefits arising from the naming of one's  
children with the thousand names of the Lord , 
who is devoted to His devotees and has for 
His  jewelery , His own anantha kalyANa guNAs .

That VishNucchitthA known for his everlasting glory 
for invoking pallANdu to the Lord composed these ten 
Tamizh paasurams with clear meanings to serve as 
the matchless jewelery for those , who wish to learn 
and benefit from their mesages .Such people , who
recite these paasurams and reflect on their meaning and 
implement their messages in their lives would have 
the blessings of being permanent  residents of 
Sri Vaikuntam and offering  nithya Kaimkaryam to 
the Lord .

Sri PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam 
Oppiliappan Kovil VaradAchAri Sadagopan