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Re[2]: The Name Vemkateshwara

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srini • August 24, 1998 


> --------------- MESSAGE bhakti.v003.n061.3 ---------------
> From: TV.Venkat@frco.com
> Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1998 13:35:43 -0500
>      I request great scholars in our list to enlighten me on one aspect in
>      our pAsurams. If our AzhwArs always used only the tamizh
>      representations of the Sanskrit names as I have written below, how
>      would they want to use the entire sanskrit word "VEm" and "katam" as
>      in the pAsuram "vEm katangaL meimmEl..."

>      Or is it the name Venkatan or VEmkatan for that sake has a different
>      meaning. I now strongly feel I was wrong in my reply. I place me
>      sincere apologies before all the bhaktas for this and request you to
>      enlighten me on this.
> 
>      Thirumalai Vinjamoor Venkatesh

I think the Tamil usage (in paasurams) is also consistantly
vEngada and not (short) venkata. I think the short e usage is
during English popularity in Tamil areas. It is not Tamil.
In fact, today in Tamil Nadu, it is venkatraman, not even venkataraman.
Only a few ardent people have names like thiruvEngadam.

The origin I have heard are many, including a simple one.
(I like simple down to earth derivations. I believe
that is how very very old names of places start to be known
by the "primitive local" people. Later sophisticated great
scholars who do not care much for the uneducated locals and their words
produce all kinds of sophisticated complicated derivations.).

vEngai-in idam  = vEngadam = Tiger's place

(vEngai is Tiger, idam is place).

There is a similar derivation for bengaLooru, ooty etc.(but popularly
rejected today by the experts.).

adiyEn

Srinivasan K.