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Raghavaashtakam

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jasn sn • October 3, 2002 


SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAHA.

Pranams.

Some time ago I wrote a mail to the list asking for
the name of the composer of Ragahvaashtakam.
I have found it now.
Sri Adhi Shankara has written this beautiful
sthothram.The kind of experience one gets in reciting
/ singing this is something on par with the experience
one gets in Govindhashtakam. 
But I have a question to ask. 
 There are 8 stanzas and 1 phala sruthi.
It is customary to begin with sudharshna sthuthi
'kanaka rajatha chakram'
and end with 
'nigama sarasi rathnam..'
There is one stanza of 'namosthuthE' reciting
different names of Sri Rama, which is repeated at the
end of each stanza. 
As I have learnt it orally from my parents and had not
seen it in any sthothra book until a week ago, I was
in the opinion that these were later additions. With
these the number of stanzas are 12 in Raghavaashtakam
But in the 2 editions (Sthothra maala on vishnu from
LIFCO and a 1962 edition of sundara khandam )in which
I  spotted this sthothra, the 3 additional stanzas are
given as part of Raghavaashtakam.
My question is
 'Have these been written by Sri shankara?'

If the bhagavathas go through particularly the
bweginning stanza, they may be able to tell.
It runs thus:
'kanaka rajatha chakram
  bhasuraa ramya chakram
 giri vara guru chkram
  kEshava swami chkram.
 Asura nidhana chakram
  kaala dandaagni chakram
 bhavathu bhavathu chakram
  bandhavO vishnu chakram

Who has authored the above one which is recited as
part of the Sudharshana moola manthra - Sri shankara
or some one else?

Let me give the 12 th stanza too. 
' Nigama sarasi rathnam
   nithyama saktha rathnam
  nikila sukruthi rathnam
   janaki roopa rathnam.
  Bhuvana valaya rathnam
   bhoobhrutha mEgha rathnam
  prakruthi sulabha rathnam
   mythili praaNa rathnam.'
Has this been written by Shankara or not?

I request our devotees to part with the information
they have.

jayasree sarnathan.

PS:-
As far as I know no singer of repute has rendered this
in audio.We follow a certain tune to sing this. I have
framed the notation for this for violin. Interested
persons may write to me for the sthothram and the
notation as well.

[ Please limit discussion of non-Sri Vaishnava works and
  scriptures in this group so we may appropriately place
  focus on the texts that are most relevant to us. Please
  feel free to reply to Smt. Jayasree, but conduct extended
  discussion of these topics to the sv-poetry and sv-general
  groups. Thanks -- Moderator ]


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