Shodasha Ayudha Stotra

Sri D. Ramaswamy Ayyangar

This stotra further elaborates the greatness and glory of Sudarsana by singing about the weapons which Sudarsana wields. The first of them is Sudarsana itself (2) and the sixteenth is trisoolam (17). Sloka 18 invokes the protective grace of Sudarsana who is referred to as Shodasaayudha — one who has 16 weapons. One peculiarity of this stotra is that all the slokas, 1 to 17, invoke protection of Sri Sudarsana on the listener — May He protect you or confer auspiciousness on you and so on.

It is believed that this stotram (possibly Sudarsanaashtakam too) was sung by Desika at Kanchipuram when he was told that at Tirupputkuzhi (about five miles from Kanchipuram) a fever was raging in epidemic form. His prayers made in this stotra were answered and the place was freed from the epidemic and people resettled there as before. This tradition explains why these two stotras, Sudarsanashtakam and Shodasaayudha Stotram, find a place next to Paramartha Stuti, which as we saw was a hymn in praise of the Perumal of that place.