Hymns in praise of Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara
Introduction, motivation, and index of verses
Veṅkaṭanāthaṃ devaṃ Vedânta-vihāriṇaṃ guruṃ ca bhaje | Śeṣa-giri-dhuryam ādyaṃ yaṃ vidur anyaṃ tv aśeṣa-giri dhuryam || (Ācārya-Pañcāśat 1)
I worship Veṅkaṭa-nātha the god pervading the Vedânta, the teacher master of the Vedânta. The wise recognize the first as standing on top of Śeṣa-mountain and the other as foremost in innumerable languages.
Motivation for this series
Some time in the 14th century CE, the Sanskrit author Vidyānātha wrote a text on literary theory called the Prātaparudra-yaśo-bhūṣaṇa (“Ornament to the Fame of King Pratāparudra”), also known as the Pratāparudrīya for short, in praise of Pratāparudra II, the last king of the Kākatīya Empire centered around Warangal. In this, Vidyānātha elegantly describes two different kinds of aesthetic experience (rasâ-’’svāda-prabheda) when reading literature, which he calls pāka (“ripening”):
artha-gambhīrimā pākaḥ, sa dvidhā hṛdayaṃ-gamaḥ | drākṣā-pāko (1) nārikela-pākaś ca (2) prasphuṭâ-’ntarau || drākṣā-pākaḥ sa kathito bahir-antaḥ-sphurad-rasaḥ | sa nārikela-pākaḥ syād antar-gūḍha-rasô-’dayaḥ || (PraYaBhū II.35–36)
Pāka (“ripening of aesthetic experience”) is profundity of meaning. It is charming in its two particularly distinct varieties: (1) grape-like ripening, and (2) coconut-like ripening.
Grape-like ripening is that which is bursting with aesthetic experience inside and outside. Coconut-like ripening is that experience in which the dawn of aesthetic pleasure is hidden deep inside.
This distinction between grape and coconut came to mind as I was writing my most recent post on the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā: nearly 4,000 words on a single verse (I.14).
It’s abundantly clear that this is a case of coconut-like ripening: where I have to put in a great deal of effort to “crack” each verse and share it with you, Gentle Reader, and where you have to put in a great deal of effort to crunch and munch my writing to extract the nectar of the Gītā from it. Now, this is not a bad thing in and of itself. But it is certainly a demanding ask to make, even on a semi-regular basis. I don’t want to just keep chucking coconuts at people; I want to entice you with regular servings of luscious grapes too!
And what could be more luscious than the extremely popular hymns to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara of Tirupati, sung most mellifluously by MS Subbulakshmi? Each verse is a delight to listen to, to recite, and to contemplate. I therefore intend in this new Śobhakṛt year, with the anugraha of Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara and His eternal inseparable consort Padmāvatī Devī, to post a verse from these hymns on Saturdays, with a recording of the verse, my translation, and my brief commentary.
Introduction to the hymns
The four hymns to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara with which we will start, and which will keep us busy for at least a year or so, were composed by Śrī Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaram Aṇṇan Swāmī (more on him below). These are, in their usual order of recitation:
the Veṅkaṭeśa-suprabhātam (29 verses): a “good morning” hymn recited at the crack of dawn to wake up the Lord in His sanctum sanctorum, and to open the doors of the shrines to the waiting throngs.
the Veṅkaṭeśa-stotram (11 verses): a short praise-poem that exalts the Lord and seeks His forgiveness for our inadequacies.
the Veṅkaṭeśa-prapatti (16 verses): a hymn of taking refuge in the Lord’s lotus-feet—the primary religious act of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition.
the Veṅkaṭeśa-maṅgalāśāsanam (14 verses): a hymn praying for the welfare of the Lord Himself—a lovely paradox!
These hymns have been sung every morning in the temple of Tirupati for hundreds of years now, and continue to be sung by devotees to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara in their homes and in other temples all around the world day after day. Their familiarity is a source of comfort and of delight, though their depth of meaning may come as a surprise to many. Furthermore, the profound references in these hymns to ideas from the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition (sampradāya) may not be obvious to most people who have not studied the tradition in depth. I hope to bring out the lyric beauty of the hymns in my translation, and to capture some of their profundity of meaning in my commentary. Where appropriate, I will also bring in other verses and texts from the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition and beyond to illuminate references and to highlight contrasts.
Introduction to the author
Vedânta-Deśika-katākṣa-vivṛddha-bodham Kāntôpayantṛ-yaminaḥ karuṇaî-’ka-pātram | Vatsâ-’’nvavāyam anavadya-guṇair upetaṃ bhaktyā bhajāmi Para-vādi-bhayaṅkarâ-’’ryam ||
By the blessing-bestowing glance of Vedânta Deśika was his knowledge blossomed, Recipient of the purest compassion of Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ, Born in the Śrīvatsa gotra lineage, Blessed with flawless virtues: Such is Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaraṃ Aṇṇan, terror to his debate opponents, to whom I perform my obeisances with devotion!
These four extraordinary hymns were composed by an extraordinary individual from the 14th century, Śrī Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaram Aṇṇan. The name by which he is known is in fact a title that was bestowed upon him after he utterly crushed a hapless opponent in a debate in order to establish the primacy of the Śrīvaiṣṇava position on Vedântic issues, known as Viśiṣṭâdvaita. His birth-name was Hastigiri-nāthan, in recognition of his birth in Kānchīpuram, near the shrine of Lord Varadarāja on Hastigiri (“Elephant Hill”).
A detailed and reverential account of Śrī Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaram Aṇṇan’s life and works can be found online, but for our purposes, a couple of points suffice:
He is well known for his deep reverence towards both Swāmī Vedânta Deśika and Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ, as seen in his various compositions in praise of both of these giants of the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition.
This is particularly salient to Śrīvaiṣṇavas today, because from about the 17th century onwards, the Śrīvaiṣṇava community has been bifurcated into the Vaḍagalai and Teṅgalai subcommunities. Adherents of the former community begin their daily prayers with a verse (sampradāya-taniyan) dedicated to Swāmī Vedânta Deśika (beginning with the words Rāmânuja-dayā-pātram), whereas adherents of the latter dedicate their verse to Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ (beginning with the words Śrī-Śailêśa-dayā-pātram).
However, Śrī Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaram Aṇṇan’s example shows that it is possible—even essential—to revere both of these ācāryas. Furthermore, it also illustrates that the fissure in the Śrīvaiṣṇava community was not, in fact, active during the lifetimes of either of these ācāryas.
He spent a number of years living in Tirupati, performing ritual and devotional service (kaiṅkarya) to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara. Although he didn’t compose the hymns at this period in his life (they were clearly composed later, after he became a disciple of Maṇavāḷa Māmunigaḷ), we can see his acute powers of observation and his intimate familiarity with the various rituals and festivals associated with Tirupati in his hymns.
His honorific “Prativādi-Bhayaṅkaram” has been adopted by his descendants, among whom can be counted some of the most esteemed scholars of the Śrīvaiṣṇava sampradāya such as Śrī P.B. U.Ve. Aṇṇaṅgarācāryar of the 20th century.
Index of verses by hymn
As I post each verse, I will update this list below to link to each post.