A Note on Namavali

For Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, the Rishi or the mantra-finder is Veda Vyasa. This stotra is in the Anushtup metre. The deity intended is Bhagavan Devakisuda: i.e., Sri Krishna. Of course from the words of Bhishma we come to know these Divine Names were prevalent even before it was narrated to Yudhishtira. 

What is anushtup metre? There are several metres like gayatri, jagati, anushtup etc. Of these anushtup contains two lines. Each line can be divided into two divisions. Each division is called a quarter or a pada. So in any anushtup metre there will be four padas. Two padas in a line. Each pada will be measured by counting eight vowels. Eight vowels, either directly vowels or vowels mixed with a consonant will be counted. Eight vowels constitute a pada. Like that the whole anushtup contains 32 vowels. This is not so important for Sri Vishnu Sahasranama but it is a piece of information which says how in the old days verses were counted. 

Who was Veda Vyasa? Of course it was he who collected and classified the Vedas, wrote the eighteen puranas, wrote the whole Mahabharata, which contains two important canons of Vedanta. viz., Sri Bhagavad Gita and Sri Vishnu Sahasranama. In addition to all these Veda Vyasa wrote Brahma Sutras, or the Vedanta darsana proper in aphoristic style. And He is the great grandson of Vasishta and the grandson of Sakthi. Veda Vyasa's father was Rishi Parasara. And not only that, Veda Vyasa is the father of Suka. Veda Vyasa was in a way an incarnation of Vishnu. 

What we see in a sloka is a couplet containing various Namas stringed together as a beautiful anushtup verse, very sweet to recite. Like that there are about 100 slokas and more. When we list it down to individual Namas it comes to 1000. Each Nama in a namavali form will begin with Pranava Om. Then the Nama. Then ends with nama:. Why the Nama should begin with Om and end in nama:? 

Om is the direct name of Paramatma, as the Upanishads say. So we are invoking the form of Paaramatma by that particular Nama and say nama:. Ma: means mine. Nama: means not mine. I and my things all belong to Paramatma in the form of the Nama I invoke. This is the meaning when you chant each Nama in the Namavali form. Symbolic of offering you and your belongingness in the holy feet of Bhagavan, you are putting flowers in His lotus feet. The flower represents your heartfulness. 

This is just a note on namavali. This may be of some interest to some of you. 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

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