Lyrics & Meaning of Nee Namame (rAga: madhyamAvati)

[HariKrishna]

This is sung by Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi and recorded on her Sri Annamacharya Samkirtanas CD. Any help would be most appreciated.

[Lakshman]

nI nAmamE. rAgA: madhyamAvati. k/cApu tALA.

P: nI nAmamE mAku nidhiyu nidhAnamu nI nAmamE Atma nidhAnamu janamu
C1: namO namO kEshava namO nArAyaNA namO namO mAdhava namO gOvindA
namO namO viSNu namO madhusUdana namO trivikrama namO vAmana
2: namO namO shrIdhara namO hrSIkEsha namO padmanAbha namO dAmOdara
namO sankarSaNa namO vAsudEva namO pradyumna tE namO aniruddha
3: namO puruSOttama namO-yadhOkSaja namO nArasimha namOstu acyuta
namO janArdana namOstu upEndra namO shrI venkaTEsha namO shrI krSNa

[rshankar]

This is just a sort of nAmAvali - In the pallavi, Sri Annamacharya states why the name is important, and then, for the rest of the composition he calls out the various names of viSNu
pallavi
Your (nI) name by itself (nAmamE) is both our treasure (nidhiyu) and repository (nidhAnamu); it is also the treasure for our souls (Atma)....
My salutations (namO) to kESava, to nArAyaNa, to mAdhava etc...

It is interesting to note that the nAmavali until hRshIkESa are the ones used after Acamana....where starting with the sides of the nostrils and ending with the top of ones head these names are uttered while touching these parts with different fingers.

[HariKrishna]

Thank you!

regards,

Krishna

[ksrimech]

It is interesting to note that the nAmavali until hRshIkESa are the ones used after Acamana....

You mean until dAmOdhara.

annamayyA is quoting all the names of SrImannArAyaNan in the vyUha rUpam in the first 2 charaNams. These are the four mUrtis specified in the SrI viSNu sahasranAma SlOka: "chaturmUrtish chaturbhAhur chaturvyUhash chaturgatihi.....". According to pAncharAtra Agama, at the time of creation, SrImannArAyaNan (paravAsudEvan) expands himself 4 svarUpams: vAsudEva, sankarSaNa, aniruddha, pradyumna. Each of these 4 deities are glorified with 3 names which we use in angasparSam after Achamanam. Also, these four forms are the root for all the avatarams, viz ANDAL's tiruppAvai #6 "veLLattaravil tuyil amarda vittu". (The seed which lay down on the white serpent.) These are names of the SrImannArAyanan in the reclining posture at tiruppArkaDal. This is where the dEvas, headed by chaturmukha brahmA, go and cry when the daityas give them trouble! tiruppArkaDal should not be confused with paramapadam/SrIvaikuNTam.

The respective name classifications are as follows:
vAsudEva - kESava, nArAyaNa, mAdhavA,
sankarSaNa - gOvinda, viSNu, madhusUdhana
aniruddha - trivikrama, vAmana, SrIdhara
pradyumna - hRSikEsa, padhmanAbha, dAmOdhara.

The last charaNam quotes names which describe two qualities of each vAsudEva, sankarSaNa, aniruddha and pradhyumna, not in any specific order. To quote parASarabhaTTar SrIrangarAjastavam SlOkam #39, describing the vyUham rUpam of SrIranganAthan:

shADguNyAt vAsudeva: para iti sa bhavAn mukta bhogyA: bala ADhyAt
bodhAt sankarshaNa: tvam harasi vitanushe SAstram aiSvarya vIryAt |
pradyumna: sarga dharmau nayasi ca bhagavan Saktiteja: aniruddha:
bibhrANa: pAsi tatvam gamayasi ca tathA vyUhya rangadhirAja ||

I'm not going into details here. But you will be able to connect the guNas to the nAmas by reading SrI V SaDagOpan's commentary @ http://www.srihayagrivan.org/ebooks/069_srrs_ubv1.pdf. For further reference, read SrImad bhAgavatha purANam or SrI viSNu purANam or SrI pAdma purANam.

[rshankar]

Krishna - thanks - the detailed explanation makes perfect sense...and yes, I mean until dAmOdara (dAma+udara - one whose abdomen/udara is marked by the rope/dAma that yaSOdA used to tie him up).....

[Pratyaksham Bala]

ANDAL's tiruppAvai #6 "veLLattaravil tuyil amarda vittu". (The seed which lay down on the white serpent.)

"veLLattaravil" could mean veLLattu+aravil = on the serpent in the water.

[ksrimech]

"veLLattaravil" could mean veLLattu+aravil = on the serpent in the water.

Yes that meaning is also giving in thiruppavai svApadESArtham (inner meaning). But it is not only to indicate AdiSESan but also indicate that the jIvAtmA happily sleeps in the worldly sea of desires (veLLam - water indicating sea, aravu - snake indicating desire) without realizing who He is!