SRI NARAYANEEYAM

SRI NARAYANEEYAM (condensed Bhagavata) is a work by Narayana Bhattathiri of Kerala in 1 306 Sanskrit slokas divided into 100 Dasakams in the forms of a ?stotra? addressed to the Lord of Guruvayur.

My work on SRI NARAYANEEYAM in Telugu is named "SRI BHAGAVATHA NARAYANEEYAMU"

This work gives the transliteration of the Sanskrit slokas in Telugu script, ?pada vibhagamu?, and verbalism meaning in prose order and ?tatparyamu? (summary). Like the Narayaneeyam which addressed the Lord, my work invokes HIM by one of His "THOUSAND NAMES" (Vishnu Sahasra Namavali) for each sloka and is accompanied by and elaboration of their significance.

The latter half of the 16th century, which saw the life of Bhattathiri, had and equally eminent predecessor in the late 15th century ? the great poet-devotee BHAMMERA POTHANA in Andhra. He composed in 9 000 Telugu poems "SRIMAD ANDHRA BHAGAVATHAMU". His "NARAYANA SATAKAMU" is an encomium of the Lord Narayana in 105 lyrics.

I have crowned each of the hundred Dasakams of SRI NARAYANEEYAM with one or more poems of "NARAYANA SATAKAMU" and defined the parallels between "SRI ANDHRA BHAGAVATHAMU" and each of the 1 036 slokas of SRI NARAYANEEYAM. Apart from this, important quotations from various sources have been added at appropriate places to enable immediate reference.

Thus, "SRI BHAGAVATA NARAYANEEYAMU" affords a comparative study. The remarkable parallels between the two great works has made me venture into suggesting that Bhattathiri was but the reincarnation of Bammera Pothana ? a gift to the world, for the continued propagation of the message of Bhakti.

The majority in Andhra Pradesh knows little about Bhattathiri and his great Sanskrit work. The present work will be well received in Andhra, for I have introduced Bhattathiri through Pothana.

To my best knowledge there is no similar exhaustive work on SRI NARAYANEEYAM in Telugu. There is one book of Sri Kalluri Venkata Subrahmanya Deekshitulu (published by B.V.S.S.Mani, 95, Broadway, Madras, in 1977), who has translated into Telugu Poetry each Sanskrit sloka and highlighted briefly the gist in prose.

The manuscript of SRI BHAGAVATA NARAYANEEYAMU comes to 2 500 pages in A4 sheet.

EXCERPTS

1. The INTRODUCTION (in full) :

a. The need for such religious literary works in the present degrading, debasing condition of the world, country, society and Man;

b. My own disqualification as a writer (with the backdrop of authoring no literary work of any nature to my credit)

c. The greatness of Bammera Potana and his "SRI ANDHRA BHAGAVATHAMU" ? his place in Telugu Literature ? My perception on the possibility of his reincarnation as Bhattathiri to compose "SRI NARAYANAEEYAM" in Sanskrit, fulfilling his aspiration "to enthrall those, too, to whom Sanskrit is dear""

d. While Vyasa Maharshri wrote Srimad Bhagavatham in 18 000 slokas, Potana expressed in vernacular the same in 9 000 poems, Bhattathiri presented to the world in 1 036 crisp Sanskrit slokas the Divine Life of the Lord.

e. Bhattathiri?s birth, genealogy, scholastic achievements in Sanskrit ? his other works ? the trials that led him to compose SRI NARAYANEEYAM.

f. The greatness of SRI NARAYANEEYAM itself.

g. SRI GURUVAYURAPPAN ? His uniqueness ? the chronicle of Lord Krishna ? the origin of the ?Moola Vigraham" of SRI NARAYANA present at Guruvayur.

h. Anecdotes from the life of Narayana Bhattathiri ? a few instances of the healing powers of VATHA PURADHI NADHA.

i. Bibliography

2. Eleven out of the 100 Dasakams of "SRI BHAGAVATA NARAYANEEYAMU" (every tenth beginning with the First Dasakam)

Name:

Chandrasekarapuram Ananthanarayana Ramakrishnan

Father:C.R.Ananthanarayana Iyer

Mother: C.R.Parvathi Ammal,

Maatthur, Kerala

BIRTH:

Date: 9th November, 1931

Place: Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh

MOTHER TONGUE:

Tamil

Other Languages: Telugu, English, Hindi

Familiar Languages: Malayalam, Urdu, Kannada

QUALIFICATION:

B.Com. (Osmania University)

SERVICE:

Served the Government of Andhra Pradesh in the Secretariat From 1956

Voluntarily retired On 30 June, 1984 to complete Sri Bhagavata Narayaneeyamu

AVOCATIONS:

Study of spiritual literature in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu

Enjoying devotional, Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. Comparative study and correlating their Application in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil movie songs of yesteryears. Collected a considerable number of LP records and tapes.

Collection of Indian mint stamps

RESIDENCE

C.A.Ramakrishnan

298/2RT, Vijayanagar Colony,

Hyderabad-500057,

Andhra Pradesh, India

Phone: 3343907

Enquiry from Propsective publishers for this manuscript is solicited at e-mail:

[email protected]