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Why we praise any Deity with 108 namas in Astothram ?
Every morning at Thirumala, Lord Venkatesan is worshipped with 108 Naamas from Varaha Puranam. The hills resound with Govinda Namam .
One wonders why 108 Namas instead of some other number like 10 or 28 or100 are used in daily archanaa.
Insights from Maha Bhaaratham:
“The seeker prays for peace of mind through out the year of 12 months from the disturbances created by the three qualities (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas and the three (Samsaaric) afflictions (i. physical, ii. accidental & naturalcatastrophes and iii. spiritual causes/Aadhidhaivikam)”. 3X3X12 adds up to 108 accounting for year round kavacham / protection / rakshanam from all these obstacles.
from Kathopanishad (2-iii -16):
"100+1+7 = 108; Every human being has hundred and one (101) multi-colored nadis in the heart. One among them is a singular central nadi (Sushumna) is for meditation and for the realization of the Supreme Truth. It is also required for the passage of individual's final emancipation ascending through the seven steps (Vyahruthis) of Yogic realization. The passage through other hundred nadis will lead the individual into other worlds and other janmas"
i) Who gave these naamas?
Maharishis gave these namas and mainly by Vedav Vyasa. These are from Mahabharata, Ramayana and from major and minor puranas. This Archana worship is from Agama Sastras.
Vishnu Sahasranama, Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Chapter 149, Verse 13.
Bhisma said,
'yaani namani gaunani vikhyatani mahatmanah
rsibhih parigitani tani vaksyami bhutaye'
'All those names are derived from His attributes, secret and well-known, of the high-souled Vasudeva which were sung by Rishis. I shall recite for the good of all'
(ii) Why we have to recite them?
The Vedic concept of God is omniscient, omnipotent, a formless absolute entity manifesting itself in phenomenal world of names and forms. The Agama which is a part of Tantra regards God as a personal deity with recognizable forms and attributes.
Why praise God by reciting 108 of Namas?
The Agama shastras are based in the belief that the divinity can be approached in two ways. It can be viewed as nishkala, formless – absolute; or as sakala having specific aspects.
The Vedanta ideals of the absolute, attribute- less and limit-less universal consciousness evolved as refinements of those Vedic concepts. In practice common people worshipped variety of gods in variety of ways for variety of reasons. They are relevant in the context of each ones idea of needs and aspirations; fears and hopes; safety and prosperity; and, the pleasures and pains.
Nishkala is all-pervasive and is neither explicit nor is it visible. It is analogues, as the Agama texts explain, to the oil in the sesame-seed, fire in the fuel, butter in milk, and scent in flower. It is in human as antaryamin, the inner guide. It has no form and is not apprehended by sense organs, which includes mind.
Sakala, on the other hand, is explicit energy like the fire that has emerged out of the fuel, oil extracted out of the seed, butter that floated to the surface after churning milk or like the fragrance that spreads and delights all. That energy can manifest itself in different forms and humans can approach those forms through appropriate means.
The Agamas recognize that means as the ARCHA, the worship methods unique to each form of energy-manifestation or divinity.
Only by telling His attributes we can somehow visualise a part.
One wonders why 108 Namas instead of some other number like 10 or 28 or100 are used in daily archanaa.
Insights from Maha Bhaaratham:
“The seeker prays for peace of mind through out the year of 12 months from the disturbances created by the three qualities (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas and the three (Samsaaric) afflictions (i. physical, ii. accidental & naturalcatastrophes and iii. spiritual causes/Aadhidhaivikam)”. 3X3X12 adds up to 108 accounting for year round kavacham / protection / rakshanam from all these obstacles.
Source: Vidya C Raja Gopalan
Yahoo answers
This post id for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights
Every morning at Thirumala, Lord Venkatesan is worshipped with 108 Naamas from Varaha Puranam. The hills resound with Govinda Namam .
One wonders why 108 Namas instead of some other number like 10 or 28 or100 are used in daily archanaa.
Insights from Maha Bhaaratham:
“The seeker prays for peace of mind through out the year of 12 months from the disturbances created by the three qualities (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas and the three (Samsaaric) afflictions (i. physical, ii. accidental & naturalcatastrophes and iii. spiritual causes/Aadhidhaivikam)”. 3X3X12 adds up to 108 accounting for year round kavacham / protection / rakshanam from all these obstacles.
from Kathopanishad (2-iii -16):
"100+1+7 = 108; Every human being has hundred and one (101) multi-colored nadis in the heart. One among them is a singular central nadi (Sushumna) is for meditation and for the realization of the Supreme Truth. It is also required for the passage of individual's final emancipation ascending through the seven steps (Vyahruthis) of Yogic realization. The passage through other hundred nadis will lead the individual into other worlds and other janmas"
i) Who gave these naamas?
Maharishis gave these namas and mainly by Vedav Vyasa. These are from Mahabharata, Ramayana and from major and minor puranas. This Archana worship is from Agama Sastras.
Vishnu Sahasranama, Mahabharata, Anushasana Parva, Chapter 149, Verse 13.
Bhisma said,
'yaani namani gaunani vikhyatani mahatmanah
rsibhih parigitani tani vaksyami bhutaye'
'All those names are derived from His attributes, secret and well-known, of the high-souled Vasudeva which were sung by Rishis. I shall recite for the good of all'
(ii) Why we have to recite them?
The Vedic concept of God is omniscient, omnipotent, a formless absolute entity manifesting itself in phenomenal world of names and forms. The Agama which is a part of Tantra regards God as a personal deity with recognizable forms and attributes.
Why praise God by reciting 108 of Namas?
The Agama shastras are based in the belief that the divinity can be approached in two ways. It can be viewed as nishkala, formless – absolute; or as sakala having specific aspects.
The Vedanta ideals of the absolute, attribute- less and limit-less universal consciousness evolved as refinements of those Vedic concepts. In practice common people worshipped variety of gods in variety of ways for variety of reasons. They are relevant in the context of each ones idea of needs and aspirations; fears and hopes; safety and prosperity; and, the pleasures and pains.
Nishkala is all-pervasive and is neither explicit nor is it visible. It is analogues, as the Agama texts explain, to the oil in the sesame-seed, fire in the fuel, butter in milk, and scent in flower. It is in human as antaryamin, the inner guide. It has no form and is not apprehended by sense organs, which includes mind.
Sakala, on the other hand, is explicit energy like the fire that has emerged out of the fuel, oil extracted out of the seed, butter that floated to the surface after churning milk or like the fragrance that spreads and delights all. That energy can manifest itself in different forms and humans can approach those forms through appropriate means.
The Agamas recognize that means as the ARCHA, the worship methods unique to each form of energy-manifestation or divinity.
Only by telling His attributes we can somehow visualise a part.
One wonders why 108 Namas instead of some other number like 10 or 28 or100 are used in daily archanaa.
Insights from Maha Bhaaratham:
“The seeker prays for peace of mind through out the year of 12 months from the disturbances created by the three qualities (Satthva, Rajas and Tamas and the three (Samsaaric) afflictions (i. physical, ii. accidental & naturalcatastrophes and iii. spiritual causes/Aadhidhaivikam)”. 3X3X12 adds up to 108 accounting for year round kavacham / protection / rakshanam from all these obstacles.
Source: Vidya C Raja Gopalan
Yahoo answers
This post id for sharing knowledge only, no intention to violate any copy rights