why is it important to go to the right shloka class?

What is the purpose of going to Shloka class?  The correct answer should be “To develop faith”.

What is faith?  Faith is another name for trust.

In what should we develop faith?  We should develop faith in God.  We should develop faith in the religious texts (Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita etc.) that teach us how to reach God.  We should develop faith in our AchAryAs who correctly interpret these religious texts and lead us on the right path to God.

Why should we develop faith?  For a lot of goals in life, it is easy to follow instructions and achieve the goals.  We can see for ourselves that by following the instructions pertaining to the goal, we actually achieve the goal.  For example, if your goal is to solve the rubik’s cube, you can follow the rubik’s cube instructions and see for yourself that you have solved it.  Here, the goal (a solved rubik’s cube) is very visible.  However, there are some goals in life, that are not so visible - goals such as understanding AthmA, understanding the purpose of life, reaching God etc.  First of all, God himself is not visible to us.  Just to know that God exists, we need someone’s help.  This someone needs to be qualified to help us.  Also, this someone needs to be thinking of our welfare.  Our religious texts (Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita etc.) are this someone, who can help us know about God and how to reach him.  Only by developing faith in the religious texts, we'll be able to trust what it says.

Now, how does one develop faith in the Vedas?  If the Vedas talk only about God and how to reach him, then, whoever comes to listen to the vedas, they’ll attain God and won’t be on this earth to tell the rest that “Yes, what is said in the Vedas work!”.  On the other hand, whoever does not come to listen to the Vedas, is never going to come anywhere near the Vedas in the future as well, since they are never going to develop the faith.  In order to avoid this catch-22 problem, the Vedas not only talk about God and how to reach him, but also about other mundane goals and how to reach them.

Let me tell you an example of how the Vedas built the faith of one person who initially had absolutely no faith in the Vedas.  As you may have guessed, this guy was bad and had a lot of enemies.  He kept getting defeated by his enemies, in spite of trying various means.  Then, someone who cares for his welfare told him to approach a rishi who could help him defeat his enemies.  This guy approached the rishi.  The rishi asked him to do sEnai (சேனை) yAgam.  Just by doing this yAgam, his enemies vanished.  Then, the guy started living more peacefully, without having to confront enemies and in due course of time, got married.  His needs were increasing and he wanted to gain wealth.  Now that he trusted the rishi, he approached the rishi and asked him if he could help him earn a lot of wealth.  The rishi asked him to do vAyava yAgam.  vAyu is wind God.  Just like the wind blows all the dirt and accumulates in one place, the rishi said after performing this vAyava yAgam, vAyu will blow away all the wealth and dump it at his place.  The guy became wealthy.  Then he wanted to have children but unfortunately, was not blessed with children.  He again approached the rishi.  This time, the rishi asked him to perform the puthra kAmEshti yAgam.  Just like King Dhasaratha performed this yAgam to get children, this guy also performed the yAgam and got children.  Now, the guy was curious.   Instead of having to approach the rishi for each and every obstacle, he wanted to be able to solve his problems himself.  So, he enquired the rishi – where did you learn all these yAgams.  Can I learn them too?  Then the rishi revealed that all these yAgams were detailed in the vEdAs.  The rishi accepted the guy as his disciple and started teaching the vEdAs.  The rishi taught him the pUrva khAnda that talks about such yAgams, their benefits and the right procedures to perform them.  The rishi then went on to teach the guy the utthara khAnda, that talk about Brahmam (God) and the way to reach him, etc.  Eventually, the guy attained mOksham.

As you can see, the guy started off with performing the sEnai yAgam which is a thAmasic yAgam.  Then, he slowly graduated to more rAjasic yAgams and finally ended up learning about Brahmam and attaining mOksham.  In order to build faith in the vEdAs and attract people to it, the vEdAs contain all three kinds of information – sAthvic, rAjasic and thAmasic.  People aspiring to reach God should avoid the thAmasic and rAjasic portions and focus on the sAthvic portion. This is where an AchArya comes in.

First, the AchArya helps us to avoid thAmasic and rAjasic pursuits and shows us the path to God.  Second, the Acharya leads us on the right path to God.  Talking about the right path to God, there are two things to remember:  1) Right path is the one that takes us to the right destination.  2)  Right path is the quickest and easiest path that takes us to our destination.  Let’s talk about each of these two aspects of the right path.

1. Right path is the one that takes us to the right destination.  To understand this, you need to know “yathA upAsanam, thathA phalam”.  This means, your understanding of God and His qualities, determines what you seek from Him, and you will get only what you seek (no more, no less).  If you understand God as the possessor of all the wealth in all the worlds (அண்டக் குலத்துக்கு அதிபதி) and seek the same, you will be blessed with good wealth.  If you understand God as the AtmA (not paramAthmA) and keep meditating on the AtmA, you will be freed from the circle of life and death and attain a lesser form of mOksham, called kaivalya mOksham, where you’ll continue enjoying the AtmA forever and ever, just outside vaikunTam, but will never be able to enjoy the much superior paramapada mOksham.  On the other hand, if you truly understand the differences between body, AtmA and paramAthmA and make reaching paramAthmA your goal, then you will reach paramAthmA.  Here again, depending on your understanding of who paramAthmA is, you may reach that person and remain in his abode for a long time, until his abode gets destroyed during the next praLayam and then start over after the next creation.  If you understand srIman nArAyaNA as the paramAthmA and seek to reach Him, then, you will be blessed with paramapada mOksham.  So, the duty of the AchAryA is to make you understand what the right destination is.
2. Right path is the quickest and easiest path that takes us to our destination.  Let’s say you are very clear that paramapada mOksham is your destination.  You can get there only after your karmAs are zero (no good karmAs, no bad karmAs).  There are many ways to get rid of karmAs and attain mOksham.  There is karma, gnAna, bhakthi yOgAs, which rely on your effort and will take many births to get rid of the karmAs.  And then there is sharaNagathi, where you admit the enormous nature of the task, realize that it is difficult for you to do it yourself, and surrender the burden of getting rid of karmAs to perumAL.  The path of sharaNagathi leads you to mOksham at the end of this birth itself.  Thus, another duty of the AchAryA is to make you follow the quickest and easiest path to reach your destination.

A shloka class develops this faith in the religious texts and in the AchAryA that interprets these religious texts.  Based on the shloka class you choose, you will develop faith in the AchAryA behind that shloka class and in the destination that that AchAryA preaches.  If that destination turns out to be the right one, well and good.  If you somehow later realize that is not the correct destination, you will have to give up that faith, develop new faith and start over.  So choosing the right shloka class is very important.  As a child, it is very difficult for you to research all the above topics and choose the right shloka class.  So, at this point, all you can do is to trust me and cheerfully attend the shloka class in which I put you in.  J

நம் ஊரைப்போல வருமா?

நம் ஊரைப்போல வருமா?

காலம்: 1979-1991.  இடம்: கீழ்ப்பாக்கம் ரிசர்வ் வங்கிக் குடியிருப்பு.  சோலைவனத்தில் பூங்காவைப் போல், பரபரப்பான பூந்தமல்லி நெடுஞ்சாலைக்கு அருகே அமைதியான ஒரு குடியிருப்பு.  அனைத்தும் தன்னுள் அடக்கம் (self-contained) என்னலாம் போல், அன்றாட வாழ்க்கைக்குத் தேவையான அனைத்துப் பொருட்களும் ஒரு பத்து நிமிட நடைத் தொலைவிற்குள் கிட்டும்.  காய்கறி, மளிகை, பலசரக்குக் கடைகள் மட்டுமின்றி, உணவகம், மருத்துவ மனை, திரைப்படக் கொட்டகை என்று எதற்குமே நடந்தே சென்று விடலாம்.  ஒரு நாளைக்கு 10000 அடிகள் நடந்தால் உடலுக்கு நல்லது என்பதற்காக நடைத் தொலைவு அளவியைக் (pedometer) கையில் மாட்டிக்கொண்டு அங்கும் இங்கும் வீணாக நடந்து திரியும் இந்த ஊரிலிருந்து கொண்டு, மலரும் நினைவுகளைப் போல் அந்த நாட்களை நினைத்துப் பார்த்தால், “சொர்க்கமே என்றாலும், அது நம் ஊரைப்போல வருமா?” என்னும் பாட்டே மனதிற்கு வருகிறது.

அப்போது எனக்குச் சிறு பிராயமாதலால், எப்போதும் விளையாட்டுப் புத்தி தான்.  (இப்போதும் அவ்வாறு தான் என்று சொல்வாரும் உண்டு J).  விளையாடுவதற்காகக் குடியிருப்புக்கு உள்ளேயே இரண்டு பெரிய மைதானங்கள் இருந்தன.  உலகக் கோப்பைக் கிரிக்கெட் போட்டியில் கபில் தேவ் அடித்து விளாசுவதைக் கண்டால், அனைத்துக் குழந்தைகளும் கிரிக்கெட் விளையாடுவோம்.  கால்பந்துப் போட்டியில் மரடோனா இலக்கில் (goal) பந்துகளைப் போடுவதைக் கண்டால், அனைவரும் கால்பந்து விளையாடுவோம்.  டென்னிசில் (Tennis) போரிஸ் பெக்கர் அங்கும் இங்கும் தாவி பந்துகளைத் திரும்பி அடிப்பதைக் கண்டால், தரையிலே சுண்ணாம்பு கொண்டு டென்னிஸ் அரங்கை வரைந்து கையாலேயே டென்னிஸ் விளையாடத் தொடங்கி விடுவோம்.  கோடை விடுமுறையானால் காலை எழுந்ததிலிருந்து இரவு படுக்கும் வரை பூப்பந்து (badminton), கிரிக்கெட், பட்டம், கில்லி, பம்பரம், சடுகுடு என்று விளையாடாத விளையாட்டே கிடையாது.  ஊன், உறக்கம் இவைகளுக்கு மட்டுமே வீட்டிற்கு வருவது வழக்கம்.  இப்படி இருந்த நம் இருப்பையும், இப்போது நம் குழந்தைகள் வீட்டிற்குள்ளேயே அடைந்து கிடக்கும் இருப்பையும், விளையாடுவதற்குக் கூட பெற்றோரை எதிர்பார்ப்பதையும் ஒப்பிட்டுப் பார்த்தால் “எந்நாடு என்றாலும், அது நம் நாட்டுக்கு ஈடாகுமா?” என்னும் பாடல் வரிகளே நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது.

நான் வளர்ந்த இடம் ஒரு குடியிருப்பாதலால், அங்கு சமூக நிகழ்ச்சிகள் (community events) அதிகம்.  பொங்கல், பிள்ளையார் சதுர்த்தி போன்ற பண்டிகை தினங்களில் குடியிருப்பிலிருந்த கோவிலில் கொட்டு மேளத்தோடு, கலை நிகழ்ச்சிகள், விளையாட்டுப் போட்டிகள் என்று அந்த இடமே விழாக்கோலம் பூண்டுவிடும். தீபாவளியின் போது யார் நிறைய ராக்கெட் விடுகிறார்கள், யாருடைய சரவெடி நீளமானது, மிகவும் ஒலி எழுப்பக் கூடிய வெடி யாருடையது என்றெல்லாம் நண்பர்களுக்கிடையே விளையாட்டுத் தனமான போட்டிகள் நிலவுவதுண்டு.  நவராத்திரியின்போது ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் யார் வீட்டில் தேங்காய் மாங்காய் எல்லாம் போட்டு ருசியான சுண்டல் பண்ணி இருக்கிறார்களோ அவர்கள் வீட்டிற்கு அனைத்துக் குழந்தைகளும் கையை நீட்டிக் கொண்டு சென்று விடுவோம்.  இப்படி ஒரே குடும்பத்தைப் போல அந்நியர்கள் என்றே யாரும் இல்லாதபடி வாழ்ந்த வாழ்க்கையையும் பக்கத்து வீட்டுக்காரர்களின் பெயரைக்கூடத் தெரியாமல் வாழும் இந்த வாழ்க்கையையும் சீர் தூக்கிப் பார்த்தால், “ஊரு விட்டு ஊரு வந்தது” எதற்காக என்று தோன்றும்.

இவ்வளவு அருமையான (நாம் வளர்ந்து வந்த) இந்த இடத்தை, நம் குழந்தைகளுக்கும் காட்ட வேண்டும் என்ற எண்ணத்தோடு, சென்ற குளிர்கால விடுமுறையின் போது, ஏறத்தாழ 20 ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பிறகு குடும்பத்தோடு அந்தக் குடியிருப்புக்குச் சுற்றுலாப் பயணிகளைப் போலச் சென்றோம்.  சாயம் விளையாட்டு நேரத்தில், மைதானங்களில் சிறுவர் சிறுமியர் ஒருவரும் இல்லை.  விண்ணில் பட்டங்கள் இல்லை.  மண்ணில் பம்பரங்கள் இல்லை.  நான் தங்கியிருந்த காலத்திலிருந்து இன்று வரை அதே குடியிருப்பில் இருந்து வந்த என் மாமியைக் கண்டேன்.  அந்தக் காலத்தில், மைதானத்தின் ஒரு துளி இடம் கூட வீணாகாதபடி பல்வேறு விளையாட்டுக்கள் ஒரே சமயத்தில் நடந்துகொண்டிருக்குமே!  இப்பொழுது, வெறிச்சோடிப் போய் இருக்கிறதே!  என்ன ஆயிற்று? என்று கேட்டேன்.  “காலம் மாறிப் போயிடுச்சுப்பா!  இப்போதெல்லாம் குழந்தைகள் வீட்டுக்கு உள்ளேயே கணிப்பொறி விளையாட்டும் (computer games), ஒளித்தோற்ற விளையாட்டும் (video games) விளையாடுவதிலேயே ஆர்வம் உள்ளவர்களாக இருக்கிறார்கள்” என்றார் என் மாமி.  தூக்கி வாரிப் போட்டது.  அப்போது தான் புரிந்து கொண்டேன், “அந்த காலத்து நம் ஊரைப்போல, இந்த காலத்து நம் ஊரும் வராது” என்று!

நம் ஊரைப் போல வருமா என்று தான் நம் பெற்றோரும் அவர்களது கிராமங்களைப் பற்றி நமக்குச் சொன்னார்கள்.  நம் ஊரைப் போல வருமா என்று தான் நாம் நம் குழந்தைகளுக்கு நமது சொந்த ஊர்களைப் பற்றி இப்போது சொல்கிறோம்.  இதையே தான் நம் குழந்தைகள், அவர்கள் வளர்ந்த இடமாகிய போர்ட்லன்டைப் (Portland) பற்றி நம் பேரக்குழந்தைகளுக்குச் சொல்லப் போகிறார்கள்.  “இருப்பிடம் வைகுந்தம் வேங்கடம்” என்னுமாப்போல் அவரவர்களுக்கு அவரவர் வளர்ந்த இடமே தலைசிறந்ததாகத் தோற்றும்.

SandhyAvandhanam

Introduction
Achamanam
References
FAQ
Based on 'sandhyAvandhana bAshyam' by K. SrinvAsa IyangAr, advocate, puthUr.

Introduction

The sAstrAs declare that srIman nArAyaNa is the paramAtmA and that everyone else is a jIvAtma who is a part of his body.  This dAmOdharan is the bearer of all jIvAtmAs, this nArAyaNan is the controller of all, this srIdharan is the Master (swAmi) of all.  Since srIman nArAyaNa permeates everything and is the inner soul of everything, ultimately, all words refer to him alone (ஸர்வஸப்தவாச்யன்).

We need to reach this srIman nArAyaNa only and eternally perform service to the divine couple. To attain srIman nArAyaNA, knowledge that has ripened into bakhthi is the means.  Performing our karmam (duties) is an integral part of bakhthi.  We must propitiate bhagavAn by performing karmam done using our mind, mouth, and/or hands (மனோ, வாக், காயம்).

This karmam is of three types: 1) nitya karmam, 2) naimithika karmam, and 3) kAryam.  Performing nitya, naimithika karmams prescribed in the shrutis, smrithis is the best way to propitiate bhagavAn and is a means to attain mOksham.  Performing nitya, naimithika karmams is the hallmark of a vaishnavA.  Even prapannAs should perform their karmams.  Our AchAryAs have clarified that when Lord Krishna said sarva dharmAn parityaja (सर्व धरमान परित्यज्य), the word parityaja refers to giving up the fruits of one's actions and does not refer to giving up the action itself.  So, even prapannAs should perform their karmams, not as an upAyA (means to attain mOksham), but as a service to the Lord (bhagavath kainkaryam).

Among these nitya karmams, sandhyAvandhanam is the foremost.  One who does not perform sandhyAvandhanam regularly, loses his right to perform other dharmams.

Our Alwars and AchAryAs have talked in detail about the importance of performing our duties (karmAnushtAnam) and sandhyAvandhanam in particular.  The gist of their compositions in this matter is as follows: 1)  varnAshrama dharmams such as sandhyAvandhanam must be performed with the thought that it benefits others, not with the thought that it benefits us.  2) The purpose of performing our karmams is world welfare (lOkasamgraham) and the well-being (ujjIvanam) of our disciples and children.  3) For a prapannan, his goal (prApyam) is to perform service to the Lord and so these karmams are a part of his goal (not a means to achieve the goal, but the goal itself).  4) Since these karmams are services to the Lord and are a benefit in their own right (swayam proyOjanam), not performing karmams becomes a lost opportunity to perform service.  Also, not performing our karmams leads to Lord's dislike.  For these reasons, we should always strive to perform our karmamAnushtAnams.  5) By routinely performing our karmAnushtAnams, we must develop an understanding of the true nature of our soul (AtmA).  Not developing this understanding is undesirable.

We should perform this sandhyAvandhanam, fully knowing its meaning and significance.


Achamanam

Let's look at the detailed explanation of Achamanam.  sandhyAvandhanam is divided into 2 portions: one that involves water (Jalam) (ஜலபாகம்) and one that involves repeated chanting of mantras (Japam) (ஜபபாகம்).  Achamanam is performed at the beginning of the water (Jalam) portion.

The way to perform Achamanam is as follows: Fold your right hand in the shape of a cow's ear (गोकरणम).  Take water in the palm of your hand just enough to submerge one of the palm lines known as maasham.  Chant the mantra 'achyuthAya nama:' and consume the water in the palm of your hand. After the water has reached your chest, once again similarly take water in the palm of your right hand and consume the water chanting 'anantAya nama:'.  Similarly, once again take water and consume it chanting 'govindAya nama:'.  After that, wipe your lips twice.

After that, using the tip of your right thumb touch your right side of the face (right cheek) and left side of the face (left cheek), chanting 'kEsavAya nama:' and 'nArAyanAya nama:' respectively.  Using your right ring finger, touch your right eye and left eye, chanting 'mAdhavAya nama:' and 'gOvindAya nama:' respectively.  Using your right index finger, touch your right nose and left nose chanting 'vishNavE nama:' and 'madhuSudhanAya nama' respectively.  Using your right little finger, touch your right ear and left ear chanting 'trivikramAya nama:' and 'vAmanAya nama:' respectively.  Using your right middle finger, touch your right shoulder and left shoulder chanting 'srIdharAya nama:' and 'hrishIkEsAya nama:' respectively.  After that, chant 'padmanAbhAya nama:' and touch your navel (नाभी) followed by your heart with all 5 fingers.  Later, chant 'dAmOdharAya nama:' and touch the top of your head (brahmarandhram region) with all 5 fingers.

To understand why we use different fingers to touch different portions of our body while chanting different nAmAs of Vishnu, first we must understand virAt purushan who has this entire world as his body.  For this virAt purushan, sky is his navel, Agni (fire) is his face, Jalam (water) is his semen (rEtas), swargam (heaven) is his head, directions (திக்குக்கள்) are his ears, earth (பூமி) is his feet, moon is his mind, sun is his eye, Sivan is his ahankAram, ocean is his stomach, Indran is his hand, herbs (ஔஷதி) are his body hair (ரோமங்கள்), clouds are the hair on his head, Brahma is his brain, prajApati is his male sense organ, dharman is his heart.

Further, in hArItha smrithi it is said that the thumb has Agni as dEvatA, pointer finger has vAyu as devatA, ring finger has sun as dEvatA, little finger has Indran as dEvatA, middle finger has prajApathi as dEvatA.

Since Agni was formed from the face of virAt purushA, and since Agni is the dEvatA for the thumb, we touch the face with the thumb.  Since sun was formed from the eye of virAt puruhsA, and since sun is the dEvatA for the ring finger, we touch our eyes with the ring finger. Since our nose is the organ we use for breathing air in and out, and since vAyu (wind/air) is the dEvatA for the pointer finger, we touch our nose with the pointer finger.  Indran controls thunder and thunder is sound.  We hear sound using our ears.  Since Indran is the dEvatA for the little finger, we touch our ears using our little finger.  Touching different parts of our body with different fingers like this cleanses that part of the body.

Moreover, taking water three times during Achamanam pleases Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra.  Wiping our lips pleases GangA and YamunA.  Touch our eyes please sUryan and chandran.  Touching both sides of our nose pleases aswini kumArs.  Touch both ears pleases Agni and vAyu.  Touching our heart pleases all dEvAs.  Touching our head pleases parama purushan nArAyaNan.  Those who touch different parts of their body as prescribed, daily, he does good for everyone starting from Brahma all the way to a piece of grass.  Such is the glory of Achamanam as mentioned in vyAsa smriti.

Further, the first Achmanam (in take of water) pleases Rig vEdA.  The second Achamanam pleases yajur vEdA.  The third Achamanam pleases sAma vEdA.  The first wiping of our lips pleases atharvaNa vEdA.  The second wiping of our lips pleases itihAsa purANAs.  Touching various parts of our body as prescribed pleases the aushadIs (herbs), vanaspatIs (plants) and all the dEvAs.  The Achamanam frees the performer from all his sins.  So says bOdAyanar.

Now, let's look at the greatness of Lord's nAmAs such as achyutA, ananthA etc. that we chant during the Achamanam and their meanings.  But, before we get into that, let's look at the benefits of chanting Lord's nAmAs.  His nAmAs such as achyuthan, ananthan, gOvindan etc. are a medicine that cures all our diseases says vishnu dharmam.  In the BhAratham, it is said that those who experience sufferings due to AdhyAtmika, Adhi Bauthika and Adhi Daivika sources, those who suffer from fear, those who suffer from severe diseases get relief from all these griefs and enjoy Moksham by chanting the nArAyaNa nAmam.

In Mumukshuppadi, Pillai LOkAchAryAr extols the glory of chanting Lord's nAmAs.  Even when the Lord is far away, the nAmAs stay close to us and help as was the case with Draupadi.  These nAmAs are capable of satisfying those who crave material wealth (ஐஸ்வர்யம்) for bodily enjoyment, or enjoyment of the soul (கைவல்யம்) or those who wish to reach BhagavAn (பகவல்லாபம்).  For those who have chosen the sAdhyopAyam path to reach BhagavAn, nAma sankeertanam removes the hurdles that come in the way of starting karma, gnyAna, bakthi yogA.  For those who have chosen the sidhOpAyam path to reach BhagavAn, nAma sankeertanam brings out the true nature of the soul (sEshatvam - being of service to the Lord), helps in spending time in a useful manner (kAlakshEpam), and is an enjoyment in itself (bOgam).

For all these reasons, chanting various names of Lord srIman nArAyaNA is included in the sandhyAvandanam.  Now, let's look at the meaning of BhagavAn's nAmAs such as Achyuthan, Ananthan, etc. that are chanted as part of Achamanam.

Achyuthan

chyutha (च्युत) in Sanskrit means to abandon or slip away.  Achyutha means 'not abandon' (நழுவ விடாமல் இருத்தல்) or not slip away.

The first meaning is - one who does not abandon his devotees and protects them in all situations (ஸர்வ ரக்ஷகன்).  How does he protect us?  Some examples are: 1.  He protects all from experiencing the great suffering during pralayam by keeping all of us safe in his stomach.  2.  He protects his devotees from getting into the hands of Yaman.  3.  He protects his devotees from agnyAnam, anyathA gnyAnam and viparEtha gnyAnam.  Since the Achyutha nAmA only applies to someone who does not abandon his devotees and protects them in all situations, this nAmA is used to differentiate from other devatAs who could not protect their devotees (e.g. bANAsura) in all situations.

The second meaning is - one whose nature (ஸ்வரூபம்) and attributes (குணங்கள்) will never slip away - i.e. one who is eternal in all ways.  He will be eternal - he does not undergo the six type of changes - be born, live, grow, reduce, change, be destroyed.  His form (திவ்ய மங்கள விக்ரஹம்) will be eternal.  His fame will be eternal.  He pervades (வ்யாபித்தல்) and upholds (தரித்தல்) all of chit and achit eternally.

Ananthan

Antha: mean end.  Anantha: means endless.  One who is endless with respect to Time (காலம்), Space (தேசம்),  and Form (வஸ்து) is called Ananthan.  Our achAryAs say that only an Ananthan can be an Achythan (one who does not abandon His devotees in all situations).  To understand this, let's say some dEvatA is limited to a specific period of time - he is present from 1000 - 2000 AD.  He can be Achythan during that time, but what if some devotee shows up in 2001 AD and asks for help.  Since that dEvatA only existed till 2000 AD, he wont be able to protect this devotee in 2001 AD.  Hence this dEvatA cannot be Achyuthan, since he had to abandon his devotee, before or after his time.  Similarly, if one's influence is restricted in space, he cannot protect someone who is outside that space.  Similarly, if one's influence is restricted to a range of forms, then he cannot protect someone who is outside that range of forms.  Thus, only someone who is always present, present everywhere and in all forms can protect his devotees in all situations.  Hence, only an ananthan can be an achyutan.

In general, the anantha nAmA refers to his limitless nature - his qualities, his bodies, his wealth, all of them are limitless.  While achyutha nAmA refers to 'not abandoning one's devotees', anantha nAmA refers to his taking numerous avatArAs, exhibiting limitless qualities and pervading everything in order to not abandon His devotees.

gOvindhan

The anantha nAmA refers to PerumAL's greatness (parathvam).  Devotees may start fearing how can we lowly people seek someone so great.  To allay this fear, gOvindha nAmA refers to His becoming one and interacting with even cowherds (who cannot differentiate between their left hand and right hand) and cows (who do not have a sixth sense).

1.  If gOvindhan is split as gAvaha vindhati, it means He reaches the cows.  This refers to his not being satisfied with being the Head of the nityasUrIs and coming down to this earth and being born as KrishnA, to be with the cows.

2.  If gOvindhan is split as gAvaha vindhanthyEnam, it means He is the shelter for cows.

3.  gO sound also refers to earth (பூமி). Hence, gOvindhan can be split as gAm vindhati and refers to varAha mUrthi who took the form of a boar and dug out the earth from water with His tusks.  Here, his excellent qualities of not expecting anything in order to show his protection and assuming even a form that does not befit his greatness in order to protect are highlighted.

4.  sound is referred to by 'gow'.  So gOvindhan also means the one whom all sounds reach, i.e. one who is referred to by all words (ஸர்வஸப்தவாச்யன்).

5. gO sound also refers to vEdic sentences and so gOvindhan refers to one about whom the vEdAs tells us about.

6. gO sound also refers to light and so gOvindhan refers to one who the paramjyOthi (the greatest light).

dvAdasa nAmAs

Now, let us look at the meanings of the dwAdasa (12) nAmAs starting from kEsavan.  These dwAdasa nAmas are chanted even while applying the dwAdasa Urdhva pundrams.  EmperumAn has 5 states: 1) param (greatest state - in vaikuntam), 2) vyUham (while in kshErAbhdhi - pAr kadal), 3) vibhavam (when he takes avatArAs), 4) antharyAmi (inside each and every one of us) and 5) archai (in statue form in temples, sAligrAmam etc.).  The four nAmAs kEsavan, nArAyaNan, mAdhavan and gOvindhan refer to srI vaikuntanAthan who is in the param state.  Since the next nAmA Vishnu refers to anirudha nArAyaNan in the vyUhA state, it also indirectly denotes the other vyUha mUrthIs - vAsudEvan, samkarshanan, and pradyumnan.  The next nAmA madhusUdhanan tells us about vyUha mUrthy's deeds.  The nAmAs thrivikraman, vAmanan & dAmOdharan refer to the vibhava avatArAs of perumAL.  The nAmA srIdharan shows us that even when perumAL takes avatArAs, he reincarnates only with pirAtti.  HrishikEsan talks about the state where He is the antharyAmI of all and controls our sense organs.  All these nAmAs refer to archA mUrthIs as well, just like srIdharan refers to srInivAsan who resides in the divyakshEthram Thirumalai.

kEsavan

1.  kaha + Isaha = kEsavaha.  kaha = BrahmA, Isaha = Sivan.  One who created Brahma and Sivan is kEsavan.

2.  The rays of the brilliant Sun is referred to by the sound 'kEsa'.  One who has these rays under his control is kEsavan.

3.  One who has shiny, praise-worthy hair is called kEsavan.  This differentiates him from other dEvatAs who have matted dread-locked hair.

4.  kEsavaha = klEsa nAsanaha.  klEsam = grief.  One who destroys all the grief of his devotees is kEsavan.

5.  One who killed the asuran kEsI is referred to as kEsavan.  This brings out the "enemy destroying" quality of emperumAn.

Thus the kEsava nAmA refers to one who created BrahmA and Sivan.  Now, who is this person?  To answer this question, comes the next nAmA that is unique and is established by vEdAntA - nArAyaNan.

nArAyaNan

The letter र (ra) refers to something that gets destroyed.  नर: (nara:) refers to something that does not get destroyed, i.e. something that is ever-lasting.  नार: (nAra:) refers to a group of such ever-lasting things.  नारा: (nArA:) indicates a plurality of groups of ever-lasting things.  The ever-merciful periyavAchAn pillai explains what are all referred to by nArA:.  That includes: paramAtmA's divya Atma guNAs such as gnyAna, bala, aishwarya, veerya, shakthi, tEjas; divya mangala vigrahams that throw light on these guNAs by displaying them; vigraha guNAs such as soundaryam, lAvanyam etc.; the divya ornaments such as kirITam, magudam etc.; divya weapons such as conch, chakram, mace, bow, sword etc.; the divine consorts srIdEvi, boodEvi, nILAdEvi who stay close to him and enjoy all this divine beauty so that all this beauty is not wasted like the moonlight that falls only in the middle of a forest; the nityasUrIs such as ananthan, garuDan, vishvaksEnar etc. who serve the divine couple; the muktha AtmAs who join the nityasUrIs in this service; the aids used for this service such as umbrella (chatharam), fan (sAmaram) etc.; the place to perform this service - paramapadam or vaikunTam - that is is not made out of prakritI and hence is beyond destruction, but instead, is made out of pancha upanishans; mUla prakriti that is full of the three guNAs satva, rajas, tamas; the collection of all AtmAs; time, that has opposites such as day and night; constantly changing mahAn, ahankAram etc.; the andams that arise from mahAN etc., and the pancha bhUtams.  All these groups of ever-lasting things are included in the nArA: sound.

The ayanam sound has many meanings.  One of the meanings is shelter or residence.

1.  One who resides in the ever-lasting nArAs is nArAyaNan - this meaning refers to the fact that nArAyaNan is the antaryAmi of everything and thus pervades everything.  bahuvrIhi samAsam is referred to here.

2.  Also, one in which all the ever-lasting nArAs reside is nArayaNan - this meaning refers to the fact that nArAyaNan bears and supports everything.  thathpurusha samAsam is referred to here.

The ணகாரம் in நாராயணன் (Na sound in nArAyaNan), according to Sanskrit grammar, makes this nAmA applicable to one person alone and so uniquely refers to srIman nArAyaNan alone.

3.  nara: refers to the parama purushan whose nature (svarUpam) and attributes (svabhAvam) cannot be destroyed ever so slightly.  Since everything is created out of this nara:, they are all called nArAs.  Like before, since He is the abode of nArAs and since He has the nArAs as his abode, he is called nArAyaNan.

4.  Since perumAL is referred to as naran (as explained above) and since jalam (water) is one of the pancha bhUthams created from naran, we can have the meaning of nArA: as water.  One who resides in the nArA: (water) is nArAyaNan.

5.  All the chEthanAs (sentient) and achEthanAs (insentient) are denoted by nArA:.  One who is the refuge for these nArA: during praLayam is nArAyaNan.  Thus this nAmA tells us that in addition to creating and protecting everything, the job of destroying everything also belongs to Him.

6.  nara: refers to the indestructible soul (AtmA).  nArA: refers to the group of all AtmAs.  If we take ayanam as arising from the dhAthU 'iN gathou', it refers to the prApyam or final destination.  If we take ayanam as arising from the dhAthU 'aya gathou', it refers to the upAyam or means to attain the final destination.  Hence, nArAyaNan is the mOksha upAyam and mOksha prApyam for all chEthanAs.

7.  Since emperumAn considers a gnAnI (one who has understood that emperumAn is not fully comprehensible) as his AtmA, nArA: refers to the group of all gnAnIs.  Since he considers residing in the heart of gnAnIs as his greatest prApyam (destination), he is called nArAyaNan.

8.  nara: refers to the blemishless srIvaishnavAs.  nAra: refers to the heart of srIvaishnavAs.  One who resides in the heart of srIvaishnavAs is nArAyaNan.

Thus nArAyaNan refers to the supreme Master who resides in vaikuntam and controls both the nitya vibhUthi and leelA vibhUthi.  The next nAmA mAdhavan says that this supreme Master is not brahmachAry nArAyaNan, but instead he is srIman nArAyaNan (along with his consort).

mAdhavan

1.  'mA' refers to srIdEvi. 'thava:' means Lord (nAthan).  So, mAdhavan means 'Lord of srIdEvi'.  Since srIdEvi is inseparable from perumAL in all states, perumAL himself has be established with respect to her - as in, one who has Lakshmi as his wife.  Thus, nArAyaNan along with the mediatrix srIdEvi is our upAyam and swAmI.

2.  'mA' refers to the paravidhyA which is a means to attain purushOttaman.  The one who disseminates this paravidhyA is referred to by mAdhavan.

gOvindhan

The next nAmA gOvindhan arises to answer the question: What is the proof that he possesses all the greatness mentioned in the above nAmAs?  The gOvindha nAmA says that the vEdAs are the proof in this matter.  Since 'gO' sound refers to vEdic sentences and gOvindhan refers to one about whom the vEdAs tells us about.  He is achyuthan who never abandons his devotees - 'saaswatam sivam achyutham'.  He is the limitless ananthan who possesses innumerable divine forms and qualities - 'sathyam nyAnam anantham brahma'.  He is gOvindhan who takes many avatArams and mingles even with lowly beings - 'ajAyamAnO bahudhA vijAyathe'.  He is the kEsavan who creates BrahmA and rudran and has glorious hair - 'nArAyaNAth brahmA jAyatE, nArAyaNAth rudrO jAyatE' and 'hiranya kEsa:'.  He is nArAyaNan - 'nArAyaNa param brahma tathvam nArAyaNa: para:' and 'anthar bahischa thath sarvam vyApya nArAyaNa: sthitha:'.  He is the mAdhavan with whom Lakshmi is always present - 'hrIschathE lakshmIscha pathnau'.

The first reference to gOvindha nAmA (in achythan, ananthan, gOvindhan) reminds us of his ease of access (sowlabhyam) as displayed in the Krishna avatAr.  The second reference to gOvindha nAmA (in kEsavan, nArAyaNan, mAdhavan, gOvindhan) is to establish his greatness (parathvam) and the fact that vEdAs talk it.  Hence, there is no repetition here.

vishnu

The 4 nAmAs kEsavan, nArAyaNan, mAdhavan and gOvindhan talk about the param state of perumAL.  vishnu nAmA talks about the vyUham state of perumAL.  Here, vyUham state refers to his three forms, sankarshaNan, pradhyumnan and anirudhdhan for the purpose of creation, protection and destruction.  In param state, the 6 kalyANa guNAs - gnyAna, bala, aishwarya, veerya, shakthi, tEjas - are present in him.  In the vyUham state, sankarshaNan predominantly possesses gnyAnam and balam and is in charge of destruction, pradyumnan predominantly possesses aishwaryam and veeryam and is in charge of creation, anirudhdhan predominantly possesses shakthi and tEjas and is in charge of protection and creation of time.  vishnu sound refers to anirudhdhan.  Anirudhdhan took 36 main vibhava avatArs, including the vishnu avatAr (as the protector) in the midst of BrahmA and Rudran.

'visha' means to pervade.  Since He pervades everything by his form (swarUpam), he is called vishnu.  Also, since His shakthi pervades everywhere, he is known as vishnu.

'Vishnu' pada's meaning from the book "Rig Veda Samhita Mandala-1(Part-1)" by R.L.Kashyap

Vishnu is so called because he...

1. pervades over everything, the universe inside and out.

2. causes rainfall to cool the earth and nourish all life.

3. liberates the devotees from samsAra.

4. enters into all beings as their inner controller (antaryAmi) and all beings enter into him.

5. helps the devotees reach the state of liberation.

6. he is exceedingly luminous.

7. transported himself beyond everything (reference to trivikrama)

8. makes all living beings and created things move and have their being.

9. desired to provide origin, sustenance and dissolution for all beings.

10. inspires or moves all beings in a special manner.

11. gifts away or satisfies the longings of his devotees.

12. inspires power and life in all beings.

madhusUdhanan

After referring to Anirudhdhan, who created BrahmA, by the vishnu nAmA, next, madhusUdhana nAmA proclaims that He does not stop with creating BrahmA, but also removes BrahmA's sorrows. The one who killed madhu (and kaidapan) is madhusUdhanan.  Let's now learn the story of how madhu and kaidapan got killed.  After creating BrahmA, sarvEswaran revealed the vEdAs to BrahmA.  In order for BrahmA to experience the results of his karma, perumAl created the asurAs madhu and kaidapan from his ears.  As soon as they were born they got a boon that they will die only by the person who they themselves ask to kill them.  They snatched the 4 vEdAs who were in the form of 4 children from BrahmA and hid it in rasAthalam (one of the 7 worlds below BhoolOkam).  BrahmA became very sad and pleaded to perumAl, "vEdAs are my eyes, my highest wealth.  Without the vEdAs, I am unable to continue the process of creation.  Please relieve me from this great sorrow!"  perumAL took the hyagrIva avatAram and sang a melodious sound.  The asurAs left the vEdAs and followed the melodious sound.  perumAL took back the vEdAs and gave it to BrahmA.  The asurAs got angry at this and waged a fierce battle with perumAL for a long time.  Impressed that perumAL did not get tired even after this long battle, the asurAs wanted to give perumAL a boon.  PerumAL asked for the boon to kill them and they had to agree to it.  PerumAL offered them a boon in return.  In order to not violate all the previous boon that were already given, the only boon they could ask for was that they should die in a place where no one else has died before.  perumAL crushed them in between his thighs and killed them.

References

sandhyAvandhana bAshyam, by K. srInivAsa iyangAr, advocate, puthUr agrahAram, Trichy.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.  Other than during sandhyAvandhanam, when all should we do Achamanam?

2.  Did women used to do sandhyAvandhanam?

3.  What is thath purusha samAsam and bahuvrIhi samAsam?

A compound is formed by the combination of two or more words. In Sanskrit grammar this combination is called 'samAsam'.  Broadly speaking there are four kinds of compounds which are:
1) dvandva
2) thathpurusha
3) bahuvrIhi
4) avyayIbhAva
Of these four, two types are applicable to this compound word of 'nArAyaNa'. They are: 'thathpurusha' and 'bahuvrIi'.  In Tamil grammar, these are known as 'vERRumaip puNarcci' and 'alvazhip puNarcci'.
If we look at this compound from the 'thathpurusha' angle, we get the combination as follows:"nArANam' + 'ayanam"; which gives the meaning, the abode of 'nArAs' (the sentient beings and non-sentient things). In Tamil, the compound word, 'koolivElai' will expand as 'koolikku' + ' vElai'. When expanded, the fourth case is explicit which is not so in the compound word.  In the case of nArAyaNA, it will expand as 'nArangalukku' + 'ayanam' (நாரங்களுக்கு அயநம்/இருப்பிடம் எவனோ அவன் நாராயணன்).  That is why, it is called 'vERRumaip puNarcci'.
The other 'bahuvrIhi' compound is 'nArA:' + 'ayanam' + 'yasya', which means: He, for whom 'nArAs' (animate beings and inanimate things) are the abode, is 'nArAyaNA'. In Tamil, it is known as 'alavzhip-puNarcci', that is, a compound that is made by a way other than the case of words. There are variations. Of these, 'anmozhit-thogai' is applicable here. For example, 'iLangkoDi kooRinAL'. Here, even though 'iLangkoDi' means 'young creeper', it actually refers to a young woman who is slender like a young creeper. The sentence means: 'The young woman said.' (இளம் கொடியைப் போல் இடையை உடயவள் எவளோ, அவள் கூறினாள்.)  The anmozhit-thogai will apply in the case of nArAyaNA as follows: நாரங்களுக்கு எல்லாம் அயநம் எவனோ, அவன் நாராயணன்.