why we give Lord's names to children

why we give Lord's names to children! from a friend SrI: SrImathE Ramanujaya namah: In last ten, periya AzhwAr mentioned about naama sangeertthanam¡¦s glories and how it takes one up in the path leading towards Paramapadham. Even if you do not wish to utter his divine names, at least name your children after his names and while calling them, you (unknowingly) utter his names thereby.- AzhwAr beautifully advises us here. In the order of Vedas describing PraLayam (Cosmic dissolution) first and then the creation (srushti), AzhwAr elaborates death first (in last ten) and now the birth of children. kaasumkaRaiyudaikkooRaikkum angOr_kaRRaikkum aasaiyinaal angavaththappEridum aadhar_kaaL! kEsavanpErittu neengaLthEniththiruminO naayakann^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 1. 1. Desirous of silk cloth, a couple of jewellery, do not name your children after few jeevathmas (sentient being) and achethanas (non-sentient beings), living therein. Oh ladies! (sthrees! MaadhargaaL) Name your children after Kesavan¡¦s name and rejoice (uttering that sweet name) and get some goodness (irumin) in your lives (puNyam); The mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai), will never ever enter into hell thereafter. If we name after our relatives names; or the village chief's name or some demi god's, perhaps they get pleased and give as gift some jewel or a piece of cloth. But even they are temporary- in their present lives; and it is not their wealth [If its given to them by the Lord Sriman Narayanan]. Due to the divine name of Narayanan, (namely Kesavan and others), when uttered, the mothers never enter hell. This is also applicable to all other names listed in following pAsurams. Here maadhargaaL (ladies are addressed) in next PAsurams, he calls nangaigaaL- and hence he may address only ladies as ladies are the ones who take care of home and children more. Or maadhargaaL- also may mean- ignoramuses. Thus, by naming the children after the Lord Sriman Narayana's names, the mothers become great like Yasodha and Kausalya. Here when AzhwAr addresses the Lord's names, he also means PiraaTTi's names, Acharyas's names... comments Sri UttamUr Swami. angorukooRai araikkuduppadhanaasaiyaal mangiyamaanidasaadhiyin pEridum_aadhar_kaaL! sengaNedumaal! sireedharaa! enRu_azhaiththakkaal nangaikaaL! naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 2. 2. Oh ladies- Having a mean desire to get a piece of cloth around your waist, you name your children after those human beings (who give you such a small cloth)! Oh ladies- who listen to good words (hitha vaarthai) when spoken! Foolish ladies! Call your children as PundareekaakshA! (Red lotus eyed One!) Vishnu! Sridharaaa! and The mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) will never ever enter into hell thereafter. uchchiyil_eNNeyum suttiyumvaLaiyum_ukandhu echchampolindheer_kaaL! enseyvaanpiRar_pEritteer? pichchaipukkaakilum empiraan_thirun^aamamE nachchumin naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 3. 3. Oh mothers! Who are blessed with the wealth of children! Why do you consider getting that small bangles, the oil for the head or the forehead gem stone and name after human beings (other than Narayanan¡¦s names)? Even if you are asked to go begging for a living, you should only desire for naming your children after our most merciful, most helpful (Parama upakArakan- ParamOdhAran, Parama kaaruNikan) Sriman Narayanan's names alone. (because) the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell thereafter. maanidasaadhiyilthOnRiRRu Ormaanidasaadhiyai maanidasaadhiyinpErittaal maRumaikkillai vaanudaimaadhavaa! gOvindhaa! enRu_azhaiththakkaal naanudain^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 4. 4. If you name your children after those beings who are born as humans (who are also samsaaric afflictions like you only- if not worse), there is no way, you can be blessed with even material wealth (leave alone Srivaikunatm). If you call your darling children as Paramapadha nAthA! Maadhavaa! Sriya: Pathi! Govindhaa! Then the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- who is the Swami of our AthmAs- who resides in our AthmAs- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell thereafter. Naan udai naaraNan narakam- pugaaL. Here naan udai naaraNan- Jeer interest as ¡§My NaaraayaNan¡¨ Thiruvaaymozhi Pillai interprets (considering this as something special) saying, ¡§The One who has us- the AthmAs- as His house- sareeram- He- being NaaraayaNan. Jeevathmas are all Naaraas. And He is the master of us. Why do you leave the master¡¦s name and have others¡¦ name instead? AzhwAr considers only himself as naan (I) and glorify His Lord as per Jeer¡¦s commentary- which is also enjoyable. malamudaiyooththaiyilthOnRiRRu Ormalavooththaiyai malamudaiyooththaiyinpErittaal maRumaikkillai kulamudaikkOvindhaa! gOvindhaa! enRuazhaiththakkaal nalamudain^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 5. 5. For the one which is born out of the repository of dirt, and other wastes, and contain all flesh, blood, bones etc., you name after the same one who is also imperfect¨ and waste reservoir like you, there is no way you can redeem yourself for future births. [Instead], if you call your children as Govindhaa! Then, the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) will never ever enter into hell thereafter naadumn^akarum_aRiya maanidappErittu koodiyazhungik kuzhiyilveezhndhuvazhukkadhE saadiRappaayndhathalaivaa! dhaamOdharaa! enRu naadumin naaraNan_tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 6. 6. Mixing with the lowly human beings in the village and suburbs, publicizing to everyone the names of your children after those lowly human beings and do not fall down.. Instead, desire for calling them as Dhaamodharaa! The Sakataasura mardhanaa! The one who destroyed SakatAsurA!) etc. And let the whole world know His glories thereby. And then the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) will never ever enter into hell thereafter. maNNilpiRandhumaNNaakum maanidappErittu angu eNNamonRinriyirukkum Ezhaimanisar_kaaL! kaNNukkiniya karumukilvaNNann^aamamE naNNumin naaraNan_tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 7. 7. Naming your children after the beings who are born out of the earth and go back to the same (from prakrithi back to praktithi) there is no good that we can get. Oh shameless beings! Who think that you are fearless after naming such lowly humans! Desire for naming your children after the divine names of dark rainy cloud like Emperumaan (who has aprAkrutha divya mangaLa vigraham) and then the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell thereafter. nambin^ambiyenRu naattumaanidappErittaal nambumpimbumellaam naalun^aaLil_azhungippOm semperundhaamaraikkaNNan pErittazhaiththakkaal nambikaaL! naaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 8. 8. Naming your children as nimbi, pimbi etc.., after few lowly beings (who do not even have any Athma guNas-and calling them as the one with great Athma guNa ¡V Nambhi and naming our children after them), with a (false) faith of accomplishing something great. Even that faith will vanish after sometime (few days- or months or even years- as you would realize that they too would vanish soon), Instead, oh most virtuous ones! Name your children after the most beautiful red lotus eyed Lord, then the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) will never ever enter into hell thereafter. ooththaikkuzhiyil amudhampaayvadhupOl ungaL mooththirappiLLaiyai enmukilvaNNanpErittu kOththukkuzhaiththuk kuNaalamaadiththiriminO naaththakun^aaraNan tham_annain^arakampukaaL. 9. 9. Like the nectar that passes out of the foul smelling, rotten sewage pipe, name your children (who is also the repository of a human body like you- mootthirapiLLai- yOnijar)- who is born of you, after the divine name of the Lord (so that your children¡¦s name becomes sacred and pure which purifies you like nectar) and if you call them in such sweet names, bathe them, dress them and play with them (calling such a divine name each time), then the mother of children whose names are after SarvEshwaran- Sarvashakthan- Narayanan- our master (naayakan) (naaraayaNan tham annai) ¡V will never ever enter into hell thereafter. seeraNimaal thirun^aamamEyidaththERRiya veeraNitholpukazh vittuchiththanviriththa OraNiyoN_thamizh onbadhOdonRumvallavar pEraNivaigundhaththu enRumpENiyirupparE. (2) 10. 10. The most valorous Sri Vishnuchitthar of SrivilliputthUr sang these ten PAsurams describing elaborately the glories of divine names of Emperumaan and advises (us) to name our children after His divine names. Those who learn these nine PAsurams and the tenth (this one) will be blessed to be at Paramadham forever and ever blissfully. Here AzhwAr addresses himself as Veerar (valorous) as he is the one who unambiguously established the Parathvam of Sriman Narayanan in the assembly of Paandya king. [So, name your children beautifully with His names.. and call them lovingly with full name and enjoy.. Nowadays, people break the names to intolerable levels.. Spoiling the very name itself¡K Srinivasan name becomes Seenu¡K Or Seemaachu.. Narasimhan becomes Nacchu.. (poison).. Parthasarathy is Paacchaa. Srikaanth is Cheekaa. Lakshmi is Yecchimi or lacchu. To top it all Ramanujan is Ramaanju¡, K Desikan is Desi.. Alas! This is worse than nambhi pimpi.. ] PeriyAzhwAr ThiruvadigaLe saraNam