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dwadashastotra

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dwAdasha stOtra

This set of twelve sthothras was composed by Acharya Madhva on the occasion of the installation of the Krishna Idol in Udupi. They are unique in that, like a diamond well cut and polished, they display several facets in different directions - Devotion, Thathva Jnana, Musical Rhythm, extreme brevity etc. I have always been fascinated by these and thought that I could share with all of you the enjoyment that one gets with the recitation of these sthothras with simultaneous mental association of the profound meanings which they convey. One can imagine the occasion - Acharya Madhva is meeting for the first time the Krishna Idol worshipped by Rukmini and made by Vishvakarma, the divine architect ; the sea shore, early in the morning with its cool breezes;, the composer who is a Sarvajna and known as Vedasaravith (who knows the essence of the Vedas), and also a musician Par excellance - who sings the glories of the Lord incessantly in the form of Ramayana and other exploits ;, the subject matter of the songs being His beloved Lord, who is coming to stay in Udupi for the redemption of His devotees. My idea is to convey the main meanings in simple english, without too much discussion in depth, of the tenets brought out. Each word or phrase is evocative of the contents of the great compositions of Acharya Madhva - but as stated else where - "Baalasanghamapi bodhayad bhrusham, durniroopavachanam cha pandithaih" - it is intelligible to even children, while it will be difficult to refute even to learned men. I will try to follow with my limited understanding the Teeka of Sri Vishvapathi Tirtha (an ascetic of Pejawara Matha) in explaining the meanings.

There is another story which mentions that the recitation of this sthothra on the occasion of the Ox carrying Acharya Madhva's library of books dying of poison, at his behest,enabled it to come back to the living. Since, then, there is a universal practice to recite at least one of these sthothras at the time of Naivedya not only to please the Lord, but also to guard against accidental poisoning. Even in these troubled times, when most of us feel that we have very little time for prayers, it is well worthwhile to recite at least one of these sthothras - preferably, the THIRD one, while trying to recall the meanings of what we are reciting.

Stotra 1 - vaMdE vaMdyam - moola

Stotra 2 - swajanOdadhisaMvRuddhi pUrNacaMdrO guNArNavaH - moola

Stotra 3 - kuru bhuMkShwa ca karma nijaM niyataM - moola

Stotra 4 - nijapUrNa sukhAmitabOdhatanuH - moola

Stotra 5 - vAsudevAparimeyasudhAman.h (keshava keshava) - moola

Stotra 6 - devakinaMdana naMdakumAra - moola

Stotra 7 - vishvasthitipraLayasargamahAvibhUti - moola

Stotra 8 - vaMditAshEShavaMdyOruvRuMdArakaM (prINayAmO) - moola

Stotra 9 - atimatatamogirisamitivibhedana - moola

Stotra 10 - ava naH shrIpatirapratiradhikeshAdibhavAde - moola

Stotra 11 - udIrNamajaraM divyaM - moola

Stotra 12 - AnaMdamukuMda aravindanayana - moola