Sharanagati Gadyam () is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified a ...

, written by the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

philosopher

Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...

towards the end of the 11th century. It is one of the first ''

bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

'' prayers in the

Sri Vaishnava Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...

school of thought and is the basis for many prayers, like the ''Raghuveera gadyam,'' also of this style. It is recited in the 108 ''

Divya Desam A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and the la ...

'' temples, including

Srirangam Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first amon ...

Composition

According to Sri Vaishnava tradition, Ramanuja and his disciples once visited the Ranganatha temple in

on ''panguni uttiram'', a day in the Tamil calendar month of ''panguni'' (in spring) on the day of the ascension of the star called Uttiram. According to this tradition, the star Uttiram was in ascent when the goddess of the temple, Sri

Ranganayaki Ranganayaki, is the presiding goddess of the Sri Ranganathaswami Temple at Srirangam. Affectionately called ''Thayar'' ("Holy Mother" in Tamil), she is the consort of Ranganatha, the presiding deity of Srirangam. She is regarded as the manifest ...

Tayar, (

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

) was born, and also the day she married the god

Ranganatha Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form of ...

(

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

). Ramanuja is regarded to have been inspired by the festivities of the day and subsequently composed the Sriranga Gadyam, Sharanagati Gadyam, and the Vaikuntha Gadyam.

Content

Sharanagati Gadyam, unlike the commentaries of Ramanuja on Vedanta, does not have detailed philosophical debates. Instead, it is a pure expression of ''bhakti'' and describes a transcendental conversation between Ramanuja and

Narayana Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is co ...

with Sri (also known as

). He first describes the limitless kindness of Sri, and asks that she recommend him to

, viewing the goddess as the accessible nature of God. Then, after her approval, he approaches Narayana and describes him as in the Sriranga Gadyam. He explains that he has committed many sins and is ignorant of philosophy and asks that he be accepted into the list of devotees of Narayana. He only asks that he be blessed so he becomes a supreme devotee, never forgetting to serve Narayana. Pleased by his humility and his total surrender, Sri and Narayana bless him for his single act of surrender, removing his

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

and offering him

moksha ''Moksha'' (; sa, मोक्ष, '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'' and ''mukti'', is a term in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, enlightenment, liberation, and release. In its soteriology, ...

Style

The prayer is in prose, with alternating long and short sentences and many adjectival phrases.

References

{{reflist Mantras Hindu mantras Sri Vaishnavism