Suprabhatam () is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

prayer of the ''Suprabhātakāvya'' genre. It is a collection of

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s or verses recited early morning to awaken the deity in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. The

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

chosen for a Suprabhātam poem is usually ''Vasantatilaka''. The most well-known Suprabhātam work is the Veṅkaṭeśvarasuprabhātam recited to awaken the deity

Venkateswara Venkateswara (, ), also known as Venkatachalapati, Venkata, Balaji and Srinivasa, is a Hindu deity, described as a form or avatar of the god Vishnu. He is the presiding deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala, Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati. Hi ...

. A rendition of the poem by renowned Carnatic vocalist M. S. Subbulakshmi is extremely popular which is played daily in many homes and temples (especially Tirumala Tirupati) in the wee hours of morning.

History

The genre of Suprabhātakāvya traces its origin to a single verse (1.23.2) in the Bālakāṇḍa of Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa, where

Viśvāmitra Vishvamitra (, ) is one of the most venerated rishis or sages of ancient India. Vishvamitra is one of the seven Brahmarshi. According to Hindu tradition, he is stated to have written most of the Mandala 3 of the Rigveda, including the Gayatr ...

calls out to

Rāma Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

to wake up.O Rāma, the noble son of Kausalyā! The Sandhyā of the East commences. O! best of men (Purushottama)! Wake up, the daily duties have to be performed. The Veṅkaṭeśvarasuprabhātam begins with this very verse.

Suprabhatam Works

The Veṅkaṭeśa Suprabhātam is by far the most popular and iconic work composed in the Suprabhātam format. There are many other lesser-known Suprabhātam works apart from the Veṅkaṭeśasuprabhātam. Some of these are - * ''Śrī Vighneśvara Suprabhātam''. A Suprabhātam composition eulogizing Gaṇeśa. * ''Śrī Siddhivināyaka Suprabhātam''. A work praising Siddhivināyaka. Composed by M. Ramakrishna Bhat, retired professor of

Benares Hindu University Banaras Hindu University (BHU), formerly Benares Hindu University, is a Collegiate university, collegiate, Central university (India), central, and Research university, research university located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, and fou ...

. * ''Śrī Kāśīviśvanātha sSuprabhātam''. A Suprabhātam dedicated to Kāśī Viśvanātha. * '' Śrīsītārāma Suprabhātam''. A Suprabhāta poem eulogizing Sītā and

. Composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya. * ''Kāmākshi Suprabhātam';'' A unique composition by Sri Lakshmī Kāntha Sharma, dedicated to Goddess Kāmākshi at

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

* Vedavyasa Suprabhatam written by Sudhindra Thirtha (Kashi Math) of Kashi Math samsthan. *Sri Guruvayoorappa Suprabhatam by P Leela * Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa Suprabhatham in Malayalam by S Balakrishnan Karippara Dharmooth * Śrī Lakshmī Suprabhātam by Anuradha Paudwal * Śrī Durgā Suprabhātam by N.S. Praskah and Gopika Poornima

Śrī Venkaṭeśa Suprabhātam

The Veṅkaṭeśvarasuprabhātam was composed sometime between 1420 and 1432 C.E. by ''Prativādibhayaṅkaram'' Śrī Annan (also known as Hastigirinathar Anna, and P B Annan). The poet was a disciple of Swami Manavala Mamuni, who was himself a disciple of

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

. The Venkaṭeśvara Suprabhātam consists of four sections: Suprabhātam, Śrī Venkaṭeśvara Stotram, Prapatti, and Mangalāśāsanam.

Suprabhātam and meaning

Venkaṭeśvara Stotram

References

Printed sources

External links

{{wikisourcelang, sa, श्रीवेङ्कटेशसुप्रभातम्, Full text in Samskrit Text
Telugu Rendering in WikiSourceDevanagari Rendering
Hindu music Hindu prayer and meditation