Atmaarpana Stuthi or Unmattha Panchaa Shath.
The Atmaarpana Stuthi is a hymn in Sanskrit language composed by Appayya Dikshitar, one of the great saints and proponent of Advaita Philosophy after Adi Sankara. It is a hymn in praise of Lord Shiva and is also known as ‘Unmattha Panchaa Shath’.
Once Dikshitar felt that he has to put himself to a test as to whether his devotion to Lord Shiva was indeed true. He thought, ‘Suppose I become insane, will my mouth utter the name of Lord Shiva. If that be so, then it must be real.’ So, he embarked on an experiment. He made a paste of Datura seeds. These seeds are poisonous and if taken in, will make a person insane. He also prepared an antidote to this poison.
He called his disciples. He gave them the poisonous paste and the antidote. He told them to give him the first potion for a week and write down whatever he said in that state of mind. After recording this, they have to give after a week, the antidote that would bring him back to normalcy. Indeed it was a remarkable experiment to find out how serious he was about Shiva.
The experiment started. The disciples recorded what he said during that time. It was this hymn on Lord Shiva consisting of fifty verses. ‘Panchaa Shath’ means 50 and ‘Unmattha’ means “one who has lost his mind”. So, it is 50 verses composed during the period when he lost his mind.
Hymns, which are known as Stotras in Sanskrit, are a type of popular devotional literature which are in vogue in the Indian way of life. Stotras are the outpourings of the heart of a devotee of God. Generally, they are in the in the form of poems. A Bhajan is also another important type of devotional literature. Bhajan is any type of devotional song. It has no fixed form. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine. It belongs to a genre of music and arts that developed during the time of the Bhakti Movement that spread from the south of India throughout the entire subcontinent during the Moghul era.
Lord Krishna is a well-known deity in Hinduism. This audio book presents five stotras on Lord Krishna recited by me and two bhajans rendered by my daughter Nithya Venkataraman.
The two bhajans are: Muddhugare Yashoda and Maadhava Maamava.
The stotras are:
Madhurashtkam
Govinda Damodara Stotram
Mukundamala
Govindashtakam and
Bala Mukundashtakam
