Deity

Śatakōpa

சடகோபன்

Also known as: śatakōpa, Shatakopa, Sadagopan, Maran, Parankusha

Meaning

The Sanskrit name of Nammāzhvār. In the traditional account, he is Śaṭakopa because at birth he opposed and drove away the subtle wind called *śaṭam*, associated with the ordinary newborn's contraction into worldly ignorance.

Detailed Explanation

The Name Śatakōpa

Nammāzhvār's Sanskrit name is Śaṭakopa. Guru-paramparā tradition explains that the subtle wind called śaṭam, which affects an ordinary newborn and brings contraction into worldly ignorance, approached him at birth; he angrily opposed and drove it away (kopa toward śaṭam), and so was called Śaṭakopa. The name is not derived from 'one hundred obstacles' or from conquering the six inner enemies. He is also called Parāṅkuśa, Māran, and Kurugai Pirān.

Why He Is "Ours"

Nammāzhvār literally means "our Āzhvār" — the one whom the entire Sri Vaishnava community claims as its own. He is placed at the peak of the guruparamparā on the Āzhvār side — above even Ādiśeṣa and Viśvaksena in some listings, because of the unique divine grace he received.

Tiruvāymozhi: The Tamil Veda

The Tiruvāymozhi (1,102 verses) corresponds to the Sāma Veda in the Sri Vaishnava Pañcakāla framework. It is chanted with the same reverence as Vedic recitation. Nāthamuni, upon receiving the Tiruvāymozhi through his mystical experience at Āzhvār Tirunagari (Kurugai), organized the entire Nālāyira Divya Prabandham and initiated its recitation in temples.

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