Authorship and Context
Śrī Stuti ('Praise of Śrī') is composed by Vedānta Deśika (Veṅkaṭanātha, traditionally dated 1268–1369 CE), the preeminent Āchārya of the Vaḍakalai school (born 131 years after Rāmānuja's passing). It is one of Vedānta Deśika's celebrated stotras. It is not part of Kūrattāzhvān's Pañcastava; the corresponding Lakṣmī hymn in that five-stava corpus is Śrī Stava.
Content
The hymn praises Śrī Lakṣmī as the supreme intercessor — the divine mother who, moved by Her boundless compassion, advocates for bound souls before Bhagavān. Vedānta Deśika meditates on Her inseparability from Nārāyaṇa, Her role as Puruṣakāra (the one who recommends the soul to the Lord), and Her unique compassionate nature that transcends even His strict justice.
Theological Importance
Śrī Stuti is a primary textual basis for the Puruṣakāra doctrine — the teaching that Lakṣmī serves as the mediating grace between the surrendered soul and Bhagavān. It is recited in Śrī Vaiṣṇava worship and studied alongside Rāmānuja's Śrī Gadyam as a meditation on the role of Śrī.