It is a short poem composed of nine verses. Here, the poet prays Lord Shiva to eliminate the afflictions of the devotee. He asks if it is acceptable for the Lord not to answer his prayers when it is said that he protects those who even think of him. He then says that he is just the opposite of the Lord, who is almighty and omniscient in that he is weak and ignorant. How is it that the Lord does not feel sorry for him? These verses are very moving in their appeal. The poem is a precious stone and the reader would like to add it to the collection of hymns he will recite during his prayer.
॥ Artihara Stotram Telugu Lyrics ॥
॥ అథ ఆర్తిహరస్తోత్రం ॥
శ్రీ శంభో మయి కరుణాశిశిరాం దృష్టిం దిశన్ సుధావృష్టిం ।
సంతాపమపాకురుమే మంతాపరమేశ తవ దయాయాః స్యాం ॥ 1 ॥
అవసీదామి యదార్తిభిరనుగుణమిదమోకసోంహసాం ఖలు మే ।
తవ సన్నవసీదామి యదంతకశాసన నతత్తవానుగుణం ॥ 2 ॥
దేవ స్మరంతి తవ యేతేషాం స్మరతోఽపి నార్తిరితికీర్తిం ।
కలయసి శివ పాహీతిక్రందన్ సీదామ్యహం కిముచితమిదం ॥ 3 ॥
ఆదిశ్యాఘకృతౌ మామంతర్యామిన్నసావఘాత్మేతి ।
ఆర్తిషుమజ్జయసే మాం కింబ్రూయాం తవకృపైకపాత్రమహం ॥ 4 ॥
మందాగ్ర్ణీరహం తవ మయి కరుణాం ఘటయితుం విబోనాలం ।
ఆకృష్టుం తాంతు బలాదలమిహ మద్దైన్యమితి సమాశ్వసితి ॥ 5 ॥
త్వం సర్వజ్ఞోఽహం పునరజ్ఞోఽనీశోహమీశ్వరత్వమసి ।
త్వం మయి దోషాన్ గణయసి కిం కథయే తుదతి కిం దయా నత్వాం ॥ 6 ॥
ఆశ్రితమార్తతరం మాముపేక్షసే కిమితి శివ న కిం దయసే ।
శ్రితగోప్తా దీనార్తిహృదితి ఖలు శంసంతి జగతి సంతస్త్వాం ॥ 7 ॥
ప్రహరాహరేతివాదీ ఫణితమదాఖ్య ఇతి పాలితో భవతా ।
శివ పాహీతి వదోఽహం శృతో న కిం క్వాం కథం న పాల్యస్తే ॥ 8 ॥
శరణం వ్రజ శివమార్తీస్సతవ హరేదితి సతాం గిరాఽహం త్వాం ।
శరణం గతోఽస్మి పాలయ ఖలమపి తేష్వీశ పక్షపాతాన్మాం ॥ 9 ॥
ఇతి శ్రీ శ్రీధరవేంకటేశార్యకృతిషు ఆర్తిహరస్తోత్రం సంపూర్ణం ॥
Sridhara Venkatesa lived about 300 years ago in Tiruvisanallur, a village in Tanjavur district in Tamilnadu. He was called Tiruvisanallur Ayyaval deeply respected person) out of great respect people held for him. Even today he is known by that name only. He was the son of Lingayaryar who was a minister to the Maharaja of Mysore. Even as a young boy Ayyaval was deeply religious and in particular had a great devotion to Shiva but he made no distinction between Shiva and Vishnu. He studied Vedas, shastras and Puranas and had a great desire to travel and spread the message of the Puranas and in particular the glory of the Lord’s name among the people. After his father’s death, the Maharaja wanted him to take his father’s job but he politely declined and left Mysore state with his wife and mother. He came to Tiruchirapalli in Tamilnadu and stayed for some time giving talks. He was supposed to have brought back to life a woman who had died by praying to the Lord. This attracted people who wanted him to solve their problems. Ayyaval did not like this and left the place. He proceeded to Tanjavur. It seems that King Shahaji 1684-1710.AD) who was ruling at that time in Tanjavur wanted him to stay in Tanjavur but Ayyaval wanted to lead a quiet life. King Shahaji was inviting scholarly brahmins to stay in his kingdom. He renamed the village Tiruvisanallur as Shahajirajapuram.
One street was allotted for their stay. Ayyaval also stayed in a house there. Ayyaval was a proponent of the view that in this dark age Kali chanting the lord’s name will ward off its evil effects. He was the senior contemporary of Bodhendra Swami who was the 59th pontiff of the Shankara Math at Kanchipuram and who was an ardent advocate of the glory of the lord’s name. Ayyaval wrote a book ##bhagavannaamabhuuShaNam## Bagavannamabhushanam) on the subject which is sadly not available now. Bodhendra Swami had also written a book ##naamaamR^itarasaayanam## Namamritarasayanam)on the subject wherein he had made references to the work of Ayyaval. Once Ayyaval had to perform a sraddha ceremony in his house. Therein food is prepared and offered to the departed forefathers who are invoked in three brahmins invited for the occasion. When everything was getting ready Ayyaval saw an outcast with his family in a famished condition begging for food. His heart melted with compassion at their condition. Without any hesitation, he offered them the food that was being prepared for the ceremony. He then had the house washed and prepared to conduct the ceremony again. But the brahmins in the village considered this act reprehensible and refused to conduct the ceremony again. Ayyaval pleaded with them quoting texts from the scriptures to support his action but the Brahmins were not convinced. He asked them what he should do to remedy the situation. They said that the only atonement was having a bath in the Ganges. But there was no time to go to Varanasi and return. So he prayed to Lord Shiva in Gangashtakam) to release the waters of Ganga from His matted hair as he did on an earlier occasion for Bhagiratha. Water started flowing out of the well in his house and flooded the streets of the village.
The villagers got scared and prayed to Ayyaval to forgive them and stop the flood that was threatening the village. He accordingly prayed again to stop the flooding and requested her to appear in the well every year on that day. Even now people flock to that place every year on that day and take bath in the waters of the well in the belief that Ganga is present in the well on that day. Ayyaval had composed a number of works some of which are not yet been printed and some not available. Some of his works are listed below.
1) Bhagavannama Bhushanam.
2) Akhyashashti
3) Daya Satakam
4) Matrubhtasatakam
5) Stuti Paddati
6) Shivabhakthikalpalatha
7) Shivabhaktha Lakshanam
8) Taravali Stotram
9) Artihara Stotram
10) Kuliresvarashtakam
11) Jambhunathashtakam
12) Doshapariharashtakam
13) Krishnadwadasa manjari
14) Achyuthashtakam
15) Dola Navarathnamala
16) Padamanimanjari – a Sanskrit dictionary
17) Shahajiraja Charitam
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