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 in Tamil:
॥ அத² ஆர்திஹரஸ்தோத்ரம் ॥
ஶ்ரீ ஶம்போ⁴ மயி கருணாஶிஶிராம்ʼ த்³ருʼஷ்டிம்ʼ தி³ஶன் ஸுதா⁴வ்ருʼஷ்டிம் ।
ஸந்தாபமபாகுருமே மந்தாபரமேஶ தவ த³யாயா꞉ ஸ்யாம் ॥ 1 ॥
அவஸீதா³மி யதா³ர்திபி⁴ரனுகு³ணமித³மோகஸோம்ʼஹஸாம்ʼ க²லு மே ।
தவ ஸன்னவஸீதா³மி யத³ந்தகஶாஸன நதத்தவானுகு³ணம் ॥ 2 ॥
தே³வ ஸ்மரந்தி தவ யேதேஷாம்ʼ ஸ்மரதோ(அ)பி நார்திரிதிகீர்திம் ।
கலயஸி ஶிவ பாஹீதிக்ரந்த³ன் ஸீதா³ம்யஹம்ʼ கிமுசிதமித³ம் ॥ 3 ॥
ஆதி³ஶ்யாக⁴க்ருʼதௌ மாமந்தர்யாமின்னஸாவகா⁴த்மேதி ।
ஆர்திஷுமஜ்ஜயஸே மாம்ʼ கிம்ப்³ரூயாம்ʼ தவக்ருʼபைகபாத்ரமஹம் ॥ 4 ॥
மந்தா³க்³ர்ணீரஹம்ʼ தவ மயி கருணாம்ʼ க⁴டயிதும்ʼ விபோ³னாலம் ।
ஆக்ருʼஷ்டும்ʼ தாந்து ப³லாத³லமிஹ மத்³தை³ன்யமிதி ஸமாஶ்வஸிதி ॥ 5 ॥
த்வம்ʼ ஸர்வஜ்ஞோ(அ)ஹம்ʼ புனரஜ்ஞோ(அ)னீஶோஹமீஶ்வரத்வமஸி ।
த்வம்ʼ மயி தோ³ஷான் க³ணயஸி கிம்ʼ கத²யே துத³தி கிம்ʼ த³யா நத்வாம் ॥ 6 ॥
ஆஶ்ரிதமார்ததரம்ʼ மாமுபேக்ஷஸே கிமிதி ஶிவ ந கிம்ʼ த³யஸே ।
ஶ்ரிதகோ³ப்தா தீ³னார்திஹ்ருʼதி³தி க²லு ஶம்ʼஸந்தி ஜக³தி ஸந்தஸ்த்வாம் ॥ 7 ॥
ப்ரஹராஹரேதிவாதீ³ ப²ணிதமதா³க்²ய இதி பாலிதோ ப⁴வதா ।
ஶிவ பாஹீதி வதோ³(அ)ஹம்ʼ ஶ்ருʼதோ ந கிம்ʼ க்வாம்ʼ கத²ம்ʼ ந பால்யஸ்தே ॥ 8 ॥
ஶரணம்ʼ வ்ரஜ ஶிவமார்தீஸ்ஸதவ ஹரேதி³தி ஸதாம்ʼ கி³ரா(அ)ஹம் த்வாம் ।
ஶரணம்ʼ க³தோ(அ)ஸ்மி பாலய க²லமபி தேஷ்வீஶ பக்ஷபாதான்மாம் ॥ 9 ॥
இதி ஶ்ரீ ஶ்ரீத⁴ரவேங்கடேஶார்யக்ருʼதிஷு ஆர்திஹரஸ்தோத்ரம்ʼ ஸம்பூர்ணம் ॥
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
Also Read:
Artihara Stotram Lyrics By Sri Sridhara Venkatesa AyyavaL in Sanskrit | English | Bengali | Gujarati | Marathi | Kannada | Malayalam | Oriya | Telugu | Tamil