Ranganathar, also known as Sri Ranganatha, Aranganathar, Ranga and Thenarangathan, is the presiding deity over the Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. Sri Ranganatha Swamy is a resting form of Lord Vishnu, based on the great form of the serpent god Adisesha, one of the greatest Hindu gods. His wife is goddess Lakshmi, also known as Ranganayaki. Bhudevi and Nila Devi are their two wives. Most deities describe a “smiling” lord in sleeping or reclining position on the celestial serpent Adisesha in the sea of cosmic dissolution. This is the way he is open to listen to the woes of all his devotees and to bless them. In addition to being worshipped by all Hindus, this form is of particular importance to Vaishnavites community. His name meaning in Tamil “head of the meeting place”, taken from two words Tamil Ranga and Nathan. Although the deity that presides in the form of the lying Vishnu is not part of the Dashavatara, this temple is of particular interest to southern scholars due to the vast history attributed to it in the formation of religion in the south.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Namavali:
om sri-ranga-nathaya namah | devesaya | sri-ranga-brahma-samjnakaya | sesaparyanka-sayanaya | sri-nivasa-bhujantaraya | indra-nilotpala-syamaya | pundarika-nibheksanaya | sri-vatsa-lancitaya | harine | vana-maline ||10 ||
hala-yudhaya | pitambara-dharaya | devaya | naraya | narayanaya | haraye | sribhu- sahitaya | purusaya | maha-visnave | sanatanaya || 20 ||
simhasana-sthaya | bhagavate | vasudevaya | prabhavrtaya | kandarpa-kotilavanyaya | kasturi-tilakaya | acyutaya | sankha – cakra-gada-padma-sulaksitacatur-bhujaya | srimat-sundara-jamatre | nathaya || 30 ||
deva-sikhamanaye | sri-ranga-nayakaya | laksmi-vallabhaya | tejasam-nidhaye | sarva-sarma-pradaya | ahisaya | sama-gana-priyotsavaya | amrtatva-pradaya | nityaya | sarva-prabhave || 40 ||
arindamaya | sri-bhadra-kunkum-aliptaya | sri-murtaye | citta-ranjitaya | sarvalaksan-sampannaya | santatmane | tirtha-nayakaya | sri-ranga-nayakisaya | yajnamurtaye | hiran-mayaya || 50 ||
pranavakara-sadanaya | pranatartha-pradayakaya | goda-pranesvaraya | krsnaya | jagan-nathaya | jayadrathaya | niculapura-vallisaya | nitya-mangala-dayakaya |gandha-stambha-dvayo-llasa-gayatri-rupa-mandapaya | bhrtya-varga-saranyaya || 60 ||
bala-bhadra-prasadakaya | veda-srnga-vimana-sthaya | vyaghrasura-nisudakaya | garudananta-senesa-gaja-vaktradi-sevitaya | sankara-priya-mahatmyaya | syamaya | santanu-vanditaya | pancaratrarcitaya | netre | bhakta-netrotsavapradaya || 70 ||
kalasambhodhi-nilayaya | kamalasana-pujitaya | sananda-nanda -sanakasutramamara-sevitaya | satya-loka-puravasaya | caksuse | astaksaraya | avyayaya | iksvaku-pujitaya | vasisthadi-stutaya | anaghaya || 80 ||
raghavaradhitaya | svamine | ramaya | rajendra-vanditaya | vibhisan-arcitapadaya | lanka-rajya-vara-pradaya | kaveri-madhya-nilayaya | kalyana-puravastukaya | dharma-varmadi-colendra-pujitaya | punya-kirtanaya || 90 ||
purusottama-krta-sthanaya | bhu-loka-jana-bhagya-daya | ajnana-damana-jyotise | arjuna-priya-sarathaye | candra-puskarini-nathaya | candadi-dvara-palakaya | kumudadi-parivaraya | pandya-sarupya-dayakaya | saptavarana-samvitasadanaya | sura-posakaya || 100 ||
navanita-subhaharaya | viharine | narada-stutaya | rohini-janma-taraya | kartikeya-vara-pradaya | sri-rangadhi-pataye | srimate | srimad-ranga-mahanidhaye || 108 ||