||    NaarAyaNi, VaishNavi & RaamAnujA NaamAs    ||

You are correct in your observation about dual (multiple) meanings for the above three names. It is common in Sanskrit to have context-sensitive meanings for names based on the same root.

VaishNavi symbolizes the personified energy or sakthi of VishNu . It is mainly used to refer to VishNu Durgai housed in the ardha mantapam of ThirukkOvalUr , KumbakOnam AarAvamudhan Koil .

NaarAyaNi is an epithet for MahAlakshmi and DurgA . She is the VishNu mAyA born before LOrd KrishNA in the prison of KamsA to Devaki and VasudEvA .

VaishNavi is the presiding deity of AmpatthUr , a town near Chennai . There , the presiding deity has sanka-chakram in Her hands and is considered as the fifty first ( Iympatthu onru ) of the body of Sathi Devi , when it was dispersed all over India by VishNu's chakram , when she immolated herself at Daksha Yajnam and Lord Siva was overpowered by grief and sent AgjOra Veerabhadra to destry His father-in- law , Daksha PrajApathi for insulting Him and His consort . Ampatthur is therefore the 51st Sakthi Peetam in India. It is one of the 108 such peetams . Sri Anbil Ramaswamy has conenctions to AmpatthUr .

The name RaamAnuja can be intrepreted both as the brother of balarAmA or the brother of Sri RamachandrA . In the area near Narmada , there is a temple for LakshmaNA , the brother of Sri RaamA to salute his Kaimkarya Sree . The naamam RaamAnujA is preferred by our elders over LakshmaNA in nmaing the children. BalarAmA again as RaamAnujA pales into insignificance before the mighty deeds of his brother . There are other amsAvathArA aspects that does not endear him to the hearts of Sri VaishNavAs in elevating him to higher levels of worship .

Best Wishes ,
V.Sadagopan

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