The ''Raghuvira Gadyam'' (), also rendered the ''Mahavira Vaibhavam'', is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

written by the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

philosopher

Vedanta Desika Vedanta Desika (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikan, Swami Vedanta Desika, and Thoopul Nigamantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sanskrit ...

. Comprising 96 verses, the ''Raghuvira Gadyam'' extols

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

, an

avatar Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

of the deity

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. The hymn describes various episodes of the epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'', composed in the ''kathora-sukumara'' poetic style.

Etymology

''Raghuvira'' is an epithet of Rama, literally meaning, "hero of the

Raghu Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavansha dynasty in Hinduism. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King Dilīpa and Queen Sudakshina. The history of his dynasty is elaborated upon by the poet Kalidasa in his ''Raghuvamsha''. He ...

clan", and a ''gadyam'' is a form of prose used in

Sanskrit literature Sanskrit literature is a broad term for all literature composed in Sanskrit. This includes texts composed in the earliest attested descendant of the Proto-Indo-Aryan language known as Vedic Sanskrit, texts in Classical Sanskrit as well as some ...

Description

Vedanta Desika is regarded to have composed this work when he visited the Devanathaswamy Temple located at Tiruvahindrapuram. The hymn is recited during the ''

brahmotsavam A brahmotsava (), also rendered mahotsava and tiruvila () is the principal festival of a Hindu temple. Commonly held in South India, the ''murti''s of a temple's deities are dressed in silk garments, decorated with ornaments, garlands, and other ...

'' festival of the deity of the temple. The '' Sriranga Gadyam'' of

Ramanuja Ramanuja ('; Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmānuja; 1077 – 1157), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and social reformer. He is one of the most important exponents of the Sri Vaishnavi ...

served as an inspiration for this work and is similar in composition.

Hymn

In opening verses of the hymn, the poet extols Rama: {{Blockquote, text=victory to you, victory to you, O great hero, the foremost of the valiant ones,
whose unmatched valour was praised by the devas during their conflict with the asuras,
who took the form of the son of Dasharatha towards the request of the devas, who were tormented by the ten-headed Ravana
who is the sun of the lotus of the Solar dynasty,
who removed the debt of Dasharatha, who helped Indra in his war,
who was born as the prince of Kosala's daughter and hid the reason for his birth,
who protected the ritual sacrifice of Vishvamitra like it were child's play,
who is saluted by an assembly of divine arrows waiting for your instructions in battle,
who shines with fearsome shoulders that lead to the destruction of the enemies of those who salute you,
who used tiny arrows to slay Tataka and humiliate her sons, preventing them from further torment

See also
* '' Sriranga Gadyam'' * '' Sharanagati Gadyam'' * ''
Vaikuntha Gadyam The Vaikuntha Gadyam () is a Sanskrit prayer written by the Hinduism, Hindu philosopher Ramanuja towards the end of the 11th century. It is one of the first ''bhakti'' prayers in the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava school of thought and is the basis ...
''

References
14th-century Sanskrit literature Vaishnava texts Sanskrit poetry Hindu poetry