Srinivas

Srinivas (Sanskrit श्रीनिवास) is a name for males in India. The word Srinivas is combination of two Sanskrit words, Sri (श्री) and nivasa (निवास).

Etymology

Sri means 'radiance' or 'diffusing light'; nivasa means 'place of residence'. Srinivas is a common reference to Venkateswara (Vishnu), who is considered to be the source of light (as a metaphor for life) in Hindu scriptures.

Sri has also the meaning of Lakshmi who is rendered to be embodied within Venkateswara. Hence the alternate meaning "One within whom Lakshmi (=prosperity) lives".

Srinivas is a modernized version of the original Sanskrit/Hindu name Srinivasa. The use of the word Srinivasan instead of Srinivas is common in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Similarly, the dialectical word, Srinivasulu, is commonly used in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The name is also very much prevalent in Orissa, Maharastra and Karnataka, among other parts of India.

The other variants in English spelling include Sreenivas, Shrinivas, Shreenivas, Srinibas, Shrinibas.

Srinivas (singer)

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Srinivas is a playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He has also worked independently as a music composer, working on films and private albums.

Early life

Srinivas was born in Ambasamudram, Tamil Nadu, though his family moved and has since then lived his entire childhood in Thiruvananthapuram. He started listening to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, KV Narayanaswamy and others through his aunt Padma Narayanan, his guru in music. The work of Kishore Kumar-R.D.Burman deeply influenced him in his childhood days.

He completed his BTech from Bombay University, Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT, now known as ICT); during which he represented his university in youth festivals. After pursuing his career as a chemical engineer and a marketing professional for ten years, he decided to follow his passion for music.

Career

In 1988, Srinivas approached music director Ilaiyaraaja, who was at the helm of Tamil film music. He was offered the opportunity to work with Ilaiyaraaja, but things did not work out, as he was suffering from severe throat infection that day.

Venkateswara

Venkateswara (IAST: Veṅkaṭēśvara), also known as Śrīnivāsa, Bālājī, Veṅkaṭā, and Veṅkaṭācalapati, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara's most prominent shrine is the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple located in Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh in Southern India.

Etymology

Venkataweswara literally means "Lord of Venkata". The word is a combination of the words Venkata (the name of a hill in South India) and isvara ("Lord").

Legend

According to the Tirumala sthala Purana, the legend of Venkateswara's Avatar (incarnation) is as follows:

Once, some rishis headed by Kasyapa began to perform a sacrifice on the banks of the Ganges. Sage Narada visited them and asked them why they were performing the sacrifice and who would be pleased by it. Not being able to answer the question, the rishis approached Sage Bhrigu, who according to the Vedas, is believed to have an extra eye in the sole of his foot. To reach a solution after a direct ascertainment of reality, Sage Bhrigu first went to Satyaloka, the abode of Lord Brahma. At Satyaloka, he found Lord Brahma reciting the four Vedas in praise of Lord Narayana, with each of his four heads, and attended upon by Saraswati. Lord Brahma did not take notice of Bhrigu offering obeisance. Brighu left Satyaloka for Kailasa, the abode of Lord Shiva. At Kailasa, Bhrigu found Lord Shiva deep in meditation with Parvati by his side. Bhrigu called out to Lord Shiva with no response from the Lord, So left for Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu.