ONAAMAASIIDHAM

[Satyavolu, Uma R]

The traditional aksharabhyasam for a child in Andhra Pradesh consists of
the parent guiding the initiate's hand to inscribe "Om namah Sivayah Siddham
Namah."  I have on several occasions enquired of the person officiating this
rite, and always received vague answers like "sampradayam" and "acharam" as
the source of this practice.  It would be very enlightening to learn the true
source of this phrase.  Incidentally, an ignorant person is characterised as
one who cannot say "Nam" after "O"--the Telugu colloquialism being "O Na Ma."
All this is to say, I too would like to know.
Uma Satyavolu Rau