Kazhiyur village is located near Cheyyar in North Arcot district about 81 km towards east of Thiruvannamalai and about 103 KM from Chennai .
TEMPLE ENTRANCEADHIKESAVA PERUMAL UTSAVAR ” GLORIFIED AS VARADAR “
Almost 130 years ago Sri vaishnavaite Aiyyangars migrated from Mannargudi another holy place in Tanjavur and came to settle down in this village.
TEMPLE ENTRANCE
It is said that a plague like epidemic made people leave Mannargudi long long back .
YATHIRAJAVALLI THAYAR TEMPLE ENTRANCE
The srivaishnavas were disciples of His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Mudaliandaan swamigal who is the first and the dearest disciples of Swami Ramanuja.
Kazhiyur temple
It is believed that the srivaishnavas , carried the deity of Lord Adhi Keshava Perumal all the way from Mannargudi on their head to Kazhiyur the present place and worshipped the LORD by constructing a temple with the locals support . Elders believe that the deity was sculpted from a meteorite that had fallen from the divine abode .
WAY TO TEMPLE KONERI ( TANK )
It is not a practice to abandon Perumal even in adverse circumstances.
TEMPLE ENTRANCE
The Lordship gives darashanam in Nindra Thirukolam ( standing posture).
After their resettlement in Kazhiyur, the village became a cradle of Vedic scholars, purohits and astrologers.
TEMPLE GARDEN
The devoted families lived in the Agraharam (first row of houses built around the temple and occupied by the temple priests)
ROUTE TO TEMPLE
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ROUTE TO TEMPLE
The Agraharam is located around the temple of ‘Sri Adhi Keshava Perumal Swamy’, which was also built and maintained with financial support from the local Mudaliars and many devotees . Kazhiyur has been a great centre of Vedic Astrology.
They have been uniformly well versed in astrology and are keepers of the most ancient astrological knowledge in the world.
Almost all of them have been treated like the religious leaders and the astrological guides from time immemorial.
SREEMOORTHY IN TEMPLE
Many Kazhiyur families have been practicing astrology for more than seven generations in an unbroken tradition since they first arrived in 1840.
ENTERING KAZHIYUR VILLAGE
It is believed that in ancient times there was a temple dedicated to Goddess Kali near to the main temple and hence the village is called ‘Kazhiyur’ the home of Goddess Kali.
LORD ADHIKESAVA PERUMAL IN CHANDANA KAPPU
After moving to Kazhiyur the srivaishnavaites engaged themselves in agriculture apart from performing the temple services .
Due to this reason they are also called the Mannar Mudumbai families a direct connection to Lokacharyar Swamy Pillai Lokacharyar’s legacy .
They were orthodox and are considered to be an authority on Sri Vaishnavism.
THE ROUTE TO TEMPLE AT SUNSET
Unlike other South Indians who carry the name of village and the name of the father as their initials the Kazhiyur srivaishnavas use the initials K. M. meaning Kazhiyur Mannar.
It was an attempt to retain the Mannargudi identity.
The priests from Kazhiyur have been serving in some seva or other in almost all the 106 Sri Vaishnavite temples and the majority of them at Tirumala , Sholingur , and southern side vaishnava divya desams .
KAZHIYUR POND FROM WHERE WATER IS TAKEN TO TEMPLE AND HOUSES
The first Priest who served even in the Temples at United states of America are from Kazhiyur .
SRI YATHIRAJAVALLI THAYAR
Kazhiyur is also closely connected with the Sri Ramar Sannadhi and the temple of Shree Govindaraja at the foothills of the Tirupati temple.
UTSAVAR VARADAR THIRUVADEE OF KAZHIYUR TEMPLE
Srivaishnavas from Kazhiyur were also chosen to carry the offerings from the Lord of Seven Hills at Tirumalai to the temple of Govindaraja at foothills.
The priests walked bare-footed all the way down the hill carrying the offerings on their head.
Kazhiyur has been very closely linked to Kancheepuram from the very inception. Every year during the month of January, July and December, the utsavar ( processional deity ) of Lord Adi Keshava Perumal , shri Varadar is taken in a procession to the Iyengar Kulam, a lake at the outskirts of Kancheepuram.
Varthamaana His holiness Sri Sri Sri Mudali Andaan swami
About forty people start the procession and many more join them en-route to Kancheepuram. The procession travels on foot for the entire stretch of 18 km. After arriving at Iyengar Kolam, the Lord is given a ceremonial bath in the kolam and then taken back to Kazhiyur with pomp and show .
This custom has been inspired from the grand festival ( Lord Varadharaja going to ‘Padai Seevaram’ on the day of Chithirai Poornima at Tirupati) . This ritual is also known as ‘Parvettam’ (forest hunting).
KALI AMMAN
Today out of few houses in Kazhiyur Agraharaham , only six or seven houses are occupied and the remaining are kept locked.
However, every year during the month of April, on the day of Chittirai Revathi, the birth star of Lord Adi Keshava ,
Kazhiyur srivaishnavas from all over the world gather in the village to celebrate the annual festival.
ADIYENS GRUHAM AT SECUNDERABAD
Shri Kodandan swamy is the present temple priest who is serving the temple past two decades leaving his lucrative job .
Shri Kodandan swami the chief Priest and Kazhiyur varadan
Adiyen is blessed to be born in this glorious village and feel honored to be among st the illustrious and glorious elders .
Swamy Thirukachi nambhigal while continuing his fanning service to Lord Sri Varadaraja Perumal his aalavattam (fan) slipped and fell on Lord.
Thirukachi Nambhigal immediately realized that the time for him to leave this materialistic world had come.
Nambhigal requests Perumal to grant him Moksham. Lord Varadaraja Perumal says that granting Moksham to Thirukachi Nambhigal is not possible as he doesn’t yet have “Bhaagavatha Sambhandham”. Thirukachi Nambhigal then replies that he had been under the tutelage of Sri Alavandaar Himslef, to which Lord says that He was the one who had sent Nambhigal to Alavandar and that would not be counted as “Bagavatha Sambandam”. And interestingly Perumal adds “Neer Veesiner, Naan Pessinen”. This incident highlights the regard Perumal has for Bhagavathas and also shows how we should respect our fellow Bhagavathas.
Thirukachi Nambhigal now decides to “earn” some Bhaagavatha Abhimaanam. He takes leave from Lord Varadaraja and then proceeds to the home of the great Acharya Thirukostiyur Nambhi. He was well aware that Thirukostiyur Nambhi (Swami Ramanuja’s acharya) would not accept as a domestic help someone whom Lord Varadaraja himself had conversed with. So Thirukachi Nambhigal under the guise of a common peasant introduces himself as Gajendra Dasan (his Birth name) and requests for some work from Thirukostiyur Nambhigal. Unaware that it was Thirukachi Nambhigal himself seeking work, Thirukostiyur Nambhigal asks him to take care of his cows and bullock cart.
Thirukachi Nambhigal too is relieved and happy that he has had an opportunity to serve a great acharya. One rainy day Thirukostiyur Nambhigal finds his cows missing and asks his shishyas to find the cows. But the shishyas are reluctant to go in the heavy rains & winds. So Thirukostiyur Nambhi decides to look for the cows by himslef and calls for Thirukachi Nambhigal for help. Thirukachi Nambhigal instantly replies “Adiyen” and Thirukostiyur Nambhi looks in the direction of the voice.
To his wonder, Thirukachi Nambhigal had bought the cows home and also covered them with his own cloths too. Nambhi is instantly pleased at Thirukachi nambhigal’s devotion and then instantly calls his wife and says “Give food to our man”. Since Nambhi had called him as Nam Mattukaran, which signifies a relationship and hence Bhagavatha Sambandham. The next day Nambhi changes to his original attire as when fanning The Lord Varadaraja Perumal and reveals his identity and narrates the sequence of incidents that led him to coming as Gajandra dasan to Thirukostiyur Nambhigal.
Finally, after being blessed with Baagavatha Sambandham, Nambhigal returns to Lord Varadaraja Perumal’s sanctum sancatorium. Like an eager mother expecting her child back, Lord Varadaraja with open arms welcomes Nambhigal right at the steps and praises Thirukachi Nambhigal’s steadfast devotion and affection. At this moment Thirukachi Nambhigal sings the mesmerising “Devaraja Ashtakam”, glorifying the Lord’s boundless love for His Bakthas and the pains of this materialistic world!
And then, Nambhigal attains moksham to serve Sriman Narayana in Sri Vaikuntam permanently .
Many many years ago , a chieftain, Munayadarayan by name, was ruling this Nagapattinam region .
He used to honour his food only after praying to Lord Sowri Raja Perumal of Thirukannapuram and due to his devotion spent all his wealth in the service of the Lord . For defaulting tax payment to the king, he was arrested.
The Lord appeared in the dream of the king and ordered him to release Munayadarayan immediately. When the chieftain returned from the custody at night, his wife served him Pongal .
As usual he offered it to the Lord at the temple .But the temple doors were closed .He became sad and so he offered the prasadam through his manasika pooja and then honored the prasadam.
Next day,
when the priest opened the temple, they found the pudding on the lips of the Lord Sowri Raja Perumal.
The king also was surprised to see the Lord accepting the Pongal offered by the chieftain. Now, Pongal is offered to the Lord during the night puja and this is called Munayadarayan Pongal.
The custom of offering Pongal as done by the chieftan continues still.
Thirukannapuram” is the abode of Sri Sowri Raja Perumal.
Once a year, on the occasion of Maasi Magam, the Lord is taken on a procession to the sea shore near Karaikal, about 20 kms from here.
Lord Sowriraja perumal is seen with prayoga chakkra in his hands. The place is considered as Bhoolokha vaikundam.
This Vaishnava Divya desam temple is located on the Kumbakonam / Mayavaram-Nannilam-Nagapattinam route.
One has to get down at Thiru Pugalur and take auto (2kms).
The temple can also be reached directly from Thiruvarur.
The temple has a 7-tier rajagopuram and a vast temple complex.
The Nithya pushkarini just in front of the Temple is so vast that it looks more like a large lake..
This is the temple where the Lord showed Vibheeshana, brother of Demon king Ravana, his walking beauty.
After seeing the sleeping beauty of Vishnu as Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam, Vibheeshna wanted to see the walking beauty of the Lord, upon which he was directed by the Lord to his “Keezh(akku) Veedu’ (Eastern Gateway of the Lord). It is believed that Lord Vishnu displayed his ‘walking beauty’ to Vibheeshana here on the new moon day. To mark this event, on every Amavasya day at 12noon, Lord SowriRajan is carried out of the Sanctum and walks to the Vibheeshna Sannidhi.
Acharyar Varadaguru the great Acharya had the deepest bhakti to Lord Varadaraja. One night when he was serving ” LORD” in an ecstatic mood, the priest brought very hot milk to the Lord as offering .
Acharyar Varadaguru was deeply distressed that such hot milk would burn the tender tongue of the Lord! He stopped the priest from offering the hot milk and began cooling it down until it was warm enough to be offered .
The Lord himself was moved by the Vatsalya bhava of Varadaguru and called him ‘Amma’ – my mother! From then onwards Varadaguru became Nadadoor Ammal. After this episode, in a dream one night, Lord Varadaraja commanded Ammal to erect a Mantapam for His Vasantotsavam. Accordingly Ammal fulfilled the Lord’s desire, just as a mother would fulfill the wishes of her son in spite of difficulties.
Another glorious pastime remains to be cherished .
Once Ammal and his disciples undertook a pilgrimage to Tirumalai hills. The graceful personality and humility of Acharyar attracted the people there.. A Chieftain Kandavaran was the leader of that Lada race . He was annoyed and irritated to see the crowd falling the the feet of Acharyar.
He decided to disturb them. With his mantric power he made the disciples unconscious. Ammal meditated and chanted the Sudarsana maha mantra
and his own composition ‘Hetipungavastotram’ and broke the spell.
The angry Kandavaran called Ammal for a debate and when defeated surrendered to the Acharya himself. The benevolent guru not only excused him but also made him a Srivaishnava by offering him Panchasamskaras.
With the money offered by Kandavaran, Ammal established a beautiful village and named it ‘Ladagraharam’ and continued his journey.
On the way, the Lord himself came as a young brahmachari and appeased the hunger of the pilgrims with curd and rice. At the same time, there was a big commotion in the temple as the silver vessel with the naivedyam had suddenly disappeared.
Lord Venkateswara Himself announced to the temple authorities that He Himself fed his dear Ammal and his disciples and that they should receive Ammal with all temple honours who will be arriving shortly .
Swami Engalazhwan was Acharya of Nadathur Ammal , who was the direct disciple of Thirukkurukaippiran Pillan .
Peyazhwar the senior most Azhwar was maintaining a garden and another devotee Parama Siva Vakyar used to walk that way. They both used to discuss about the religion they followed and wanted to establish about the religion followed was superior. One day Peyazhwar took a weak rope with knots and a pot with holes and drew water from the well and poured it to plants that he planted upside down. Siva Vakyar who came along saw this and laughed loudly. Peyazhwar asked him why he was laughing. He replied that he was behaving like a foolish person man as the plant , that was planted upside down and the pot that contained no water as it had holes , what purpose would it serve. In giving you the fruit ? Peyazhwar turned around and told him that he was the one who was being misguided .Peyazwar told him that the rope was the example for his Athma which is searching through different religions to find the Paramathma, but not succeeded in its search for the truth and still going on searching. He told him that our ancestors had explained in the following verse“ Thirumaal is like the root of the plant and the only ParamporuL. ( LORD ) From the root only leaves, branches, flowers and fruits appear . Similarly all the deities took forms only from the root and so they might wither away at some time or other. Hence it is foolishness to think that the other parts of the plant are superior to the root, meaning without the root the plant cannot survive. Peyazwar’s explanation put Siva Vakyar in deep thought.
He realized that he was still searching for the true knowledge , but couldn’t find it. He requested Peyazhwar to accept him as his disciple. And slowly understanding the greatness of the Vaishnava sampradaya became Thirumazisaiyazwar and started following sri vaishnavism and serving Peyazhwar .
Later he took leave of Peyazhwar and went on divya desa yathra. After visiting few divya desams he went to Kancheepuram and served LORD VARADARAJA there.
KaNiKaNNan a devotee , requested Thirumazisaiyazwar to accept him as his disciple. Azhwar accepted him as his disciple. At his ashram an old lady used to come and clean his place, and perform small service to him. One day she prayed him that being old she felt that she may not be able to serve him longer and regretted for joining this pious service after becoming old. Azhwar was touched with her devotion and sincerity and blessed her regain her youth .
One day the king who ruled over Kanchi happened to see this lady who was so beautiful after Azhwars blessings , and instantly fell in love with her. He married her and took her to his palace. As years rolled by the king was becoming old, but his wife was as young as she was when he got her married. He asked her what was the secret and she told him what had happened with her after serving Azhwar .She suggested the King to ask KaNaikaNNan to request Azhwar to the palace and pray for the same. . The king sent for KaNIkaNNan and told him to bring Azhwar and compose a verse in his praise and to change him young. KaNikaNNan told him that Azhwar would not compose verse praising mortals, but only in praise of Thirumaal. The king told KaNikaNNan, in that case being a true devotee of the Azhwar, he should compose a verse . But KaNIkaNNan refused his request and the king got very angry with him. He ordered him to leave the city immediately. KaNikaNNan went and told Azhwar all that had happened, and also told him that he was leaving the city as for the king’s order. Azhwar got very upset and told that when his disciple was not allowed to stay, he also would leave the city. He prayed to the Lord and requested Him also to join along with them folding His AravaNai. ( THE FOLDING MAT WHERE HE WAS RECLINING )
Lo presto! What a surprise! The Lord obeyed his true devotee’s order, He got up and followed his devotees out of the city, folding His snake-bed and sticking it under arm.
The next moment the whole city plunged into darkness and ill omens occurred. The king got frightened and called his ministers for quick remedy. They told him that he had committed a big blunder by expelling a true devotee of the Lord and so no other alternative, but to go and ask for his pardon and beseech him to come back. The king along with his courtiers reached the place where Azhwar and KaNikaNNan were staying for the night. He fell at their feet and begged them to return to the city. Azhwar again requested the Lord to return to his abode with His snake-bed and the Lord also was happy to return. From then onwards the Lord got the name Sonna VaNNAm Seytha Perumal and in Sanskrit Yathokthakari. The place they stayed for the night got the name Oriravu Irukkai and at present is known as Orikkai where a Mani Mandapam is erected.A special feature of Thirumazhisai Azhwar at the Jagannatha Perumal temple in Kancheepuram is that he is seen with a third eye. Thirumazhisai Azhwar’s contribution to the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham includes over 200 verses (Naanmugan Thiruvanthaathi and Thiruchandha Viruththam) of praise. Thirumazhisai Azhwar spent his final years at Thiru Kudanthai and attained moksham there.
During his short exile from Srirangam , Swamy Ramanujar was staying at Thondanur in Karnataka . Once , Swami Ramanuja found that there was no Thiruman ( Tilak) to apply . He was sad and thus submitted his prayers to Lord to show him the place where he could get the white clay ( Thiruman ) .
The Lord who always comes to the aid of His true devotee, appeared in his dream. LORD told him to go to Yadhavadri where there was a tank called Kalyani Pushkarani where he could locate the ThirumaN.
He also expressed that there was a Thulasi vanam nearby. Under the Thulasi plant he could find the Lordships buried underneath. LORD advises Swamy Ramanuja to bring the deity and after all the purification rites , construct a temple for Him. Swami Ramanuja was very happy and at once started walking towarsd the place to find LORD and Thiruman. With the able guidance and love for Swami Ramanuja , King Vishnuvardan sent his men to make a path for Swami Ramanuja as he had to travel through the forest. Swami Ramanuja reached Kalyani pushkarani.
To his surprise , He found lot of white clay near Kalyani pushkaraNi. On further trekking , He found the Lord’s Moola Murthi in Thulasi vanam under the mole. Lord was carefully taken out reciting vedic chants .The King was excited and immediately ordered that a temple for LORD has to be built .
Accordingly necessary consecration was conducted. The King and people were very happy and honored Swamy Ramanuja very much. Swami Ramanuja made all arrangements for Nithya puja according to agama sasthras. But being in a far location , the people had to come to the temple to have darshan of the Lord. But those who were old and sick could not have His darshan. This was a cause of concern as Utsavar deity of LORD was not there .
Once again the Lord appeared in his dream pleased with Swamy Ramanuja for building a temple and installing him, and declared the Uthsava murthi Sri Ramapriyar was at the custody of Badasha devotee daughter at Delhi .
Swami Ramanuja immediately left to Delhi with his disciples. He reached Delhi after nearly two months. He met the Delhi Badshah ( Emperor) in his palace. The Badshah was very much impressed with Swami Ramanuja’s knowledge and his thejas.
Swami informed him that he came to know that the king had the Idol of Sri Ramapriyar and he wanted to take him back to Yadavadri as per Lord’s command . The king requested Swamy Ramanuja to be escorted with his men to the museum where he had kept all his collections of deities and was free to take .
Sadly , Swami Ramanuja was not able to find Sri Ramapriyar diety in the museum . Swami was disappointed and worried. He returned to the place where he was staying. Again that night Swami Ramanuja prayed and beseeched the Lord to show him the place where He was being worshipped .
That night the Lord appeared in his dream and revealed that Badshah’s daughter was worshiping Him in her palace .
The next morning Swami Ramanuja informed the king that his daughter was having the deity of Sri Ramapriyar.The king was surprised to hear this. He said,” Oh! Is the Idol my daughter dotes on is your Ramapriyar? She is very fond of the idol and I do not think she would agree to part with it.
She does every thing with so much love to him .
But I am sure that she would vehemently oppose to part with it. But being a King , I do not want to go back on my words also. I’ll take you to the entrance of her room.
You call out your LORDs name and if he comes to you on His own then you can take Him.” They went to the Badsha’s daughter’s palace and the Badsha told his daughter about Swami Ramanuja’s wish. The princess was quite upset to hear it.
Swami closed his eyes and prayed, “My beloved Lord! All along you only showed me the place where you were staying and brought me this far. I came here to take you to the place where you belong. You have to come back to your place to give darshan to your devotees !
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Kindly grace me with this dictum given by the King . Now , Swami Ramanuja with folded hands and bent head lovingly calls , “Oh! My Lord! My Chella piLLaay! Please come and sit on my lap!”
And Lo! to everybody’s surprise ,
The most spectacular scene was witnessed by people who were there………..
Lord got down from the Prince’s decorated bed and walked slowly while his anklets made sweet sound and his crown dazzled. He sat on Swami Ramanuja’s lap and with tears , Swami Ramanuja embraced and fondled the LORD as a father would dote on his child.
Filled with emotion he called him, “You are my Chella Pillai! You are my treasure (Sampath)”…..
The Delhi Badsha was spell bound to see the scene. He cried, “Achcha! Achcha! You are really the great guru! Even the Lord loves you and I can understand He came and sat on your lap when you called Him! It shows your greatness! Now who am I to stop you to take Him to His abode?”.
The King with great respect gave presents to the Lord and Sri Ramanuja . The King provided a palanquin to the Lord.
Swamy Ramanuja was very happy and started his return journey.
With the sudden developments , happening around the Kings daughter started crying and pleaded with him to go along with her lover Sriramapriyar . No amount of cajoling explaining that their religion is quite different and people would call her mad with her behaviour does appeal her . The princess remarks that she would die if she parted with her lover Ramapriyar. The King with no other option left makes arrangements to send her with escorts. Enroute , some robbers surround Swami Ramanuja and others and attempt to rob the gifts given by the King . But ,the local harijans give them a tough fight and send them away and escort Swami Ramanuja upto to Melkote. Swamy Ramanuja out of love to their devotion to LORD christened them as ‘Thirukulathar’ .
They were allowed inside the temple to have darisanam of Lord . The kings daughter in pangs of separation , enters the temple and merges with the Lord, like Andal and ThirupaNazwar.
Swami Ramanuja is stunned and impressed with her devotion he makes arrangement for an idol of the princess and installed it in the temple and she is affectionately called Bibi Nachiyar.
Religion and caste is no bar for a true devotee. The Lord accepts a true devotee without any inhibition. There is a separate sannadi for Bibi Nachiar in the Srirangam temple also.
Lord Ramapriyar loved Swami Ramanuja, his true devotee and revealed the places where he was staying. When Swamy Ramanuja called out to HIM , He came dancing and sat on his lap. He did not discard Bibi Nachiyar who also loved him dearly and followed as per his devotees choice .
Swami Thiru-kachchi Nambi occupies a very unique position, both as an Acharyar, and as an advanced devotee of Lord Varadaraja . Swamy Nambi is one of the very few devotees with whom the Lord Himself conversed regularly.
Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi appeared at a place called poo irunda valli (currently called poonamallee, near Chennai). He moved to kAnchIpuram, and started performing devotional service to LORD Varadaraja at Kancheepuram temple.
His service was to fan the Lord of Kanchi, Swami Varadaraja, everyday in the late morning-early afternoon, and in the night before Lord takes rest .
While carrying out the service (called thiru-Ala-vatta Kainkaryam in tamil), Lord Varadaraja used to talk to Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi about the happenings of the world. The topics used to be anything from how the temple was being run, to the happenings in the city of Kanchipuram and esoteric topics about philosophy.
The Lord considered swami thiru-k- kachchi nambi as His closest friend, and talked to him just like any friend would.
All this was due to the great qualities of swami thiru-k- kachchi nambi – his supreme devotion to Lord Varadaraja, his being devoid of any ego, and his being a true servant of the Lord, wanting no other thing but service to the Lord.
One incident in his life is used to show how much Lord cared for him.
One morning, after the rituals were completed in the temple , Swami thiru-k- kachchi nambi was performing the usual Kainkaryam of fanning the Lord. They were immersed on some interesting topic, and time passed without both of them noticing.
Suddenly , It began to rain very heavily.
The time for thiru-k- kachchi nambi to go home for his afternoon prasadam arrived, and the Lord seemed to be resting.
Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi took leave from the Lord, and went outside the covered Mantapam. It was raining very heavily, and hence he could not go.
Nambi was concerned that if he is delayed, coming back to the temple for evening services would be a problem .He was restless as at no point the evening service can be delayed .
Suddenly, an aged Sri Vaishnava person appeared with an umbrella, and told swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi that Lord Varadaraja had instructed him to accompany to his home with the umbrella, and bring him back. for the evening service .
Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi was very moved with his kindness. He thanked the Sri Vaishnava and the Lord for this trouble.
Evening came, and swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi was delayed a little bit in starting for the temple.
The Sri Vaishnava who accompanied him to his house was still there, waiting for him, so that he could accompany him back to the temple. Meanwhile, in the temple, the priests arrived to start performing the evening rituals. When they entered the sanctum , they were shocked and taken aback.
The Lord was not there in the temple! They looked everywhere, and the Lord was not there! They were very much worried . Awaiting for swami thiru-k- kachchi nambi arrival to ask him if he knew where the Lord went, or if the Lord was upset with some mistake that might have happened.
After sometime, Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi accompanied by the SriVaishnava entered the temple .
The priests immediately went to him, and explained the situation, and asked him with great concern if he knew anything. Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi told them he had no idea about what might have happened, and immediately started sobbing .
After all, Lord Varadaraja was not just the Supreme Being to him but was also his closest friend.
After a few minutes, swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi wanted to go to the Lord’s usual place and see if he can get any clues from there.
He went and lo and behold, the Lord was there as usual smiling and with a very satisfied look on His lotus face! Immediately, swami thiru-k-kachci nambi ran to the priests and conveyed the happy news. Everyone wanted to celebrate, and looked for the Sri Vaishnava who had accompanied swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi so that they could invite him to join the celebrations too.
They could not find him. He had vanished. When the priests went near the Lord to start performing the services ,they saw water droplets on Him!
Everyone now realized what had happened. The Lord Himself, unable to bear the thought of swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi getting wet by the rain, had accompanied him to his home.
Not only that, He waited there so that He could accompany swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi back to the temple!
Such is the greatness of swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi…
Pillai Uranga Villidasan was a powerful wrestler. Not just any ordinary wrestler but one of very high standing. Almost all the wrestlers in the Chola Kingdom used to pay him a ‘protection fee’.
A Famous Wrestler was majestic in his looks and a terror to his rivals naturally .There was a beautiful lady in the village Ponnachi. (Pon in Tamil means gold.) Every one who saw her swore that she richly deserved her name. Her complexion, came closest to the yellow metal. She was slightly on the plumpy side. Her dance-like walk, her height and her dimpled cheeks made her the much-acclaimed beauty in her village. But the most prominent feature of her face was her eyes , very large, round and from which you cannot take your eyes off.
Ponnachi’s beauty was at least as well known as Villi’dasan s prowess. Villidasan was a very good man and had never abused his strength or position. And yes, he was the most eligible, most sought after bachelor in his town. As it would happen in love stories, he heard of Ponnachi’s beauty and set out to see her, more out of curiousity than anything else. Once he saw her eyes, he could not think of anything else. As if possessed he sought her hand in marriage, something which Ponnachi was only too eager to give. Villidasan was virtually consumed by his love for the damsel.
He stopped fighting and was thinking of nothing else other than his lady love. Villidasan and Ponnachi got married on an auspicious day. Their married life was most blissful in karmic world , which never ended. They had been married for years. Still to Villidasan Ponnachi was the most beautiful woman in the world with the most beautiful eyes. It was spring time. Festival time at Capital town of Srivaishnavisim , Srirangam. Vasanthotsavam. Ponnachi wanted to see the festival.
To Villidasan her slightest whim was a Royal Command. He made elaborate arrangements to ensure a comfortable travel for Ponnachi. She was borne in a palanquin till the main street of Srirengam where she had to get down and walk. Ponnachi got down from the palanquin. Villidasan who was standing nearby was stunned by her beauty. She was dressed up in an exquisite silk saree. What captivated his attention even after years of marriage was her eyes. Villidasan could not take his eyes away from hers. As she started to walk towards the temple, Villidasan did the unthinkable. He was walking backwards facing her, unable to see anything else but her large eyes. Those who saw this amusing sight giggled. Some even laughed out aloud. Villidasan gave a damn to what others thought. After all Ponnachi was his lawfully wedded wife and what was wrong in seeing her eyes? Ponnachi was half consumed by shyness and half by pride. She too loved her husband so much that she did not have the mind to object to his act, though she knew that it made people laugh behind their backs.
This strange procession – Ponnachi walking forward, Villidasan walking backwards, and the palanquin bearers and the retinue following Ponnachi – was nearing the temple gate. On the other side of the street, a very great saint was walking away from the temple followed by 1000 of his disciples. The name of the great saint was Swamy Ramanujacharya. Swamy Ramanujacharya was amused by the strange sight..
Ponnachi walking towards the temple followed by her retinue and Villidasan walking backwards unable to take off his eyes from those of his beautiful wife! The great saint was moved on seeing this wonderful sight. He inquired about the couple and then sent word to Villidasan asking him to come and meet him in his Ashram alone.Swamy Ramanuja had decided to do something about that. Now why should Swamy Ramanuja do something about Villi’dasans love? As a spiritual Master of people he instinctively knew that Villi’s love was quite unique.
If only Swamy Ramanujacharya could make people love something as intensely as Villidasan did, yes, he would have made a difference in their lives.At the same time if he showed Villi’s love as an example to be followed,then ignorant people might mistakenly think that they also should love Ponnachi. In other words at the present level Villidasan’s love is not a copyable, replicable model. So Sri Ramanuja wanted to first shift Villi’dasans love to something else and then make people understand the greatness of love. And in order to make so many people understand the meaning of love, there is no harm in shifting one person’s object of love. Ramanuja was a highly respected Acharya. So Villidasan was excited came running to see him in his Ashram as soon as he got his call.It was late in the night. The Srirangam temple would be closed for the day in another half an hour. Swamy Ramanuja wanted to accomplish his missionwithin that time.
He asked Villidasan in a sarcastic tone,“Aren’t you ashamed , Villidasan , to be seeing your wife’s eyes, when God’sfestival is on?” Villidasans ’s reply was a correct blend of humility and the force of truth.“Is there anything more beautiful than my wife’s eyes?”Ramanujacharya was waiting for this question. “What will you do if I show something more beautiful than that?”Now Villi knew for sure that there was nothing like that and so hiswords came with confidence. “Then I will fall in love with those eyes. Ponnachi and I will be yourslaves for the rest of our lives.” “Deal. Come with me.” Swamy Ramanujar took Villidasan to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
The God of Love,Sri Ranganathar, Thiruvarangan, was sleeping in his comfortable snake-bed attended by his Devis. Then the great Acharyatook hold of Villidasan’s hands. The Acharya’s touch sent waves of electric shock in his body. Ramanujar closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord. “Oh, Lord, here’s is an example of perfect love. And thewhole world is steeped in misery unaware of this kind of love. I want the people to know that there is something like this love and that every one of us is capable of it. For that you need to give these two people to me. “I know that these two people are as precious to you as your Devis and are holier than the holiest scriptures ever written on you. I promise you my Lord, I’ll give them the reverence they deserve. Now please, LORD Ranganatha show the beauty of your eyes to this man of love.”
A selfless prayer!
Two loving souls standing before Him! Ranganathar was helpless!
He had to grant the Acharya’s wish. And the great Lord, whose eyes are not to be seen even by the highest of Devas and the wisest of Rishis, whose Feet cannot even be touched by Vedas and all the knowledge in the world, opened his most beautiful eyes for Villidasan to see. Villidasan was awe-struck; no he was love-struck. The sight lasted for a fraction of a second. Villidasan instantly fell in love with those large, beautiful eyes, for which nothing in the world is even a pale comparison. Villi prostrated at Sri Ramanujar’s feet proclaiming his slavery to the saint.
Swamy Ramanuja lifted him as a loving father would lift his loving son. Swamy Ramanujar’s eyes were so full with tears, his heart so full with love that for a few seconds he could not talk.
Villidasan continued to be in a state of ecstasy. If God decides to show His eyes even for a nanosecond, the effect will last for centuries, extending into millions of life –times, for ever, for eternity and even thereafter. When he went back to Ponnachi that night and told about his experience, she was also transformed. She did not whine that her husband had found out another object of love.
She was ecstatic because she was the loving wife of a man to whom even the Great God had shown His eyes. The next morning Pillai Uranga Villidasan gives away his possessions, erects a small hut near Swamy Ramanuja’s Ashram and starts living there along with Ponnachi serving Swamy Ramanuja the entire life ….
Tirumala Temple is a famous Srivaishnava Temple of Lord Venkateswara located in the hill town Tirumala of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is built on the Venkatadri hill, one of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills .
The temple is the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world.The temple is visited by almost 50,000 to 100,000 pilgrims daily .
The Tirumala temple was not the salubrious and convenient place we know as it is today. Tirumala was a forest laden ,rough and rocky terrain and the upkeep of the temple in those days must have been a terribly daunting and unwelcome task. During those hard days there lived a great devotee Swami Tirumala Nambi in Tirumala Hills at Tirupathi .
Swamy Tirumala Nambi was a great religious scholar in his own right but out of own choice decided to devote his entire life to “theertha-kainkarya” ( service of bringing water from Papanasanam for worship of Lord of Seven Hills) at the Tirumala .
He dedicated his entire life to the services of the Lord and in LORDS devotional service . His entire lifetime was spent living in a small hut on the hills and worked out of it while tending to, maintaining and administering the temple of his beloved LORD ‘Tiruvengadamudaiyan’ ( Lord Venkateshwara ) .
Swami Tirumala Nambi used to bring water from Papanasam situated at a distance of about 8 kilometers from Tirumala for the daily puja. He was old but never allowed his age to interfere in his services .
Lord out of his abundant compassion , wanted to grace his devotee for the great service (kainkaryam ) taken up by him.
One day when Tirumalai Nambee was walking towards the temple sanctorium from Papanashanam water falls with a pot of water ,Lord appeared before Tirumalai Nambi in the attire of a fowler and addressed Swami Tirumala Nambi as Thatha ( Grandpa) . Nambi was surprised with the address by the fowler.
On turning he found an attractive and handsome fowler who demanded him for water to quench his thirst .
Nambee was taken aback and refused to give water intended for the Holy bath (Abhishekum) of the Lord and politely marched ahead .
The mischievous fowler he was followed Tirumala Nambi , slowly pierced the pot with a stone , and drank the water which oozed out of the pot.
Swami Tirumala Nambee was very sad that he could not fulfill the daily service to LORD .
He said to the fowler about his old age and hardship in once again bringing the water that would make HIS LORD wait and as such delay in the service .
The fowler said …
Grandpa ,
Don’t worry !
I will show a place nearby for you to collect water for the services .
Saying this ,he discharged an arrow at the hillock near by in the sky , and lo torrents of water came gushing from the place hit by the arrow..
The fowler commanded that the water for the Lord’s puja should thenceforth be brought from Akasaganga and disappeared. The new fountain is now called Akasaganga .
Thirumala Nambee was convinced that the fowler was none other than Lord Srinivasa himself . Swamy Tirumala Nambee performed various kainkaryams such as Akasaganga Theertha Kainkaryam, Thomalaseva, Mantrapushpa Kainkaryam, Saathumurai, Thirumanjanam and Vedaparayanam. Hence he was called as “Acharya Purusha” of Tirumala Temple.
In honour of this humble but most noble ‘teertha-kainkaryam’ that Nambi institutionalized in his times, his heirs and progeny until this very day have been allowed to perform the same service in the temple as matter of hereditary right.
The descendants of Swamy Tirumalai Nambi are known today as “Tirumala kumara-s” or “thOzhappachAri-s”.
There is a historical evidence that Tirumala Nambi lived in Tirumaaliga, South Mada Street, Tirumala.
The temple shrine of Sri Tirumala Nambi that stands today in the south-eastern corner just below the overhead pedestrian walkaway that leads from the Q-complex to the main temple.
Now the descendents of Tirumala Nambi are managing the temple at this place where the Utsavar and Moolavar deities of Acharya Tirumala Nambi is housed.
Tirumala Nambi, was one of the five Acharyars of Swamy Ramanuja. He was his maternal Uncle who taught the essence of Srimad Ramayanam.
Photos : Courtesy : Google Pics uploaded by several advanced devotees
It is said that Swamy Ramanujar visited the temple during his Orissa visit. Swamy was delighted to have darshanam of chaturbhuja ( four armed) Lord Sri Maha Vishnu, with conch, discus, mace and lotus flower. It is also believed by the locals that he glorified the deity as ‘Sri Alwarnath’ or the ‘lord of the alwars’ giving the message of Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya. The place which housed Lord Alwarnath hence also came to be known as Alwarpur. And today the words have been shortened with passing time, the temple known as Sri ‘Alarnath’ or ‘Alalanath’ and the place called ‘Alarpur’ .Sri Ramanujar established the Embar Mutt at Puri.
On reaching Puri, Swamy Ramanujar began to interact with the local priests and scholars. His divya tejas attracted people and soon he found many devotees submitting to the legendary sampradaya . Swamy decided to establish a monastery to be headed by Sri Govinda . Govinda was also fondly called Embar , hence the mutt came to be known as ‘Embar mutt’.. This Embar mutt is located right outside the Puri Jagannath temple.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to stay at Alarnath during anavasara period of Lord Jagannath.
Anavasara is the two weeks period when Lord Jagannatha take rest in isolation from the rest of the world , post the annual bathing festival (Snana Yatra).( another divine leela ) .
After Snana Poornima, ritualistic bathing of the idols of Jagannath, there is a popular belief that the deities get fever. For a period of 15 day the deities do not appear before public. The deities remain in the Anasar house and appear a day before Puri Rath Yatra ……
day and post Snana Purnima in Jyeshta month (May – June), there is no darshan of Lord Jagannath and other deities at the Puri JagannathTemple for 15 days.
This 15-day period of Anavasara (no darshan) at Puri JagannathTemple happens before the Rath Yatra.
There is a popular belief that Lord Jagannath during this period manifests as Alarnath Dev at AlarnathTemple in Brahmagiri, which is about 23 km from Puri. During these 15 days, devotees visit the Alarnath temple at Brahmagiri in large numbers.
Legend has it that Lord Jagannath manifests into the Alarnath Dev during the fortnight.
Sri Chaitanya maha prabhu visualised the appearance of Lord Jagannath in Alarnath and spent a long period in worshipping the lordships here.
It is believed that those who cannot worship Lord Jagannath during his stay in the sick chamber can get the blessings of Lord Alarnathjee if they visit this temple. During this period the temple servitors offered holy rice porridge, known as ‘Kheer’ ( Akkaraadisil ) in local language, to the lord. During the present anavasara period of every year thousands of devotees visit this temple to get the blessings of Lord Alarnath and to taste the mahaprasad ( famous holy ‘Kheer’).
Here one can have darshan of LORD with chaturbhuja .Lord holds chakra in his upper right hand, Lotus in his lower right hand, Conch in his upper left hand and club in his lower left hand. Garudazhwan , kneels at the feet of the deity with his hands folded in prayer position.
Lord Krishna’s queens Rukmini and Satyabhama also give darshan inside the temple. The Deity of Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu also gives darshan to the devotees .
There is a stone slab before the LORD which bears impressions from Sri Chaitanya’s body.
When Sri Chaitanya mahaprabhu first lay in full respect in front of Lord Alarnath, the stone below Sri Chaitanya maha prabhu melted from His blissful touch.
Photos : Courtesy : Google Srimathey Ramanujaya namah JAI JAI JAI JAGGANATHA
Please check the travel details of Jagganath Puri dhaam in this link
Kulasekhara Azhwar the ardent devotee of Lord Ranganatha appeared in the royal family of the kingdom of Travancore near a place called thiruvanjiikalam .
The Majesty was undoubtedly our LORD who was worshipped by the King and the people LORD “Ananta-Padmanabha Swami “. All the royal family were servants
The Kings of Travancore would offer obeisance’s to the Lord twice a day and be there inside the temple of LORD serving HIM . The King would present his reports to the Lord on daily basis and communicate about the daily administration .
He was but just a trustee. (This tradition of the Maharaja of Travancore visiting Lord Ananta-Padmanabha Swami goes on to the present day.) Such was the pious and saintly quality of the ancient line of Vedic kings among whom Maharaja Kulasekhara appeared.
King Kulasekara ruled his kingdom in the most vedic manner. It is said that his rule was so good , that people compared it to the rule of Lord Rama in Ayodhya. In due course, King Kulasekara invited learned people from all over the world. Slowly by mercy of LORD understood Lord Sriman Narayana is everything, and the highest purpose in life is to perform service to HIM and HIS devotees. The Lord also blessed Kulasekara with the knowledge and mindset of being a true devotee.
Kulasekara visited many holy places, and spent his time listening to the great opulence qualities of the Lord as told in the great epics SrimadRamayana, Mahabharatha and Srimad bhagavatham. He took special liking to Lord Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, and the Lord of thiru-viththuva-k-kOdu (in present day Kerala).
One day, when he was listening to a lecture on Ramayana by a vedic pandit, he became very involved (it was his normal habit for the king to be so moved by the Lord, as to worry about His well-being, just like another Azhvar like Periyazhvar had done).
The pandit was emotionally narrating the part where the army of demons, on the command of the demoness Surpanaka , assembled to fight Lord Rama. There were 14000 demons of the biggest variety, and on the other side there was just Lord Rama and Lakshmana.
On hearing this, King Kulasekara immediately got up, and commanded his commander in chief to get his army to help Lord Rama in fighting the 14000 demons!
On seeing the King so involved , the pundit immediately said “the great Rama, single-handedly defeated the 14000 strong demon army and retired safely to the cottage where mother sita was composed and relaxed ”.
This continuity made king Kulasekara calm. This single incident was a lesson to all the pundits to speak always about the safety of Lord . As he was learning and listening to these holy scriptures and concepts, Kulasekara came to understand the special place that the holy town of SriRangam holds for devotees. He yearned to go there, live there, and perform service the Lord of Srirangam – Lord Ranganatha.
It is said that every morning, Kulasekara would proceed to SriRangam, abandoning all his duties as the king. On seeing this, his ministers, and prominent people in his kingdom would bring some vaishnavas enroute . On seeing them , the king would pay obeisance’s and invite them to his palace, and serve them all day .
At his palace, all the srivaishnavas had free reign. They could go from any room, and could be present everywhere. On seeing such free reign , some of his ministers became jealous, and hatched a plot to change the king’s opinion on them .
They decided to execute a plan on the appearance day of Lord Rama (Sri Rama Navami). The ministers stole a very valuable necklace adorned to the deity of Lord Rama and pointed it was the devotees who were worshipping and they may be held responsible for the theft .
King Kulasekara asserted that there was no way that the devotees would do such a thing. To rebuke that, he had his ministers bring him a pot containing a poisonous snake and declared that he will put his hand into the pot to prove their innocence. Miraculously, the serpent did not harm the king, and thus everyone was convinced that the devotees had not stolen the necklace.
On seeing the miracle , the ministers apologized for their mistake and returned the necklace to the king. Kulasekhar understood that his position came in the way of his desire to serve the Lord and His devotees.
He politely handed over the kingdom to his son and left on a pilgrimage to holy places and settled in Srirangam. Having the LORD’S darshanam he composed a divine poem compilation called “ PerumaL thirumozhi ”. At Srirangam he built the corridor around the temple that to this day called as “kulasEkaran thiru-suRRu” (the Kulasekara passage).
Kulashekara Azhwar submits to LORD VENKATESHWARA in his pasurams regarding having association in some form at Tirumala .
He begins with Oh Lord !!! may he become a bird near to the pond at Seven Hills ( TIRUMALAI ) for association … but realises being a FISH is better as the bird may fly away due to any disturbances .
Proceeding his divine out pours he prays LORD may be, becoming that person who holds that golden vessel which is being used for LORDS service as the fish in the pond may swim away and miss that divine chance to come near to the LORD..
Now , Azhwar realises holding the golden utensil may create ego in his mind and that may drive him out away from HIS service. With more introspection , Azhwar prays May he become a flower on a tree that will be offered to HIS holy feet ,but understands that after the flower fades up , the same is thrown out and so the tree too ..
He goes to next state and pleads to become a river on thiruvekata hill so that it remains permanent . But doubts with the law of nature If the river dries up ??
Now Azhwar submits unconditionally Oh ..Lord ….may adiyen become that slab of stone where the stairs leading up to your sannidhi since the river may dry up some day.The stepping stone in front of the sannidhi shall always remain watching uninterruptedly LORDS lotus feet ..
with sheer bliss as any other object has an end BUT being just a stepping stone before HIM will always ensure HIS cool grace always ( as a mark of Azhwars love the temple first entry slab is referred as kulasEkaran padi).
chediyAyavalvinaigaLthIrkkumthirumAlE NediyAnE vEnGkatavA! Nin kOyilin vAchal adiyArum vAnavarum arambaiyarum kidaNthiyanGgum padiyAyk kidaNthu un pavaLa vAyk kAnNbEnE
Oh LORD SRI VENKATESHA! YOU are the only one who can eradicate my karmas. Adiyen want to be like the stepping stone at the entrance of your sannidhi where your great devotees, dhevas , gandharvas and humans long to seek your darshan.
Adiyen wish to remain as your door step where devotees,celestials and heavenly dancers wait in order to see your coral lips constantly..
Kulasekara Azhwar a ardent devotee of Lord SriRama, sang a beautiful decade In Naalayira Divya Prabhandam “ Perumal tirumozhi “ in Gopika bhaavam and Devaki bhaavam . Azhwars Mukundamaala has so much poignant cries surrendering at Krishna’s lotus feet (KrishnO rakshatu jagat guruh!.).
Kulasekhara Azhwar knotted out the priceless pearls of wisdom and strung them into a garland (mala) of poems in the Mukundamala, where he surrenders
krsna tvadiya-pada-pankaja-panjarantam
adyaiva me visatu manasa-raja-hamsah
prana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaih
kanthavarodhana-vidhau smaranam kutas te
“O Lord Krsna, at this moment let the royal swan of my mind enter the tangled stems of the lotus of Your feet. How will it be possible for me to remember You at the time of death, when my throat will be choked up with mucus bile and air?
“Azhwar prays the Lord to keep him in the company of bhaktas, who relish the constant thought of the Lord’s lotus feet.
Such devotees are characterised by palms folded in supplication, heads bowed in devotion, hair ends of the body standing upright in joy, tones shaky with emotion, and eyes filled with tears- all tell tale signs of their boundless bhakti brimming over.
Here is the beautiful sloka from Sri Mukunda MalA:
Swamy Parasara Bhattar, the famous acharya in Srivaishnavam Sampradaya was the eldest son of Swami Koorathazhvan. . Bhattar was the chief priest at Srirangam temple and appeared out of the grace of the Lord of Srirangam. Swami parASara bhaTTar appeared in this world through the divine aravanai prasadam (the prasadam that is offered to the Lord just before the nightly closing of the temple) of Namperumal, which was offered to Andal, the wife of swami Kurathazhvan. Not only by birth did swami bhattar, as he is addressed by all, show his greatness, but also by his sharp intelligence, kind actions and inspiring spiritual practices throughout his life.
An hardcore enemy would adore bhattar on listening to him. Bhattars skill in answering a person’s question even before the questioner has finished asking the question is marvelous, and offers food for our thoughts can be seen from the below two divine pastimes
Once Bhattar went to a temple with his disciples to worship his beloved Lord Ranganatha . Unfortunately, the shrine was closed to the general public. In those times, the closing of the shrine to the public was usually expressed through a divine servant shouting out the words “netrapaani, netrapaani”.
While this was happening, swami Bhattar was inside the enclosure created by the screen that separates namperumAL’s shrine and the outside. One of the close servants in the temple , without knowing the divine closeness of Bhattar with Lord Namperumal, shouted at Bhattar and uttered inappropriate words much to the surprise of the crowd . Bhattar simply smiled at him. but , the disciples of Bhattar couldnt accept and hence started to shout back at the person .
Bhattar looked at his disciples and politely asked them “Why are you taking revenge at me?”
The disciples were shocked and taken aback,. They were confused on hearing these unusual words from their guru Bhattar. One of the disciples, with a bit of courage, asked Bhattar “Swami, we are not taking revenge at you, but only at the person who inappropriately, misbehaved at you”.
Bhattar explained to them “The person at whom you are shouting has done a great favour to me . And by shouting at him, you are showing ungratefulness and are becoming a nuisance to him by shouting at him”. All the disciples were stunned; Bhattar simply continued – “It is the duty of every Sri Vaishnava, while worshipping the Lord, to speak out his own bad qualities and the Lord’s kalyana guNas.
Our Namperumal is very busy with so many utsavams and does not find enough time to listen to my bad qualities which are innumerable to be told completely. Given that this is the case, this swami serving the LORD has indirectly helped me and has taken up my task in his shoulder and put forth the bad qualities of me before the Lord and the Lord is also very pleased to hear. Why are you disturbing him from doing a favor to me?”
Swami Parasara bhattar, simply smiled at that person who committed the slip , took one valuable necklaces from his neck, and offered it to that swami and told him “Swami – Even though this will not equal the favor done by you for me, it is my humble offering to you”.Please keep it with you …
Once Swamy was proceeding to attend a festival in nearby temple away from Srirangam . He had to walk into deep bushes .En route he met a hunter. The hunter was spellbound looking at Bhattars composure and tejas . He immediately surrendered to Swamys lotus feet . The hunter offered him a seat to Swamin . Srivaishnava acharyas have the unique trait of looking at everyone with the same eyes and hence Bhattar also made him sit along with him .
A srivaishnava is a person who never cast anyone as low or high by how he looks or where he lives. The instinctive prejudice that has diseased the society was never in their midst.
Having taken his seat, Swamy, with his usual inquisitiveness, asked the hunter of the daily routine in and around the forest. The hunter was excited to have the audience of the distinguished seer and sharing dais with his holiness .He mentally rehersed what he can reveal and decided to tell a strange incident that he came across . He humbly said “Swamy, a few days back, I did not get food throughout the day. Due to pangs of hunger , I decided to find food at any cost and headed towards a rabbit habitat. I was overjoyed when I found a little baby rabbit .
Holding it by the ears, I started walking home. Having walked a few steps, I sensed something nibbling at my feet. To my surprise, I found the mother of this rabbit was at my feet. Its behavior was very strange. It kept nibbling at my toes and quickly ran around my feet and came back to the toes. This kept on happening for some time and I couldn’t put a foot forward.
A strange feeling entered in my heart. Feeling pity at the behaviour of the Mother rabbit I suppose , my heart felt for the little one and her mother My mind stubbornly directed me to make my supper with the rabbit BUT my heart overruled the mind and demanded the release of the little rabbit. I was overcome with compassion and remorse that I put down the child rabbit. Both the rabbits went around me a couple of times and merrily jumped may be blessing me for letting them go safely .And to my surprise, this feeling overpowered my hunger and I was feeling my stomach seemed full.
The Acharya listened to the entire narration with eyes wide open and exclaimed “Oh Lord Ranga! How can we narrow down the concept of Surrender to a certain set of rules? This small incident where a man devoid of any sastric learning melts down to the surrender of a rabbit and forgoes his hunger.
A rabbit, absolutely devoid of any sort of tatva gnyanam instinctively surrenders at the feet of the hunter and seeks the release of its child! How can unconditional surrender have stringent rules? It is a simple yet highly effective concept for mankind to surrender from the rabbit seeking Lords Lotus Feet unconditionally .
The above sloka …. reverberates in all srivaishnava temples and homes glorifying the rich sampradaya we have inherited from our poorvacharyas ….Swamy Nathamunigal and Swamy Alavandar, the two great acharyas have been pillars to Srivaishnava sampradayam, took their avatara at the holy place Kattumannar koil, which is 25 kms from Chidambaram in Cuddalore district of Tamil nadu, South India.
Kattumannarkoil (situated on the banks of the vast Veeranam Lake) hallowed by the birth of these Acharyas is the only place with magnificent temples dedicated to Swamy Nathamunigal and Swamy Alavandar.
Swamy Nathamunigal was the foremost Acharya of Srivaishnava sampradaya .
Nathamuni mastered himself in Vedas at a very young age,.He was devoted to Lord Veera Narayana Perumal and spent most of his time performing daily ( aaradhanai) poojas for the Lord here.
One day, during his pilgrimage to Thirukudanthai ( present day Kumbakonam ) Temple he was attracted to the Archakas chanting the….. Aaravamuthey song….
The devotees ended the song with the words… “ these 10 out of the 1000”.
“ Aaraavamudhe Adiyen Udalam,
Ninbaal Anbaaye
Neeraal Alainthu Karaiya Urukinra Nedumaale
Seeraar Sennel Cauvery Veesum,
SezhuNeerth ThiruKudanthai
EraarKolam Thigazhak Kidanthaai, Kanden Emmaane”
Swami Nathamuni was drawn to these songs and pleaded them to sing the rest of the 990 verses. However, they expressed ignorance and said they knew only these 10 songs which they were reciting daily .
Seeking to find the remaining of these divine songs, Swamy Nathamuni proceeded from Kattu Mannar Koil and went to Kumbakonam, where Lord Aaravamudhan appeared before him and asked him to go to Thiru Kurugur for more…
. Unable to get his answers at Thiru Kurugur, Swamy proceeded to Thiru Kolur, where he got initiated with the great Acharyar Madura Kavi Azhvaar’s verses of Kannin Siruthambinaal.
He came back to Thiru Kurugur and sitting under the Tamarind tree, he recited these verses 12000 times.
On completion of which the all compassionate NammAzhvaar is said to have appeared before him and shared the entire 4000 songs the “Divyaprabhandam” —Naalaayira Divya Prabandham which we are able to relish glorifying the LORDSHIPS.
Lord Veera Narayana Perumal is then said to have called Swami Nathamuni back to Kattu Mannar Koil where the Vaishnavite Saint chanted and shared the “Naalayira Divya Prabandham”.
Thus, Nathamuni of Kattu Mannar Koil, was instrumental in bringing back to the world the 4000 verses of the Azhvaars.
He also initiated the Sri Vaishnava Sampradayam from here.
As Lord Narayana came here as ‘Mannan’ to take the hand of Mahalakshmi and later asked Nathamuni to share the Divya Prabandham and the Vaishnava Sampradayam to the world at large, he was referred to as ‘ Kattum’ ‘Mannan- Aanaar’ (the Lord who came as a king and later presented the entire prabandham through Nathamuni).
In course of time, Kattum Mannan-Aanaar
became Kattu Mannar.
Nathamuni’s grandson was named as ‘Yamunai Thuraivan’(Alavandar) as per his wishes. Born in Kattu Mannar Koil, Aalavanthan would travel to Srirangam often and spread the message of SriVaishnavism.
He is also said to have nominated Swamy Ramanuja as the ’to be’ acharya after his disappearance .
Alavandar’s disciples include Periya Nambi, ThiruKoshtiyur Nambi, Thiru Kachi Nambi and Srirangam Araiyar.
A clip was taken during our in which Bhattar elaborately explains in tamil about the glorious Srivaishnava Sampradayam.
Swamy Natha Munigals appearance day is being celebrated on Aaani Anusham in all Srivaishnava temples .
All glories to the devotees participating in all the temples
Pics credits : All advanced devotees who uploaded the pics in social media
Swami Mudaliandan was the foremost disciple of Swami Ramanuja. Mudaliandaan is considered as being an Avathara of the Lord Rama Himself. Lord Rama was so pleased with Adiseshan’s service to him as Lakshmana that he wanted to serve him in future Avatharas. As a result, He bestowed the Avathara of Balarama to Adiseshan and himself as Krishna. Adiseshan incarnated as Swami Ramanuja , and LORD Rama became his daasan. ( Daasarathe his original thirunamam) .
Once, while serving Swami Ramanuja inside a temple Andaan expressed his anxiety about blessing him with a progeny to continue services to Asmath Acharyar and his mission . During the conversation , Swamy Ramanuja received maha prasadam from the temple which was covered with a garment (Kandadai – Gandam + aadai – a piece of cloth with fragrance) worn by Lord’s thirumeni (Lord’s archamurthy).
Swami Ramanuja indicated to MudaliAndaan about the auspicious happening and told him he would be blessed with a progeny soon. In due course , a son was born to Andaan. Thus, Andaan vamsam (family) were called Kandadayar family. It is said that a whole street [north mADa street] in Srivilliputthur bears the name ‘kandadaiyar vithi’, to signify the importance of the illustrious family.
Kandadai Aandan appeared during Kumba (Maasi) Punarpoosam day for rendering faultless service to bhaagavathaas. He appeared at Sri Rangam and under the care of Swami Ramanuja. His father was his Shiksha guru who taught him Vedas, Sastras and Divya Prabhandam.
Swami Kandadai Andan pleased his Acharyar Swamy Ramanuja and sought his permission to install an idol replica of him at his appearance place (Sriperumbudur) for the benefit of all the future generation.
Swamy Ramanujar granted his disciple request. At once Andan summoned a sculptor and advised him to make a replica of his Acharyar “Swamy Ramanujar” in his then advanced age. He invited Acharyar to grace the thirumeni of Swamy Ramanujar . Swamy Ramanujar was pleased with his devotion and embraced the deity . Placing all his grace and all the mercy in that idol, he told Andan to install it on the day of Guru Pushyam.
With due respect, Andan carried the deity to Sriperumbudur with all the paraphernalia and installed on the day nominated by Swamy Ramanujar. While this was being done at Sriperumbudur at Sri Rangam , Swamy Ramanujar felt that his strength was draining out and wondered why was it happening . He then recollected and understood the reason .He sent out a message to invite Andan to report to him at Sri Rangam.
On receipt of the communication Kandadai Andan reached Sri Rangam and prostrated before Swamy Ramanujar. Swamy Ramanujar advised Kandadai Andan to peform his final rites and also to install his idol at the place where his body was laid to final rest.
As ordered ,Swami Ramanujar’s utsavar thirumeni was installed by Kandadai Aandan at Sri Rangam. He also commanded “ Swamy Ramanujar Mahotsavam “ to be performed on his appearance day “Thiruvadhirai day” forever, by succeeding generations.
Swami Kandadai Andan was also glorified as Ramanuja Dasar.
Few hundred years ago , King Vallaba Deva the Pandyan king was going around his kingdom in a disguise . Somewhere near a temple he saw an old man sleeping on a pial (thinnai) in front of a house..
The King out of curiosity , woke him up and asked him who he was and why he was sleeping there in the open. The man answered that he was a temple priest and was supposed to leave in the early hours of the day to Sethu to complete his Thirtha yathra . Being new to the place , he took shelter near to the temple .
Out of devotion the king requested him to chant a good sloka. The Priest chanted a sanskrit sloka . Delighted , the King asked the priest to explain the meaning of the chants .
The Priest replied ,
1) a person must save for the rainy season in summer,
2) should save for old age when he is young
and
3) should save punya for the next birth during the present birth itself .
The king reflected on the verses . He assumed that he had already accomplished saving for the first two verses mentioned by the priest, but he never thought about the next birth.
Curious to know what the third verse inner meaning really meant , he summoned his Chief advisor Selvanambikal , a learned man in religious and philosophical matters .
The King asked him to enlighten him on
what was the saving one has to do for the next birth ??
Selvanambikal submitted to the King that there were several paths that lead to salvation but he was also not sure about the exact path to be followed aqnd what needs to be saved for gaining it .
He requested the King to allow him to call all the religious heads for a conference and prove which path could show the jeevatama to attain salvation .
The King was glad that such an assembly will enlighten him with deeper knowledge on the subject . The King also advised him to honour that Vedic priest who will give them a convincing reply .
Accordingly , the minister orders the assembly to tie a cloth bag that shall contain gold coins which is hung on to a pole . It is also informed to the Priests that the most convincing answer and the belief which shows the true path to salvation , would be honored .
The Royal announcement was made throughout the kingdom . Heads of different religions tried to prove that their faith was the one that could show the true path for salvation . However the outcome was incomplete . The King was keen to meet the great personality who would be able to show him the right path for salvation .
Far away in the same Kingdom there was a great devotee of Lord who was offering Pushpa kainkaryam ( Flower garland services ) to the Lordships . His name was Vishnuchittar ( Periazhwar) . His devotion to the LORD was ultimate .
The compassionate Lord Vadaperum Koil Udaiyan wanted the world to know about his sincere devotee . Lord appeared in Periyazhwar’s dream and advised him to participate in the mammoth conference . Periyazhwar was nervous and pleaded Lord that he was not capable to undertake such a difficult task amongst the Royal family . Lord convinces Azhwar to proceed with confidence , as other things would be taken care . Azhwar wakes up the next day .
Praying LORD mentally , he proceeds to Naanmadakudal obeying Lordships order. Looking at the huge gathering ,Azhwar decides this is the best place to glorify LORDSHIPS . The Vedic pundits and vidwans looking at the simple looking Azhwar ignore him .However the minister Selvanambikal observing the radiance of our Azhwar request him to go ahead and put forth his knowledge to test as he had already knew about Azhwar’s greatness.
Periyazwar humbly takes the discussions to the inner truths and presents examples from Vedas, Granthas and Srimad Bhagavad Gita to prove that Lord Sriman Narayan is the Supreme Lord who created all the worlds and living beings and everything came from HIM and would merge with HIM only. He further takes Srimad Bhagavatam texts and quotes several truths much to the astonishment of the gathering . Azhwars lucid answers make the pole containing the bag with gold coins tied already bends towards him thus proving the Azhwars words of wisdom.
King Vallaba Deva along with the royal family are surprised to see the miracle happening The king extremely pleased with Azhwar confirms him the title “ Bhatter Piran” . With respect , he orders his men to bring his Royal elephant . The King requests Azhwar to alight on his elephant as he wanted the great devotee to be honored . With much pomp and show and paraphernalia , the Elephant takes him in the huge procession.
The all compassionate LORD is so pleased that He along with HIS consorts come to give darshan to Azhwar on His Garuda Vahanam . Periyazhwar is overwhelmed to see the Lord in the sky.
( It was Lord Koodal Azhagar Perumal , along with the Goddess Mahalakshmee . who had arrived to witness their dear devotee on Garuda Vahanam.)
On having darshan of LORD ,
Periyazhwar worried that such a beautiful thirumeni ( form ) of Lord may attract ( evil eye ) Drushti , he immediately takes the bell from the elephant’s neck as symbol and starts his mangala shashanam to the Lord instantly , by chanting the introductory verses of Divya Prabhandam
“Thirup PallaNdu”.
Pallandu,pallandu pallayirath aandu*
Pala koti noor ayiram*Mallanda thin tholl manivanna*
Padai por pukku muzhangum ap panchasanniyamum Pallande.
Roughly translated in English
May for many hundreds, thousands and crores of years ,the Gem -Hued LORD with mighty wrestling shoulders, HIS bright red lotus feet be protected. This inseparable bond between us ,may it last many thousand years .To the GODDESS who ever adorns the Lord’s right chest many thousand years. To the fiery luminous sudharshan chakra on the right hand, many thousand years. To the Panchajanya ,the famous conch which stikes terror in the battle field ,many many thousand years………….
Periyazhwar composed hundreds of verses of praise including those that feature as the first 12 songs of the Divya Prabhandham called Thiru Pallaandu. As Garuda served Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam to reach Srivilliputhur for the marriage festivities faster than was expected, he was accorded a special status here and is seen alongside Lord Rangamannar and Andal.
The Lord himself conferred on him the title “Periyazwar.” Azhwar returned to Srivillipuththur with the prize he got and surrendered it to the Lord at the temple. He continued the pushpa kaimkaryam to the Lord and becomes a guiding force and father to Andal .
Apart from “ThiruppallaNdu containing 12 pasurams Azhwar gave us Periyazwar Thirumozi containing 461 pasurams .
Azhwars pasurams on LORD KRISHNA in matrubhavam is a must listen .
Azhwar has glorified LORD KRISHNAs pastimes in detail and the same is recited in all vaishnava temples particularly during Janmashtami
Our great vaihnava saint Lokacharyar Sri Pillai Lokachariar, about 118 years old then, saved our dharisanam by getting Namperumal safely out of Srirangam . This sad episode was because of Malik Kafur the tyrant who ransacked Srirangam during the year 1323. Lokacharyar along with many disciples went through the rough terrains, forests, and so on, carrying our LORD .
When they reached Jyothiskudi, near Madurai ,Sri Pillai Lokachariar realized that he cannot carry on any more, so he decided to stay in Jyothishkudi itself.
He directed his sishyas to reach out to one Thiruvoimozhi Pillai, and explain him various rahasyams of srivaishnavam.
From Jyothishkudi, Swami Pillai Lokachariar reached sri vaikuntam.Without his noble sacrifice of life, we probably would not be having darshanam of Namperumal in Srirangam (peruman came back to Srirangam after more than 40 years.)
This great acharyar’s thirunakshathiram ( Appearance day ) is celebrated during October ( Aippasi Thiruvonam,) very grandly in all the SRI VAISHNAVA DIVYA DESAMS
Sri Vaishnavam is replete with practical applications of the glorious precept of equality for all sentient-beings. • Lord Sri Rama performing funeral rites for Jatayu • Lord Sri Krishna preferring to dine with Sri Vidura even though he had the option of dining with exalted elders such as Drona or Bheeshma. • The episode of ThiruppAN azhvar and LOkasAranga Muni • Our Sri Nammazhvar who belonged to the panchama jathi (fifth caste) • Sri Periya Nambi and his attachment to Sri MaranEri Nambi • Swami Ramanuja and his deep devotion to Sri Thirukachchi Nambi
However, it was Swami Pillai Lokacharyar who went to considerable lengths to explicitly expand on this concept and establish its relevance within the Indian social and philosophical framework about the glorious sampradaya of Srivaishnavisim .
Swamy Sri Manavala Mamunigal in his celebrated UpadEsarattinamalai, commemorates the lives and works of Azhvars and Acharyas. In this wondrous composition, he has singled out LOKACHARYAR more than any one else and devoted several pasurams.
Lokaacharyan was rightly glorified as ulagAriyan – ( teacher of the universe).
Sri Lokacharyars vaibhavam, his contribution to SriVaishnavism and efforts taken by Sri Velukudi Swamin, Chinna Jeeyar swami and other revered saints in identifying this place and constructing a temple for lokaguru is a blessing to all the srivaishnavas .
While Swamy was about to leave this world and reach Achaaryan’s Lotus feet, he started touching the ants and other such insects near him with compassion (All such animals will get to reach Sri Vaikunta if they have get touched by a Sri Vaishnava). Such was Sri Pillai Lokacharya’s Karunya towards the living beings.
Sri Kumudavalli sametha Thirumangai Azhwar Saranam Prapathey
Srimathe Ramanujayah namah
Sri Dasarathaya namah
Sri Vara Vara Muniye namah
Offering repeated obeisances to Asmath Acharyar, Sri Sri Mudaliandan Swamy, Adiyen wishes to share our travel and darisanam experience at Thirunangoor done few years back . We had attended this Utsavam twice and we wish to share the divine experiences to all the devotees . It will be a great fortune and mercy for the ones who will be attending this year on Thai Amavasai which is being celebrated from 08-02-2016 to 10-02-2016.
The remote village of Thirunangoor near Sirkazhi reverberates with satsangh every year Thai Amavasya and the succeeding 2 days are celebrated in a very grand manner.
On Thai Amavasya, Thirumangai Azhwar the great saint in Vaishnava sampradaya is given Manjal Kuliyal(holy bath with turmeric water) which is being celebrated for more than 12 centuries .
The next day, 11 Garuda Seva of LORD is celebrated which is being done since past 100 years .The third day marks the return of Azhwar to Tiruvali-Thirunagari temple. Srivaishnavas make it a point to participate in these festivities.
. MANJAL NEERATAM AND ELEVEN GARUDA SEVAS HELD AT THIRUNANGOOR EVERY YEAR ON THAI AMAVASAI AND PRADHAMAI DAY respectively. May the Supreme Lord bestow me the knowledge to describe about the Garuda Seva. Adiyen seeks the blessings of all the devotees , Acharyas and Azhwars for describing the great event .
.
Thirumangai Azhwar affectionately called as Kaliyan, was the valiant army chief of the then Chola King that the king gifted him with a small territory to rule over. Hence, he was known as Thirumangai Mannan .
He was attracted to an apsara Kumudavalli , daughter of a physician and expressed his desire to marry her. Kumudavalli who appeared on this earth to transform this valiant king to a devotee , laid the condition that he should serve 1000 Srivaishnavas every day by offering Prasadam for one year .
Thirumangai Mannan fulfilled her condition and continued to do so even after his marriage as he got habituated in this wonderful kainkaryam of feeding the srivaishnavas. In due course, his wealth diminished and as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, when HE decides to bless HIS devotee, HE takes away wealth and enacted a divya leela.
Due to his love for vaishnavas , our Azhwar resorted to stealing and plundering wealth from the rich and the egoistic but used the wealth for feeding Vaishnavas and renovating temples.
One day , Tirumangai Mannan comes to know through his friends that a newly wedded couple bedecked with precious jewellery were passing through a forest in a palanquin and if they could plunder their wealth, they could continue with their cause of serving Srivaishnavas forever.
Overjoyed , Thirumangai Mannan along with his four friends rush to the place in the midnight , galloping fast on his horse, who he calls as Aadalmaa. He waylays the divine couple who are resting near a mandapam at “Thirumanankollai” and plunders their wealth. This precious booty is carefully put over a cloth and ties it . Not being satisfied with the loot, he advances towards them and tries to remove the Thirumetti of Thayar with all his might but is unsuccessful.
By coming in contact with Thayar’s thiruvadi, realisation dawns on him. He is amazed .Something draws him towards them for a second look . However he manages and when he tries to lift the loot, he is unable to do so. He suspects the bridegroom for having put some charm on the loot . He threatens Perumal who is disguised as the bridegroom with a sword to disclose the secret which is not allowing him to lift the loot .
Perumal smiles at him . He advises him to purify himself by having a dip at the Kavery tributary and return so that he can impart the secret to him.
Thirumangai mannan politely obeys the advise . He returns to Perumal. Lord gives him the most sacred mantram,Thirumantram . The moment Perumal whispers the sacred Ashtakshari Thirumantram , wisdom dawns on Kaliyan and he surrenders at the Lotus feet of the Divya Dampadhigal.
He repents for all his earlier deeds and outbursts his divine pourings starting with the wonderful pasuram
“Vaadinene Vaadi….” and decides to glorify Perumal by visiting holy places in India..
He is transformed as Thirumangai Azhwar and riding on his Aadalma horse glorified Perumal in about 86 divya desams.
OUR PILIGRIMAGE EXPERIENCES:
With the directions given by senior devotees we reached Thirunangoor in the evening and discussing about the divine pastimes of Azhwars with elders .
Though we did not have a proper resting place all of us relaxed lying down at the temple entrance awaiting Azhwars arrival as it was almost midnight when we reached Thirunangoor. The village of Thirunangoor is fully crowded with many devotees . We all relaxed in front of a house near Thirunagari temple. Suddenly around 1.30 A.M. in the early morning, we were awakened by sounds of crackers and trumpets .
The drums and Nadaswaram were being played to welcome our Azhwar .
On enquiry, we were told that Azhwar’s purapaadu ( procession ) was about to start and Azhwar was being dressed as the chief .
Adiyen was keen to join the procession amongst many many senior devotees and the excitement in following Azhwar . Un mindful adiyen took a shower near a bore well and quickly changed my clothes and applying Urdhvapundram ran behind the crowd to be as close to Azhwar and the devoted priests . It was totally dark with few street lights which were going ON and Off and sad that there were no proper roads. Unmindful of the thorns and stones, all the bhagavathas were literally running behind the Azhwar as some one is waiting for us .
True ! The all compassionate LORD is so keen to meet the Azhwar for his upliftment . Adiyen had the same feeling .As it was too difficult to carry children in the crowd my family followed us by hiring a motor car amongst other devotees .
This unique devotion of the villagers and the devotees coming from far off places has to be seen in person to taste the bliss . The holy intention of the procession ( purapaadu) is Azhwar personally goes to each of the 11 temples, glorifies the respective Perumals while going for Manjal Neeratam and personally invites the LORDSHIPS to grace them to come to Thirumanimaada kovil for the Garuda utsava darshanam which will be held the next day. The tradition of glorifying the LORD at the respective divyadesams by the pasurams sung by Azhwar is done with all humility
. Let me attempt to narrate the happenings in the chilly night of Amavasai . Our Azhwar (Thirumangai Azhwar) was seated majestically in a well-decorated palanquin and the procession started from the temple Azhwar proceeds to Thirukuraiyalur, his birth place.
The crowd braves the chilly weather to somehow occupy the temple corridor to have the closest darshan of Azhwar and Perumal . It was 2.30 AM when we reached this temple . We could see hundreds of devotees following the procession . The Azhwar literally runs and the bhagavathas also run behind the azhwar. Adiyen participated in the procession and literally was in bliss being with advanced devotees . It was a memorable trek for spiritual quest .The zeal cannot be explained.
We are in THIRUKURAIYALUR, the appearance place of Thirumangai Alwar.
The Temple Priest along with the senior devotees receive Azhwar with due temple honours and mangalasaasanams. The first pasuram starting with “VAADINEN VAADI” was recited .
It was as if Azhwar was almost there guiding us .The pasuram literally brought chilled tears in my eyes . Adiyen was able to feel the soul literally craving for HIS grace and the nectar was directly being fed .
Was able to meet bhagavathaas who were carrying out “PUSHPA KAINKARYAM FOR THE AZHWAR ON THESE TWO DAYS”. Ahead of this recitation we were offered hot prasadam ( Kesaree) .This prasadam became a benchmark for me to offer it LORD later . After honouring the prasadam adiyen moved near to the temple premises where the devotees were thinning away .Offered humble obesiances to LORD NARASINGA PERUMAL and prayed LORD to bestow his abundant mercy in having satsangh always .
The special feature in this big festival is that without any discretion, all the residents of the 11 villages participate in this function and the hospitality extended by the local residents cannot be described in words.
All the bhagavathas who attend this function are sumptuously fed . We can see the village residents voluntarily offering us buttermilk, hot milk and food etc enroute
They all consider it as their own family function. Now our Azhwar proceeds to THIRUMANGAIMAADAM , the birth place of Kumudavalli Thayar., who was solely responsible for transforming our Azhwar into a Srivaishnavite.
It’s a very old temple and the darshan of Azhwar specifically at this place reveals his liking to this place and his consort . After recitation of the respective pasurams and mangalashashanams , we were offered Chakrapongal prasadam which was honoured . The sweet prasad , the sweet pasurams , the sweet crowd and our SWEET AZHWAR was indeed most memorable night .
On looking at the watch , Adiyen was amazed ,It was already 3.30 AM and was looking as fresh . Never was Adiyen awake except for the Suprabatha seva at Tirumala Hills . We must have around 4 Kms .
From here we proceeded along with Azhwar to
THIRUKAVALAMPADI THIRUMANIKOODAM and THIRUPAARTHANPALLI
scattered around for about 10 kms and as done in the temples our Azhwar requests Perumal to grace the garuda Utsavam the nest day after reciting the prescribed pasurams of the Divya desams . Few temples the time taken is more as per the number of Pasurams .Adiyen was fortunate to be around the learned bhagavathas and advanced devotees who were literally up to date with the history of temple and Azhwars pastimes .
All these temples are scattered in a radius of 10 to 12 kms .Unmindful of the darkness , poor roads and route followed each of us were moving in a brisk pace to match the speed of the Procession .We must congratualate the palaquin bearers of Azhwar who are so energetic and infuse the spirit to just keep moving seeking his mercy . The whole place is charged with religious fervour and was eye- captivating. One must not miss to see bhagavatha’s bhakti for the Azhwar. Due to Azhwar’s sheer grace, Adiyen was able to participate in the procession.
The procession was more or less like a running race. It shows the Azhwar’s anxiety to have darshan of Perumal at different divya desams . In each of the temples, we could see the utsavar anxiety to receive the Azhwar by waiting outside the garbagriham to welcome our Azhwar. Adiyen was overwhelmed with joy and at the same time was stunned to see an ocean of Srivaishnavas running behind the Azhwar. True ! If a bhaktha makes a small attempt to seek him
…LORD moves few miles to reach him .All through the way, Perumal’s naamasmaranam was done and Azhwar’s vaibhavam was recapitulated. Even the thorns and stones on the road become flowers to the devotees now .Enjoying the company of a senior devotee adiyen suddenly noticed Azhwars procession moving inside a field lushy and so green . For a moment, was totally confused . Adiyen didn’t know what was happening. The senior devotee explained that it was Azhwar’s practice to go across fields, muddy lands and canals during his times and as a mark of respect the procession goes in the similar fashion and that practice is followed even today. It was a very thrilling experience. Around 8-10 bhagavathas were shouldering the palanquin and by seeing the speed in which the procession was taken, Adiyen thought they may drop the palanquin. But was corrected about my misconception by other bhagavathas that such incidents do not happen and Azhwar enjoys the procession to be taken in this way. Adiyen decided to accompany the procession in the damp fields along with the bhagavathas though was bit apprehensive about slipping in the green fields . Adiyen never ever felt that we were in the fields . We along with Azhwar cross the agricultural fields, (keni kattu), canals etc. One young devotee was sharing his experience that the local people request the procession to be taken across their fields because they strongly believe that Azhwars mercy on them will have a good yield if the procession goes from their fields.
It takes about half a day for our Azhwar to cover these 5 temples. After inviting the Perumals in these five divyadesams it is almost the next day afternoon .
Now our Azhwar proceeds to the banks of Manikarnikarai ( tributary of the river cauvery )
On the banks of the canal, Azhwar does mangalasaasanam to his Acharyar , Sri Naraiyur Nambi Perumal (Naachiyar kovil, Kumbakonam) who personally initiated him into Vaishnavism and mangalasaasanam to his favourite Perumal, Sri Ranganathar . The Divyaprabhanda pasurams takes you literally to the divyadesam along with Azhwar .
An interesting happening takes place .The Priests along with bhgavathas stood in knee deep water reciting pasurams on LORD Thirunaraiyur Nambi and Sri Ranganathar. Our Azhwar takes a quick dip in the canal . Along with the Azhwar, all the devotees also had a holy dip.
One devotee informed that Azhwar, when he was the chief ,he used to have bath in these waters for refreshing himself after he returned from his looting expedition. Hence, the old practice of having holy dip in the Manikarnikai waters is still followed even today. Azhwar is now honoured with garlands and peethambarams which were adorned by the two Perumals of the divya desams previously. These gifts are specially brought from Kumbakonam and Srirangam with due temple honours. Now our Azhwar proceeds to a nearby old mandapam well decorated for Manjal Neeratam..
..Thirumanjanam ( Abhiskekam) was performed to SINDANAIKU INIYAN ( one who is sweet for contemplating ) who accompanies Azhwar during the entire procession ( deities worshipped by Thirumangai Azhwar himself),
Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudavalli Thayar. It is very interesting to note that Azwar is never separated from Thayar except on one occasion i.e. during THIRUVEDUPURI UTSAVAM celebrated during Panguni Uthiram day every year in April. Only during this occasion, Azhwar leaves Kumudavalli Thayar alone for a span of 3-4 hours as he goes to rob Perumal’s properties and eventually transforms to become HIS only property .
We are now in the Mandapam premises . A sahsradhaara plate where the Azhwar deities are honoured with a holy bath . The beauty is during Abhishekam ( Thiurmanjanam) to Lord Sindanaiku Iniyan the remnants holy water / milk/ honey /curd flows through the Sahasradhaaram on Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudavalli’s who are underneath LORDS LOTUS FEET
. Its a great bhagyam to have darisanam of Azhwar when the holy water of his deities is allowed to bathe the divine couple who have showed us the path of surrender to our only LORD SRIMAN NARAYANA.
Adiyen was fully charged amongst the bhagavathas . Few senior bhagavathas sang Azhwars Pasurams with some dancing to the tunes .
Overall the festive atmosphere infused more and more bhakthi and adiyen found there was some special attraction in our Azhwars bewitching smile . Reflecting on Azhwars pastimes adiyen reclined at the mandapam premises sometimes with tearful eyes thanking Azhwar and Asmath Acharyar for blessing me to be among this wonderful devotees who are in the trance of HARINAAM all the while .
At about 6 P.M., Azhwar reaches Thirumanimada kovil popularly known as Narayana Perumal kovil. It is here that 11 Garuda sevai is performed. The garuda vahanams of all Perumals are kept here in designated mandapams. Azhwar is greeted as usual and pasurams comprising of Thirupallandu, Kanninunsiruthambhu, respective pasuram from Peria Thirumozhi are recited followed by neivedyam, saatrumarai and vaazhi thirunaamam. Azhwar then visits Thiruvanpurushothaman kovil where professional musicians entertain Azhwar by exhibiting their talent in playing nadaswaram and mrudangam . After mangalasaasanam, Azhwar visits Manavaala maamunigal sannidhi in the temple precincts. Azhwar was one of the favourites for Manavala mamunigal mamunigal organizes the 11 garuda seva on the following day. We were offered prasadam , panchaamrutham, chakarai pongal etc sumptously . The Manjal Neeratam is still fresh in our minds. May Azhwar bless us by giving us many many more oppurtunities to be amongst his devotees It was almost 3 P.M now . As per the plan , the procession re started. Azhwar now marches to THIRUMANIMADAKOVIL , THIRUNAGARI and glorifies the Perumals to grace the function the next day .
Prasadam is offered at every Divyadesam to the devotees . Now our Azhwar proceeds to THIRUVANPURUSHOTHAM KOVIL , THIRUVAIKUNTAVINNAGRAM THIRUSEM PON SEI KOVIL THIRUTHETRIAMBALAM THIRUARIMEYAVINNAGARAM and finally awaits for all Perumals to grace him at THIRUMANIMADA KOVIL and following the same custom of reciting the divyaprabhanda pasurams glorified by Azhwar at the respective divya desams.
We were overjoyed to be among a sea of devotees and managed to take rest in open area and moved to the premises of Srinivasa Perumal kovil more popularly known as “Annan Kovil “ and passed the night at temple along with devotees .
The next day morning, all of us assembled at Thirumanimada kovil for participating in the most awaited 11 GARUDA SEVA.
Adiyen took this small oppurtunity to have darisanam of Anann kovil,, Thirupaarthanpalli, Thiruvaali-Thirunagari before proceeding to attend the Eleven Garuda sevai . Offering repeated obesiances to our Azhwar in Thirunagari temple. The temple itself is very big. The deity of Thirumangai Azhwar along with Kumudavalli Thayar is eye captivating. It makes one recollect Acharyar Manavala mamuni’s thaniyan . Azhwar’s lips are slightly opened as if they are uttering THIRUMANTRAM. Azhwar is seen holding THIRUMADAL in one hand and has a spear with him. Azhwar is seen wearing anklet. This anklet and Vel were given as gifts to the Azhwar when he won in a contest about Vaishnavism with a advanced saiva devotee Thirugyanasambandhar .
THE PREPARATION FOR ELEVEN GARUDA SEVAI BEGINS
From 10 A.M. onwards we can have darhanam of divya desa Perumals from each temple who accept the Invitation of Azhwar We are able to observe a big pandal erected for the Perumals. The Perumals arrive in their respective palanquins with mangalashanams . Now we race towards Thirumanimadakovil at 14 hours. We take darshanam of almost Seven Perumals who had arrived . Almost by 4 P.M. all Perumals from 11 divya desams arrive and take the gaurd of honour from our Azhwar as our Azhwar arrives to recieve our most reverred guest of the wonderful seva from Thirumanimada kovil for receiving the Perumals.
Our Azhwar awaits near the entrance of the temple. Acharyar Manavala maamuni awaits facing our Azhwar.
, Swamy Manavalamaamuni was very fond of Thirumangai Azhwar and he , as a disciple supervises this grand Garuda Utsavam . The place was over crowded but fortunately we could have a clear view of the proceedings and were able to have good darisanam . To enable the crowd to know about the proceedings, a big board was hung depicting the particular Perumal’s Thirunaamam, and Divya desam.
Mangalasaasanam on the particular Perumal rendered by Thirumangai Alwar was recited and our Azhwar does pradakshinam to Perumal. Azhwar is honoured with parivattam and garlands previously worn by the Perumal as a blessing . Our Azhwar humbly bows down to accept the gifts given by respective Perumals from the divyadesams . Azhwar wears the garland given by Perumal and adorns the parivattam . Fruits etc are offered as neivedyam to Perumal and then to Azhwar and later to Swamy Manavala Mamumuni followed by karpoora aarthi
. Now the honoured Perumal gets inside the Thirumani mada kovil. An interesting feature noted was there was a separate troop of musicians who played naadaswaram, mela and thalam for each Divyadesam Perumal.
Finally Karpoora mangala haarthi with Poorna khumbham is given. The sequence in which the mangalasaasanam done to the Perumal is as follows
1) THIRUNARAYANA PERUMAL OF THIRU MANIMADA KOVIL- adorned in white colour dress .
2) KUDAMAADU KOOTHAR PERUMAL OF THIRU ARIMEYA VINNAGARAM- adorned in blue colour dress
3) SRI LAKSHMI RANGANATHAR OF SEM PON SEI KOVIL
4) SRI SRINIVASA PERUMAL OF ANNAN KOVIL (palanquin covered with blue and meron velvette cloth)
5) SRI PURUSHOTHAMAN OF THIRUVANPURUSHOTHAM (dressed in white and grey)- palanquin covered with green cloth (Note: All the palanquins were covered with cloth with sankhu, chakram and Thiruman embedded on it)
6) SRI VARADARAJA PERUMAL OF THIRUMANIKOODAM (silver crown, holding mace, dressed in blue and red –palanquin covered with white cloth)
7) SRI VAIKUNTANATHAR OF THIRUVAIKUNTAM ( Adiseshan seen as umbrella for Perumal, blue and red colour cloth covered over the palanquin) (The alankaranam for all the Perumals are fantastic)
8) SRI MADHAVA PERUMAL OF THIRUDEVANARTHOGAI (meron colour kreetam-dressed in yellow and red )
9) SRI PARTHASARATHY PERUMAL OF THIRUPAARTHANPALLI (dressed in printed silk cloth-silver umbrella –Maragadham visible on Perumal’s Thirumaarbhu-red colour palanquin
10) SRI RAJAGOPALAN of THIRUKAVALAMPAADI (dressed in pink and blue coloured silk cloth-red coloured palanquin)
During circumbulation to LORD Sri Rajagopalan Azhwar majestically circumbalates amidsts the enchanting Nadaswaram ( Nagin music) . After all the Perumals take leave , Swami Manavala mamuni does pradakshinam to Azhwar amidst the background nadaswaram playing style and the Azhwar along with swami Manavala mamuni enter the temple. The reception function takes place for about 2 hours. Around 5PM inside the temple, we can have darshanam of each Perumal who have a separate chamber and ( Abhishekam ) Thirumanjanam to all the Perumals and Azhwar is performed in Ekantam ( private) . After the Maha Abhisheskam , all the Perumals are adorned with wonderful ornaments and flowers .The Garuda vahanam is also adorned with flowers and other paranphalia . We had darishnam of all the Perumals and seeked their grace in having satsangh always
. Around 11 P.M. , the Garuda seva starts. We quickly come out of the temple and eagerly await to have the Garuda seva darshanam of all the Perumals . We observe the moment the main door opens our Acharyar Swamy Manavala mamuni followed by Thirumangai Azhwar and Kumudavalli Thayar seated on hamsa vahanam arrive much to the joy of the devotees . Swamy Manavaala mamunigal in his parangi naarkali vahanam comes out first and receives Azhwar seated on Hamsa vahanam. One by one all the Divya desam Perumals arrive in Garuda vaahanams. Mangalasaasanam sung by Azhwar is recited and after due honours, the Perumal goes round the 4 mada streets..
Its a divine feeling to be amongst a sea of srivaishnavas assembeled reciting the Divya Prabhandam pasurams . Few devotees were distributing the pasurams books for others to follow and recite . Now the Perumals on Garuda vahanam grace Azhwar and the devotees who are eagerly waiting for his darshan . and All the divya desa Perumals follow them. The procession winds its way through the four mada streets of Thirumanikoodam. It takes about 3 hours for all the Perumals to complete the oorvalam. All the Perumals assemble in front of Thiurumanimaada kovil. Azhwar thanks all the Perumals for having blessed all the sinners like us with their Divine Grace. Swamy Manavala mamuni’s saatrumarai takes place later and all the Perumals enter into the temple. On the way to Thirunagari, Azhwar proceeds to Sri Annan Kovil, Madhava Perumal kovil (Thirudevanarthogai), Thiruvaali and Thirunagari divya desams
. On the third day, after all the divyadesa Perumals leave to their respective divyadesams, Azhwar also leaves Manimada kovil.. On the way he visits Annan Kovil where he is received grandly as he is considered as their “Maapillai”(son-in-law”). Finally Azhwar reaches Thirunagari where Vayalaali Manavalan-the presiding diety of Thiruvali-Thirunagari temple waits near the entrance on Garuda Vaahanam to welcome Azhwar . Perumal and Azhwar then enter into the temple together. This marks the end of the three day festivities at Thirunangoor which is celebrated for more than 140 years. Adiyen with tears submit to the divine will of Azhwar and Almighty who graced us tohave the darishna bhagyam amongst several devotees .
What else does a soul needs except HIS cool benovalent grace always to be among Haribhaktaas………..
Nadu nagaramum NAMO NARAYANA enru ..Thats the final prayer LORD ..Adiyen seeks his mercy to be HIS always … Please forgive adiyen for any slips in glorifying and describing the great festival .
The foremost devotee of LORD RANGANATHAR of Srirangam was Swamy Vipra Narayanan who later called himself Thondaradi podi Azhwar ( dust of the devotees of Lord Ranganathar) . He appeared in a holy dhaam “Thirumandangudi” in Tamilnadu.
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He cultivated a beautiful garden and offered the best variety of flowers to LORD RANGANATHA daily .
This service was well liked by him and hence he wanted to live in Brahmacharyam ashram throughout his life and thus always be in service of LORD by offering pushpa kainkaryams .
However ,a divine play was enacted .
Vipranaryana was known for his sincere devotion ….
In the same village a beautiful dancer lived who was very popular for her beauty .
One day she came into the garden where Vipranaryana was growing flowers that was to be offered to Lord daily. (Nandavanam in tamil) .
While everyone around was attracted by her beauty, Vipra Narayanan remained engrossed in looking for the fresh and best flowers that can be offered to the LORD , though she was standing next to him and passerby’s eagerly looking at her beauty ..
She was surprised to see a man living in the same village ,who would not even turn to look at a beautiful lady within his sight.
Her friends informed her that he was committed in his devotional service and that she will not be able to attract him.
Taking it as a challenge, the beautiful lady Deva devi decided to be with him and help him in his service and later win the bet placed with her friends .
One evening, the area where Vipranarayana lived was struck by lightening and thunder and thus heavy rains followed .
The lady who was helping him daily with some service decided this was the right opportunity to enslave the devotee .
She innocently walked into the garden and asked for permitting her to stay in his place as it was unsafe to travel in the dark.
As a devotee , he felt sorry for her and allowed her to stay in his ashram . That night, she wins over him with her innocent talk and looks. She feels delighted to have finally enslaved him.
Having won the challenge, she decides to leave him and claim her supremacy in attracting anyone including an ardent devotee .
As time passes , Vipra Narayanan is unable to live without her and offers his karmic prayers to Lord Ranganatha to get her back.
All compassionate Lord Ranganatha goes to Deva devis place (incognito) as a small boy and hands over Golden Vattil ( vessel) and informs her that Vipra Narayanan asked him to hand it over to her.
The next day, in the temple the Priests are worried about the missing vessel in the temple .
The news reaches the King through his temple attendants . The search for the golden vessel inside the temple begins . A maid working at Deva Devi’s place informs the king that she saw the vessel (Vattil) in her place.
Suspecting Vipra Narayanan’s role in this, the king locks him up in a Jail.
It is here that Vipra Narayanan realises his folly of having fallen prey to the beauty of a woman.
He regrets the fact that he had lost thought of the Lord for a while and that what he is suffering now was the result of this weakness and giving over importance to his carnal temptations .
The divine play of LORD makes him realise the material influences that takes away from LORDs service . Later with Elders intervention Vipranarayana is released and remains in thought of the Lord .
He composes 2 of the best known Paasurams of the Divya Prabhandham – 45 verses of Thiru Maalai (872-916) as well as 10 verses of ThiruPalli Yezhuchi (917-926).
Having gone through a traumatic experience with devadevi, he decides to remain a staunch bhakta serving LORD every breath .
He calls himself the dust at the feet of devotees bhaktas
(ThoNdar adi ppodi AzhwAr).
Azhwar emotional outburst laments in one pasuram
“OorilEn kANiyillai; uRavu maRRu oruvar illai;/
pAril nin pAtha moolam paRRilEn parama moorthee;/
kAroLi vaNNanE (en) kaNNanE! kadharuginREn;/
AruLar kaLaikaN ammA! arngamA nagaruLAnE!/”
Meaning:
I have no place
no properties;
no relatives;
none other than you;
I know only your Lotus feet;
O Supreme Lord of Blue hued sky colour!
You only are my refuge.
Can you not hear my cries?
Is there any one else to save me except you?”……………………..
19-12-2025 is the appearance day of Azhwar
All Glories to our ThoNdar adi podi AzhwAr
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Pics Credits : Google images uploaded by several advanced devotees in social media
Thirukkannamangai temple is one amongst the srivaishnava divya desam in Kumbakonam. This divine place is located in Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu. Around 8 kms from Tiruvarur amidst a huge tank Darsha Pushkarini this temple is located near Western banks .
Azhwar keeps comparing the Lordships here to the sugarcane and also refers to the village as the place where blue lotuses bloom. While those flowers may not be so visible now, the sweetness of the shrine cannot be denied.
About 25 miles from Kumbakonam, the temple is among the Pancha Krishnaraya kshetrams– the others being Therazhandur, Thirukannapuram, Thirukanankudi, Thirukannamangai and Thiru kapisthalam.
This holy place is also called as “Sapthamirtha Kshetram”.An unique darshanam for the devotees at this temple is of Mahalakshmi thayar. This sannidhi where Abhishekavalli thayar is in a resident posture . ( Erundha thirukolam ).
The sanctum has an artha mandapam and maha mandapam too. In this artha mandapam, there are beehives in the rectangular windows on the south and north walls.
The gopuram has four levels and the sub-shrines to the Goddess Abhisheka Valli and Andal have wagon-vaulted roofs to the pavilions fronting them.
Peria Thiruvadi ( Garudalvar ) gives darshanam in standing posture and is considered to be a very powerful giver of boons.
He is not clad in the standard red bordered white dhoti but in a multi-coloured silk sari! And on his neck is placed a sweetmeat offering that is unique to Tirukkannamangai.
It goes by the name of Amrita Kalasam and resembles a laddu. Maha Abishekams are performed for Garudalwar every Sunday.
It is believed that the four Vedas took the form of four pillars and the pavilion goes by the name of Veda Sagara.
The Goddess is in a shrine to the left of the outer corridor.
Abhisheka Valli derives her name from the legend that she was ceremonially bathed with the holy waters of the tank before her marriage to Maha Vishnu.
A beehive is seen inside the temple that waxes and wanes with the seasons .
The bees shift home every six months, residing to the left of the Goddess during the Dakshinayanam (July to December) and to her right during Uttarayanam.( January to June).
The 33 crore devas took on the form of these divine insects to witness the heavenly wedding of the Lord and goddess as per the legend.
The same was sung in one of the hymns of Thirumangai Azhwar”Kalivandaraiyum pozhilsoozh Kannamangaiyal kandhu kondene”
It is believed that the bees are the demi gods who came to attend the wedding and decided to stay on, being enchanted with the holy place Tirukkannamangai .
On other side of a bigger mandapam , there are eight pillars .Each pillar features a painting of one each of the asthalakshmis.
The presiding deity of this temple is Bhaktavatsala perumal who gives us darshanam in standing posture and thayar is glorified as Abhisekhavalli thayar .
A very important divine pastime must be cherished .
In this Srivaishnava Divya desam there lived a great devotee by the name Thirukkanna mangai AndAn who was a disciple and nephew of a great srivaishnava Acharyar Swamy Nathamunigal and the foremost disciple to learn Naalayira Divya Prabhandam from his Acharyar .
He was performing daily services in the temple unconditionally without any desires .He used to pluck the grown grass and make the pathway clean for the devotees .He used to be always ready to do any menial service that was fit for the temple .
One day, he saw two dogs fighting with each other.
The sight of this fight drew the attention of the owners of these dogs to quarrel and beat each other to the extent they both got badly injured and one almost lost his life .
Thirukkanna mangai AndAn witnessed this. He thought to himself, “if the owners of the dogs have so much affection and sense of ownership for their loyal dogs that they are ready to give up their lives, then why would not our LORD who owns this dog-“Thirukkannamangai AndAn,” if dedicated to Him, not come to his protection?”
Thinking this way, he served the LORD and entered the kOvil and rested on the floor in a small room near the entrance. Deeply engrossed in his realization to serve the LORD , the very next second, he attained the lotus feet of LORD .
Renouncing the intent of protecting himself, he subjected himself to the mercy and protection of LORD .The Priests in the temple could see some unusual object gushing inside the temple sanatorium confirming the great devotees love to the LORD .
As per legend it is told one who spends a night in the vicinity of the temple attains Moksha .( Also glorified as Dakshina Pushkarani .)
Aani Sravanam is the appearance day of the great devotee Thirukkanna mangai AndAn..
Swamy Ananthazhvan with the instructions of Jagatha Acharyar Swamy Ramanujar had taken the task of serving Lord Venkateshwara at Tirumala .
His Acharyar bhakthi was well noticed .His fame spread far and wide to the southern parts of India for his Acharya bhakthi in moving to Tirumala and serving the LORDSHIPS with pure devotion during those olden days .
Many Srivaishnava disciples were keen to meet him and to get his blessings. Hence they undertook a pilgrimage to the seven Hills from Srirangam .
On their way, they were taken care by of a chieftain by name Valarttan Mangalamudaiyan in a village of the same name.
He was pious and charitable and endowed with material prosperity. After serving prasada looking at their devotion to LORD the chieftain started following them to Tirumala . He begged them to allow to join them and take blessings of the mahaan Swami Anathazhwan.
They did not respond to him immediately. However out of affection they allowed him to join them . The vaishnava disciples called him as Srivaishnava dasar due to his pure devotion to the bhagavathas. All of them went up the Hills and prostrated before Swami Ananthalvan .
The chieftain also followed praying for the Acharyars katakshaam. And when he was looking at the Tejas of swamin sincerely prayed to LORD , May I become his disciple and serve him to be blessed by the LORD .
He requested his vaishnava disciples to request swami to accept him as disciple .
They pleaded swami to accept the chieftain for doing some service as pleaded by him .
Pleased with his devotion ,and the keen desire to be his disciple, Ananthalvan told him that he could not be given upadesa (the teaching from the Acharya to the disciple) because that was given only to those who had conquered the five senses and one who had controlled the mind.
The Srivaishnavas who brought him to Swami Ananthalvan pleaded with him to take him as a disciple pointing out how he did service to the Vaishnavite community.
There was none else who was fit enough to be the acharya for such dedicated person . They explained that they did not respond to his entreaties all the time because they felt Swamy Ananthalvan alone could decide on the matter. Ananthalvan relented and took the chieftain aside.
He told him that if he wanted to be his disciple and take upadesa, he should forego all his materials wealth in favour of the servants of God and ensure that the income and wealth were utilised only for such pious purposes.
If he were to do that, he would accept . The disciple left home and sold all the property by himself and gave one part to his mother and one part to his father.
He considered the rest as his own and returned to Thirumala Hills with the same . He surrendered the wealth at the lotus feet of Ananthalvan.
Swami Ananthalvan blessed and appreciated him for keeping up his word remembering the promise made at the time of becoming a disciple.
But then Srivaishnavadasa reminded Ananthalvan that his part of the bargain alone had been completed and that that Ananthalvan should bless him to get the grace of the Lord as he himself had received in abundance from the Lord. This was the second part of the deal.
Ananthalvan agreed and took him to sanctum sanctorum of Lord Srinivasa.
He surrendered all the wealth , gold and silver brought by Srivaishnavadasa at the Lotus Feet of the Lord and told the Lord how, on his advice, Srivaishnavadasa had agreed to spend his wealth in the service of God and the devotees.
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He also explained that Srivaishnavadasa was to get in return the Grace of God. Ananthalvan reminded the Lord about the Charama Sloka in the Gita.
Sarva dharman parityajya Mam ekam saranam vraja Aham tva sarva papebhyo Moksayisyami ma sucah” (Surrender all your Dharmas unto me. Come to me with utter faith. I am here to take care of you) Ananthalvan prayed that the Lord should bless Srivaishnavadasa as per the promise “ma sucah” ..
The Lord obliged to Ananthalvan. After honouring him with Thirtha and Srisathakopa the Lord promised that , Srivaishnavadasa would reach Paramapada. Both were thrilled at the benediction of the Lord Srivaishnava dasa returned with Ananthalvan to his abode immediately pleased at the turn of events. Ananthalvan taught him all the had come for him to ascend paramapada.
Supremely happy, he prostrated before the Lord saying that he desired to be the sole of His sacred Feet and heard the Lord declaring
‘Nayami Paramam Gatim’(I take you to the Highest State)
Thus Srivaishnavadasa came to receive the Grace of the Lord because of his being a disciple of Swami Ananthalvan. A few days later, the Lord’s grace was to be bestowed on Srivaishnavadasar. The time was propitious Srivaishnavadasa had attained all the qualities necessary for Mukthi.
At a festival time, the Lord was in procession along the Four Mada Streets. From his abode, Swami Ananthalvan along with Srivaishnavadasa emerged to worship the Lord .
Deeply immersed in LORDS holy feet he left his mortal coils .
Swamy Ananthalvan was wondering at the extreme Daya (Audaryam) of the Lord and
……………………..TRUE !!
Dayasatakam by Swami Desikar on LORD VENKATESHWARA expounds this truth . He performed the Caramakainkarya for Srivaishnavadasa.
This is one of a real incident happened in the life of His Holiness the 33rd Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt .
One day , His Holiness Jeeyar was passing through the dense forest from Ahobilam to Mysore accompanied by his disciples, journeying to the next destination .
It was a very tough task traveling those old days .
Enroute , His Holiness Jeeyar decided to halt at a spot near a small rivulet to perform his evening puja to Lord Narasimha .
As he was settling down to offer prayers, there was a commotion.
His disciples rushed to him informing about the bandits who had come to loot the baggage they were carrying which had Lords Jewelry and paraphernalia offered by several kings and devotees .
The unperturbed Jeeyar went boldly to meet the bandit leader of the gang, and told him that they had nothing which belonged to them , and everything they possessed belonged to Lord Narasimha .
He requested him to take it without any inhibitions , after he finished his evening puja . He politely returned and offered prayers .
The dacoit leader followed His holiness and was waiting for his turn to loot the jewelry.
The jeeyar commenced his puja.
He offered “Chakkarai Pongal (Sweet) prepared out of rice and jaggery” to the lord.
AMangala Haarati to Lord Narasinga thrice and prayed LORD humbly to accept his offerings .
At the end of third round of the mangala Haarathee all the dacoits who were hiding near the bushes came out and suddenly fell at the lotus feet of Jeeyar and asked him to protect them .
They were shivering with fear and pleaded His holiness to save them as large number of lions were attacking them.
The Jeeyar could not see the lions but he realized that his Lord had come to rescue him. He requested the lions to disappear.
The dacoits who had come to rob fell at his lotus feet repeatedly , begging forgiveness and then escorted the jeeyar safely out of the forest till Mysore .
Lets glorify our LORD by singing HIS holy names .
MAATHA NARASIMHA,
PITHA NARASIMHA
BRATHA NARASIMHA,
SAKHA NARASIMHA
VIDYAA NARASIMHA,
DRAVINAM NARASIMHA
SWAMI NARASIMHA,
SAKALAM NARASIMHA………..
ITHO NARASIMHA,
PARATHO NARASIMHA
YATHO YATHO YAHIHI,
TATHO NARASIMHA…
NARASIMHA DEVAATH PARO NA KASCHIT TASMAAN NARASIMHA SHARANAM PRAPADYE
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Pics credits : Google images and uploaded pics from social media shared by several advanced devotees
Swamy Yamunacharya, was the son of Isvara Bhatta and grandson of the great acharya Swamy Nathamunigal. He appeared near Viranarayanapuram (present day Kattu Mannargudi) in Tamil Nadu.
Yamunacharya was a child prodigy. Yamunacharyar went to Sri Mahabhashya Bhatta a learned scholar as a student . During those period all the Vidwans (scholars) in the Chola Kingdom had to pay annual tribute (prescribed fee) to Aakkialwan, the royal purohit and court pundit. One day on receiving the notice for the tribute, Mahabhashya Bhatta, became very sad, as he was penny less.
Observing his sad face, and coming to know the difficult situation, Sri Yamuna took it upon Himself to put an end to the audacity and the atrocity of Aakkialwan.
He tore the notice to pieces and sent the messenger back. On hearing this, Aakkialwan sent the messenger back to ask young Yamuna, whether he was a poet or a scholar well versed in Shastras who can take on him . Yamuna replied We are not just poets nor mere scholars who have seen the other shore of the Shastras.
But , we have the strength and ability to tear open the opponents who indulge only in cheap publicity. Seeing the reply, Aakkialwan was astonished at the scholarship of Sri Yamuna and expressed the same to the Chola King. The King ordered Yamuna to attend to his court immediately, which was refused bluntly by Sri Yamuna.
The King realizing that he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary person sent a palanquin along with its bearers to bring Sri Yamuna. Looking at Sri Yamuna, the king ordered him to start the debate with court pundit, Aakkialwan as per the conversation . Sri Yamuna replied, Well, your Majesty it is hard for you to decide the winner and the loser when we debate and we both may not accept defeat. Therefore it would be appropriate if we argue in the midst of learned scholars who are assembled here .
Having invited all learned men, he occupied the royal throne along with his queen at the debating hall. The queen, being very much impressed by the handsome appearance and tejas of the young man, drew the attention of the King towards him and exclaimed that the lad would never sustain defeat in the wordy quarrel. If at all he is defeated, she said that she would become a maid and cook the food for the dogs in the palace. The King too retorted saying that in case Aakkialwan was the loser, he would part with half of his kingdom by presenting it to Sri Yamuna.
The debate started.
Aakkialwan said to Sri Yamuna, Let us start with ordinary worldly affairs. I will negate all your affirmatives and your negative statements will be made affirmatives by me.
Agreeing to this proposal, Sri Yamuna uttered three sentences to Aakkialwan. 1) Your mother is a barren woman. 2) The King is righteous one 3) The Queen is a very chaste woman.
Fearing corporeal punishment at the hands of the king by the denial of the three statements, Aakkialwan simply blinked and wronged his hands. But Sri Yamuna came out with his denial of these three statements with confidence .
1) A single tree cannot become a garden. Similarly one child is not enough to make a mother. As Aakkialwan is the only son of his mother, she is still a barren woman. 2) The sins committed by the subjects will go to the King, as he has not prevented them from doing so. Thus the king loses his righteousness. 3) Normally a girl becomes the wife of divine personalities like Indra etc prior to marriage as per shastras . Thus the queen has forfeited her claim for chastity.
These negations earned the approval of all scholars and thus Aakkialwan was put to shame. The same fate overtook Aakkialwan in the Shastra debate that followed. Now Sri Yamuna had acquired the right to strike on the head of Aakkialwan. But he politely declared his decent decision, Oh gentleman! I will not strike you on your head as per our agreement before the debate. It is because, I give due respect to your age and the exalted position that you occupy in the royal court .
This proclamation earned the appreciation and approval of all the scholars. The queen rushing towards Sri Yamuna embraced him and observed with a slippery tone full of affection . You have come to my rescue. Hence you are my ruler
(Ennai …. Aalavandeero )
. From that day onwards he came to be called Aalavandar. Having said so, she took him to the palace accompanied by the King. His Majesty also kept up his promise by offering half of his kingdom to Sri Aalavandar.
yathpaadhaamboruha Dhyaana vidhvasthaasheShkalmaShah | vasthuthaamupayaatho aham yaamuneeyam namaami tham ||
Millions of devotees throng the Tirumala Hills practically round the clock throughout the year for having darshanam of Lord Venkateshwara .
It is always the darshan what he gives us than what we seek .
Many will share their experiences having darshanam with moist eyes . However , Very few are aware that when we walk inside the temple , to the right side of the Main entrance we can see a crowbar tied to the wall which has a glorious past .
As we move towards the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Venkateswara , how many will remember that there was a time , just a thousand years back, when the Hills were deserted with not much of human habitation in sight .
Swamy Ramanuja had visited the Hills thrice.
His maternal uncle , Peria Thirumalai Nambi gave him discourses on Srimad Ramayana for several months at the Hills.
The temple and the surroundings were in bad shape and worship was not organized regularly.
Swami Ramanuja was inspired by the Holy Hymns of the Alwars singing the glory of the Lord of the Seven Hills.
At Srirangam the capital of Vaishnavism , during a discourse amongst 74 Acharyars on Nammalvar’s Thiruvaymozhee
While commenting on the hymn recited by Swami Nammalwar ,
”cindhu pu magilum Thiruvenkatam (3.3.2)
(on Thiruvenkatam Hills, spilled flowers blossom.)
Swami Ramanuja put it to the concourse of disciples hearing him on Bhagavad Vishayam. ”Srirangam is known as Bhoga mantapam, the place where Lord enjoys Himself at the sight of the devotees on the banks of the river Cauvery.
Kanchi is known as Tyaga mantapam, where the Lord sacrifices for the sake of his devotees. The Thirumalai Hill is known as Pushpa Mantapam where the Lord is bedecked with flowers all the time.
We should lay a garden for the service of the Lord and see that flowers are arranged for daily worship .
My dear children ….
Is there anyone……………… he posed them the question ……………whether any one of them will take up the task of serving the Lord on the Hills on a day to day basis.
Everyone was hesitating , fearing the hard life up the Hills what with wild animals and the insects in the forests.
Suddenly …, Anantharya , a strong and silent devotee in the gathering rose to his feet and prayed ,
Beloved Acharya ! Bestow the blessing of serving the Lord of the Seven Hills on this humble self.
With your grace , I will be happy to undertake this service.”
Swamy Ramanuja was mightily pleased and embracing Anantharya, declared before the congregation ,Anantharya ,
You are truly the man ( Aanpillai).”
Anatharya chose to settle down on the Hills in fulfillment of the command of the Guru As per command, he climbed up the sacred Tiruvenkata Hills, laid a garden and dug a tank and a lake for the service of the Lord to ensure perennial supply of flowers.
This was at a time when nobody dared to go up the Hills because the risk involved of difficulties associated with life on the Hills. Admiring his dedication , Swamy Ramanuja gave him the title ”Aanpillai “(the great man) He therefore came to be known as Anantanpillai.
One day Ananthalvan and his wife were digging the earth for creating a small pond for the new garden.
The only thought in their minds was that that was a service dear to the Acharya Ramanuja. This time, Ananthalvan’s wife was in the family way and still, despite her physical frailty, was helping her husband with all dedication..
She was carrying basketloads of mud as per the instructions of Ananthalvan and throwing them at a far distance.
Lord Srinivasa was unable to bear the pain being undertaken by the lady and was moved by her devotion to the cause.
He took the form of a beautiful young Brhamachari and came before Ananthalvan and ……
told him
“Oh Acharya, you have grown old……………………………..
You are not in a fit condition to dig earth up. Your wife is also in full period of pregnancy and she will not be able to carry basket-loads of mud.
Please give me the spade.
Let me help you in this task.
I will dig the earth up and carry the basket-loads on my head.
I will drop them at your desired place. The old couple that you both are may watch me and guide in this task”.
Ananthalvan heard the youngster and replied to him,” My dear young man, you are looking handsome and soft.
You are full of ornaments and you are not able to carry even the weight of the ornaments on you .
People like you are born delicate and will not be able to undertake arduous task of digging the earth and carrying the mud.
You will be put to physical strain.
This is a task which you cannot do.
On the other hand, I am fit for this rough and tumble earth work. I will be put to strain if I do not do this job. Please do not interfere.
If you want to render service to the Lord, you may do it separately elsewhere .
If you come in my way, let me warn you,
I will drive you out you with this tool .
The Youngman was taken aback at the wrath of Ananthalvan, and for a moment stayed aloof.
However, after sometime, he saw the lady carrying the basket full of mud and walking slowly with infirm steps.
He accosted her on the way and spoke to her sweetly taking away the basket of mud on his head.
Thus the lady was able to hand over the basket of mud to the Youngman who in turn left it at the particular place.
Ananthalvan found the work being done in half the time hence questioned his wife whether she was throwing the mud at nearer place instead of the appointed place.
She told her husband how the young brahmachari was helping her by preventing her from reaching the destination and taking away the basket from her thus doing the job himself.
Ananthalvan grew red in the face.
He, overtaken by rage, ran after the youngman with the crowbar.
He cried out to him” oh unknown youngster, you continue to interfere with my service in spite of my warning.
You will pay for it”.
The young Brahmachari ran for his life as Ananthalvan was chasing him ( a divine play indeed )
The young man climbed up a big banyan tree and hid himself among the leaves.
He beseeched,
” My dear Ananthalvan, spare me.
Do not hit me.
I have rich diamond and golden ear-rings.
My garment is of golden tissue.
I will give you all these things if you spare me”.
Ananthalvan thought for a moment and kept quite,
“Let him climb down and start running as soon as he believes me. I will catch him then…….
”So he told the lad,” All right I will leave you alone. You may come down.
“The boy jumped down from the tree and started walking briskly even while turning his head backwards to see if any body was following him.
A few minutes later he found that Ananthalvan was chasing behind in order to catch him. The young lad started running …….
Being unable to catch him, Ananthalvan unknowingly threw the tool which he had used to excavate the soil …..( crowbar) at him.
The tool hit the divine lad on his chin and he was profusely bleeding.
However, with the bruise , he vanished into the temple, closing the door behind him. Ananthalvan waited for the boy to emerge from the temple.
There was no trace of the temple door opening.
The priests came to the temple for the evening Puja.
Ananthalvan told them how the young lad had entered the temple and closed the door from inside.
The priests shouted at the boy to come out of the sanctum sanctorum and open the door since it was time for the evening Puja.
The door opened.
Ananthalvan, the priests and other devotees entered the sanctum sanctorum.
There was no trace of the boy.
As they neared the Lord in the garbhagriha, they found that even as
He was all smiles, from His beauteous chin blood was oozing out.
Shocked at the spectacle of blood oozing out of the Lord’s chin, Ananthalvan wondered how this could happen and prayed to the Lord for an explanation.
The Lord answered his prayers and told him,”My dear Ananthalvan, I wanted to partake of the service you were doing for me and for the devotees.
You would not allow me to join you in the service.
You were after me in rage and threw the crowbar at me which hit me on the chin.
How can you forget it so soon?”
Ananthalvan was awe-struck and in fear begged of the Lord for forgiveness for what he did.
He applied herbs and stopped the flow of blood.
The Lord was supremely happy and told him”
I am delighted at your complete dedication to my service.
You will have the Sesavastra ( adorned clothes ) , the diamond studded ring and the golden ear-ring as honours from me”.
Even to this date, the crowbar with which Ananthalvan injured the Lord is hung at right side of the entrance to the main gate of the templeand the Lord is adorned with Pacchaikarpura on the chin.
This is distributed to the devotees as Sripadaremu.
Swamy Ananthalvan served LORD and breathed his last at an age of 84 years .
There is an Ananthalvan Vrindavanam on the Hills in the Ananthalvan garden.
There is also a Makila tree (vakula) in the garden.
According to tradition, it was on the Tiru Adi puram day (July-August ) that Swamy Ananthalvan reached Acharyar’s lotus feet ..
Even today Lord Srinivasa with his Consorts comes in procession to the garden on the evening of Tiruvadi Puram and maha prasada is offered on that occasion.
At the time of His return, the Makila tree is offered with flowers from the Lord and also Sri Sathakopa.
Outside the Swamy Ananthalvan ThiruMaligai (the house wherein Ananthalvan resided), the Sri Sathakopa is bathed in holy water (Tirumanjana) and Lagu Samproksanam takes place. The Archaka goes to the Svami Puskarini for bath.
This tradition which is carried on even today shows that the Makila (Vakula) tree is probably Swamy Ananthalvan himself reborn on the Hills.
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Photos : Courtesy Google pics and social media shared by several devotees
Thirumangai Azwar had done lot of services to LORD at Srirangam. Azhwar built the hundred pillar mandapam for the yearly festival adhyayana uthsavam. He built the north and south gopurms at Kulasekaran thiruveedhi and also the fourth compound wall ( Mathil suvar) which is called Maharlokam . This compound wall’s inner praharam is called “Aalinaadan veethi” that was the name of the place ruled by Azwar. There is a big Garudazwar sannathi in this praharam. The entrance is called Karthikai Vaasal to remember the birth star of Azwar He built the Thirunadai malikai that joins the Chandra Pushkarani and Velli Azakiyan vasal. On total he completed eight major construcion works in Srirangam. The big question is Where from he got this money for all these construction work? There are interesting stories. Lets cherish them ..
Azhwan sent his disciples to find out where from they could get money for this noble cause. One of the disciples came and told him that there was a gold Buddha statue in a Buddha Vihar at Nagapattinam near Kanyakumari and if they could get it, they could sell the statue and get money for the construction work. But the statue was installed on top of the Vimanam and if the statue was removed the Vimanam would get damaged. Hence they had to find out a way to remove it without damaging the vimanam. But for that they had to find out the sculptor who constructed it. Azhwar sent his disciples to find out where the sculptor lived . Later locating the place , he went in person with his disciples and stayed with a person living opposite to the sculptor. He told that person that he was going on Yathra visiting places and just waiting for the arrival of a ship to continue his yathra to Nagapattinam. One day he was talking to his disciples in a raised voice and was telling them that he came to know that the golden Buddha statue was stolen. The sculptor who heard this was shocked and started cursing the helper who worked with him and knew the secret of the construction of the Statue. Thirumangai Azwar asked the sculptor where the helper lived and that he would go and search for him and punish him for his misdeed. He told Azwar that he did not know his where about but he was from Choza Nadu. Azhwar spoke to him pleasingly and requested him to tell him about the ( Vimana Makuta suthram)construction secret. He assured him that he would find the sculptor and recover the statue from him. The same day a ship arrived and the Azhwar boarded the ship with his disciples. Azhwar went to the Buddha Vihar with one of his disciples and was hiding there till night fall. As he had already took clues from the sculpture to remove the golden statue without damaging the Vimanam, with his disciple’s help he removed the statue. The statue was glittering in the moonlight and Azhwar was just thinking, Buddha who renounced his princely home and kingdom did not deserve a golden statue. On reciting a pasurem the gold from the statue melted and dropped into Azwar’s lap.
Immediately he told his disiple that he did not want both of them to be seen together and told him to go back to Srirangam and he would follow suit. He decided to walk back to Srirangam. When he was approaching Thirukkannangkudi it was getting dark. He was also feeling tired and so wanted to take rest. Seeing a big tamarind tree, he sat underneath the tree. Beside the tree he saw a wet ploughed field. He digged the muddy field and buried the gold. Then he took rest under the tamarind tree. He was afraid that he might fall asleep and some one might take the gold. He told the tree, even if he fell asleep, the tree should be awake and take care of the gold. Next morning the tamarind tree woke him up by shedding its leaves upon him. He thanked the tamarind tree and blessed the tree as URangaa puLI. It is believed that the leaves of the tree never closed after this incident. The owner of the field came to plough the field in the morning. Thirumangai Azhwar stopped him by saying that it was his land and he would not allow him to plough. The farmer told him that for generations the land belonged to his family and how Azhwar was telling that it belonged to him. Azhwar told him that he was also asking the same question to him. The owner took him to panchayath and when they asked for proof the farmer showed his patta. When they asked Azhwar that if the land belonged to him where was the patta. He told them that it was at Srirangam and if they gave him twenty four hours time he would bring it and show it to them. The panchayath gave him time. Azhwar just wanted to take out the gold and leave the place, and for that only he asked for time. People say that from that time the law suits of that place keeps on dragging.
So the law suits are described as Thola Vazakku. (means never ending)While he was staying there Azhwar felt very thirsty and he saw a woman drawing water from a well. He went and asked for some water, but the woman refused to give water thinking that Azhwar would claim the well also as his property. Azhwar got angry and cursed that the bore well would become dry and water would never flow from underneath. The well was called UUraa KiNaRu and always remained dry since then. Azhwar felt very tired and slept under a Makiza tree. The Lord took pity on him and came as a traveler and gave him food and water. As Azhwar was in a dazed condition due to thirst and hunger he ate the food and consumed the water. Then he looked up to see the person, but there was no one there. He blessed the Makiza tree to be Kaayaa maram, never to dry and always to remain green and since then the tree is green .That night he went to the field and took out the buried gold and started back his journey to Srirangam. On his way the Lord took the form of the traveler again and blocked Azhwar from walking further. When Azhwar asked him who he was, he appeared with His Sangu- Chakram and azwar was delighted to have darshan of the Lord of KannaNgkudi. He then understood that the previous night Lord of KaNNangudi only blessed him by giving him Thirtham and prasadam.. When Thirumangai Azhwar prayed to Lord Sri Ranganatha in Srirangam, the Lord directed him to visit Thirukurungudi for salvation where the Azhawar sung his last Mangalasasanam.
One day, Paramasivan along with Parvathi , were passing by on their vahanam . When their shadow was about to touch Thirumazhisai AzhwAr, (AzhwAr an advanced sidha purusha) who was on some work notices , moves away. Noticing this PArvathi requests Paramasivanar that they should go and meet him.
Paramasivan hesitates .
He informs Paravathi that Azhwar is a great soul and devotee of SrimanNarayana and he will simply ignore them.
However , Parvathi insists, and hesitatingly , Paramasivan obliges.
AzhwAr is in trance with Hari vibhuthee and thus not in loukik mood.
Paramasivan , understands the transcendental state of Azhwar and asks AzhwAr
“How can he ignore them , when they are right next to him ?”.
AzhwAr offers his Pranaams and replies
“ Adiyen has nothing to ask you” except Haribhakthi .
Parameshwaran replies That is always there but still “We want to give you some benediction”. AzhwAr replies
Swamy “I dont want anything from you”.
But Paramasivan insists and advises You may ask for whatever you desire”.
AzhwAr with a smile replies , In that case … “Can you give me mOksham?”.
Paramasivan replies “I have no authority to give that.
Only srIman nArAyaNan can give that”.
AzhwAr then asks “Can you postpone the death of some one?” for which Parama Siva replies “That is based on the individual’s karmA.
I have no control over that”.
AzhwAr then shows a needle and thread and asks Paramasivan “Can you send this thread into the needle?”.
Paramasivan wants the world to know about this great devotee of Sriman Narayana and thus he pretends being angry and declares that he will burn him down like he burnt kAma dhEvan.
AzhwAr retaliates meditating on SrimanNarayana . A great fire flows from both the directions . Parama Sivan unable to bear the heat of that fire from AzhwAr , at once surrenders to Lord srIman nArAyaNan, and all the dhEvas, rishis, etc also approach Perumal and request him to stop the chaos.
LORD , immediately orders the praLaya clouds to bring a great rain and when they ask if they have the power to subside AzhwAr’s fire, emperumAn says he will give them the power.
A great flood gets formed after subsiding the fire, and AzhwAr being fixed on LORD continues his meditation without any disturbance.
Paramasivan being amazed at AzhwAr’s nishtai gives him the title “bhakthisArar”, glorifies him and explains to parvathi that “dhurvAsar was punished for his apachAram to ambarIshan. So, bhAgavathas cannot be defeated” and leaves to his place. Its always a pure devotee who wins by his bhakthee and Lord always proves this repeatedly that HIS bhaktha is dearest to HIM .
Thiruvattar Sri Adikesava Perumal Temple is one of the 108 Srivaishnava Divya desam is located 6 km north-east of Marthandam and 30 km north-west of Nagercoil (in Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu). The temple is surrounded on three sides by rivers (Kothai,Parali and Thamirabarani).
Paraliyar river takes a turn in this place and it is called vattaru , and as the LORD resides here the place came to be known as Thiruvattaru.
This Temple is older than Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple at Thiruvananthapuram. The temple structure is similar to that of Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
An interesting divinepastime of LORD is remembered by the locals here during Lords darshan. In the later half of 17th century ,kanyakumari and trivandrum( Venadu) was ruled by a queen . Due to some domestic disturbances ( kalippan kulam incident) all her five sons died due to some calamity .
The queen who was shattered left to Trivandrum and paid no attention to the kingdom. Looking at the capital without a ruler , the army chieftan under the Moghul emperor was keen to annexue the kingdom.
He reached Manakadu near to Trivandrum and camped along with his army .Realising the danger, the queen approached Raja Kerala Verma for assistance being her relative . The King out of his rajadharma commanded his army to proceed to drive away the invaders . This made them approach Thiruvattar which was on a higher platform that had many hills and shrubs .The enemy camp were hiding there and killing many of the locals .A fierce battle took place amongst them . The enemy camp were very aggressive . The King was about to loose the battle .
Disappointed with his valour , looking at the huge temple above him , he went walking up towards the temple and surrendered to Lord Adhi Kesava Perumal with tears and prayed LORD to take control of the situation .
Out of his deep love he sang a self composed song known as Pada Sankirthana /Adhikesavasthavam .
Suddenly from the temple sanatorium a swarm of wasps started coming continuously and went straight to the battle field . They started stinging all the enemy soldiers and the chieftan. Looking at the huge number of wasps , the army was taken back .
The frightened horses ran helter shelter throwing the chief and the soldiers from their backs killing them on the rocks .
The rudderless army lost the battle .Many were imprisoned .All the 300 horses were captured and a cavalary unit was made .
The kings glorification “Adhikesvasthavam” is recited even today during Deepa aradhanai.
The style and the architechture of this temple is taken as the sample to construct the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple.
The deities of Lord Adikesava Perumal and Lord Padmanabha are consecrated in such a way that they face each other. Lord is lying on his snake couch and one has to have darshan through three doors.
There is another Thiru Allah mandapam within the temple and is linked with another wonderful episode. It is told that a Muslim chieftans wife was suffering from a unknown disease . The Chieftan prayed Lord to save her from the chronic disease . As she was recovered miraculously , he decided to honor the Lord with a 21 day feast .
The unique tradition is still followed .
A 21-day Thiru Allah puja takes place even today.
It is believed Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited this place and found the ancient scripture of Brahma-Samhita here.
The lord relaxes on his snake couch and has to be viewed through three doors. Parama Shivan also gives darshan near the Lord Adikesava Perumal inside the sannidhi.
The moolavar or Main deity God here is Lord Adi kesava perumal and goddess is Sri Maragathavalli.The theertham is vattaru river . The thirumeni or body of the Lord is so huge that He gives darshan through three doors in the sannidhi. The thirumeni of the Lord is said to be made up of almost 16008 salagraama silas .
Due to this, there is no abhishekam (ritual bathing) for the Lord at this Temple. The main deity here has a very serene expression on his divine face, which gets accentuated in the light of the ghee lamps. The right hand of the Lord is held is a yoga mudra, while the left hangs down freely.
There is a huge stone platform (18 feet by 18 feet by 3 feet) in front of the sanctum sanctorum. There are no electric lights inside the sanctum, and it is an out-of-the-world experience to behold the Lord in the light of ghee and oil lamps. There is a Siva Linga at the feet of the Lord. Sri devi and bhu devi thayars are seated in the centre in front of Perumal
.
A sage by the name of kataleya maharishi is seen near to Perumal. The sanctum is constructed in such a manner that, on few auspicious days, the sun rays fall directly on the lotus feet (thirumeni) of the Lord.
The darashanam differences in both the temples are as follows
AT THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
Perumal ( Lord ) in Bhujanga sayanam Facing east Parama Shiva Seen near Perumal’s Thirumugam ( face) Lord Brahma Emerging from Lord’s Thirunaabhi Dwajasthambams Golden in front of Padmanabha swamy silver in front of Krishna’s sannidhi Ootakal mandapam measurement of stone in front of garbagriham wherepiligrims stand for darshan 20 X 20-31/2 “ thick sculptures Garuda Hanuman Dwarapalakas Aaratu festival accompanied by Maharaja of Travancore on Thiruvonam day
AT THIRUVATTARU DARASHINAM :
Perumal in Bhujanga sayanam Facing west ParamaShiva Seen Near Perumal’s Thiruvadi ( lotus feet ) Lord Brahma Not seen Dwajasthambams Only one in front of Kesava Perumal Ootakal mandapam measurement of stone in front of garbagriham wherepiligrims stand for darshan 18 X 25- 3 feetthick sculptures Lakshmana Indrajit Pathanjalietc Aaratu festival accompanied by King’s representatives carrying royal insignia the sword Thiruvonam day Carpenter makes a bow leaves it in front of the sannidhi without looking back and next day it is presented to the king.
On this auspicious eve of “JAGANNATH RATH YAATRA” held all over the world , Adiyen wishes to share some info which was gathered during my visit to the holy dham, Jagannath Puri during May 2007. Adiyen visited Mayapur dham-the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Puri, Srikoormam and Simhachalam in this trip.
Adiyen stayed for 2 days in Puri at ISKCON, Puri located in Swarg Dwaar .An ISKCON brahmachari who accompanied us briefed about the important places in Puri. This was our second visit to this place, the earlier one was during 2000.The photographs posted are from the local RATH YATRA done during 2013 at ECIL ,Hyderabad
DESCRIPTION ABOUT THE HOLY PLACE
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The greatness about the holiest shrine Puri is mentioned by Lord SrimaNNarayana HIMSELF in Narada Purana as:
Swami Alavandar is universally considered to be the Acharyar of Sri Ramanujacharya, though he had never spoken once to Swami Ramanuja till he lived. Whatever he taught Ramanuja he did it only through his disciples. Alavandar’s disciples were priceless gems. Perianambi, Thirukoshtiyur Nambi, Thirumaalaiyaandan and Peria Thirumalai Nambi were the chief disciples.
Of these Perianambi personally taught swami Ramanuja and it was Thirukoshtiyur Nambi who made swamy Ramanuja walk to his place 18 times to learn the meaning of LORD’S name.
Alavandar had another disciple by name Maraneri Nambi. The other disciples were all high-caste Brahmans whereas Maraneri Nambi belonged to a caste which was in the lowest rung of the social ladder during those period.Alavandar did not discriminate between his disciples and he loved Maraneri Nambi more than the other disciples.
Peria Nambi and Maraneri Nambi were of the same age. They became close friends. They would discuss their teacher’s words and each friend would contribute to the other’s learning. Once Alavandar was suffering from a painful disease called the carbuncle. Carbuncle, known as the King of Boils, Rajapilavai, in Tamil, is caused due to inflammation of tissues in the back and neck.
The shooting pain emanating from the fast-spreading boil would be unbearable. Antibiotics and painkillers were unknown in those days and it is difficult for us even to imagine the kind of pain the disease inflicted on its victims.
Swamy Alavandar was suffering silently. He did not even let his disciples know about the disease lest they should be worried. Perianambi and Thirukoshtiyur Nambi alone knew.
One day Maraneri Nambi went to Alavandar’s house. He insisted that he should see his Guru. Alavandar was hesitant. But Maraneri was adamant. So he was let in. Alavandar tried to cover his pain and welcomed him with a smile.
He thought that Maraneri had come there to clear his doubts in his lessons. The best way out was to dispose Maraneri as early as possible without letting him find out his disease. Maraneri came into the room and prostrated at his Acharya’s feet.
“May you be blessed, Maraneri Nambi.
Please get up. You see I have a lot of things to do today.
Please tell me your doubts fast. We don’t have much time.” “Gurudeva, I have been your disciple for decades. Have I asked anything from you?”
“No.” “Today I have come to you with a desire. I have set my mind on that object.
And I can’t live without that. You have that with you. Can you give that to me?”
“It’s yours Maraneri. Whatever it is.”
“Thanks, Gurudeva.”
Maraneri ran out to fetch a silver vessel containing the holy water.
Alavandar was puzzled.
“Please Gurudeva show me your hands.”
“What for, Maraneri?”
“When you gift a piece of land you need to solemnize the gift with the holy water, right?”
“Yes, you are right. You want the mutt’s land near the river kaveri .Well, it’s yours.
Take it………………….
“No, Acharya.
”“Then..’
“Please repeat whatever I am going to say..
“I, Yamunaithuraivar alias Alavandar, do hereby gift to my disciple Maraneri Nambi, the Rajapilavai disease which I have now, along with the pain, the suffering and all the after-effects.”
“What the hell you are doing Nambee ? This is not a game.
This water is holy. And if I repeat whatever you said, then you will have the disease, you moron. Don’t ever say the words again.
“You are one of the greatest Acharyas, the world has ever seen.
You have promised to give whatever I want…….
How can you go back on your word, Gurudeva?”
“But that’s ridiculous, Nambi.”“What is ridiculous, Acharya?
You are our Guru. You have a hundred disciples.
A thousand people come to you every day to listen to your words.
Even the Lord who sleeps forever in the temple is looking forward to see you every day.“How can you afford to be confined to your bed? And by your kind, wise words you are removing our pains. Pains which have been following us for millions of births. How can you suffer in pain, Acharya?
“I am a low-born worm, Gurudeva. By accepting me as your disciple you made a gift to me which is worth more than the whole universe.
“Now, Gurudeva, please.. I beg of you.. please allow me to do my part.
If you refuse to give your disease then I will have no option than to die at your feet. It’s your call.” Alavandar melted. He poured the water on his hand and chanted the appropriate mantra.
“Please bear with me, Gurudeva. I have one more request.”
Alavandar looked at his disciple through a screen of tears.
“Let this transaction be not known to anybody else in the world.”
Alavandar was happy and sad at the same time.
Happy that he had such a loving disciple and sad because he was forced to give so much of pain and suffering to such a nice man.
Maraneri Nambi went out as a happy man.
Peria Nambi met him outside the room.
“Why are you so happy, my friend?”
“After many decades of discipleship it was only today that our Guru was kind enough to give me a precious prasadam.
And that too only after I compelled him to do so.”
Perianambi did not understand a word of what his friend said. Alavandar’s recovery was quite dramatic after that day.
A week later Maraneri Nambi was down with carbuncle. It is said that he suffered for three months from shooting pain. Whenever he was in pain he would only chant the name of his Gurudeva.
Because his Guru’s blessings were fully on him and because the Lord was moved by his selfless love Maraneri Nambi recovered from the disease sooner than the usual time.
Years flew.
Swamy Alavandar was more than a hundred years old.
One day he passed away.
Maraneri Nambi and Perianambi, who were in their eighties, cried a lot over the death of their loving Guru.
Swamy Ramanujacharya then came to Srirangam and took over the reins of the Ashram. Maraneri Nambi was now in his death bed.
He called his friend Perianambi one day and insisted that he should be left alone with his dear friend.
“Perianambi, my dear friend, I have a fear.
When I leave this body they would give this body to my relatives.
I have quite a lot of them, no doubt.
But most of them are drunkards and cheats.
They would drink arrack, dance around my dead body and utter all profanities.
“I am Swamy Alavandar’s disciple and I have been thinking only of my Guru and God all these years.
“Giving my body to my relatives would be like giving the sacred ghee offered in the yagas to a street dog.
My body in which my Guru and my Lord reside should not be humiliated by those crooks.
”Perianambi held his friend’s hands and assured him.
“I will take care of that. Our Lord, our Guru and the new head, the loving Swamy Ramanuja will never let that happen.
Believe me, Maraneri. “
Maraneri Nambi was relieved.
He died peacefully in his sleep that very night.
When Perianambi heard of his friend’s death he came running to the Ashram. He supervised all the funeral arrangements himself.
And then he did the unthinkable.
Perianambi who was born in the highest caste of Brahmans did the last rites himself and lit the funeral pyre.
It was nothing short of a revolution in those days.
How could somebody born in the highest of castes, somebody like Perianambi, do the last rites for someone born in the lowest of castes?
It created a great furore.Many disciples of the mutt opposed Perianambi’s action.
Perianambi was banned from the temple. He was not allowed to mingle with the people.And somebody took up the matter with Swamy Ramanuja.
Now Perianambi was Ramanuja’s teacher.
Ramanuja knew all about Perianambi’s love. He also knew about Maraneri Nambi’s devotion.
After all Ramanuja was the man who stood on the top of the temple wall and revealed the most sacred secret to those born in the lowest of castes, in spite of his Guru’s warnings.
Yet he wanted the other disciples to know about Peria Nambi and Maraneri Nambi.
He summoned Perianambi to his presence and held a court martial.
“Oh Worshipful Acharya, you have been charged with a very grave offense.
That you did the last rites for a man born in the lowest of castes. You are a learned Brahman.
“You know it is forbidden by the sasthras. And the punishment prescribed for such an act is total ex-communication.
That is you can’t enter the temple, this mutt or any other Brahman’s house.
What’s your answer, Acharya?”
Perianambi knew his disciple like the palm of his hand.
He knew that the show was only for the gallery.
He saw the disciples jeering at him.
Normally a soft-spoken person that eighty year old man now roared like a lion, no like the lion-faced Lord Narasimha.
“Ramanuja, I have not done anything wrong.
Do I have to remind you that in the great epic Ramayana our Lord Rama did the last rites for a bird, Jadayu?
“Neither am I superior to Rama nor my dear friend Maraneri Nambi inferior to that bird.”
Measured words.
Not a single word wasted.
Pointed arguments.
The arrow hit the bull’s eye.
The lion-faced Lord had killed the demon called bigotry.
Or at least that was what he thought……
Ramanuja clapped his hands like a child.
He then turned to the other disciples.
“Are you clear now?
Do you have any counter arguments?”
Nobody spoke.
But very few understood.
Well, they exactly did not have an argument against Perianambi’s powerful example.
At the same time they were not large-hearted enough to condone Perianambi’s excesses. They started avoiding Perianambi.
If he went to the temple the priests would leave the place.
If any Brahman saw him on the road he would turn his face the other side and walk away…..
Swamy Ramanuja came to know of the ill-treatment meted out to Perianambi.
He was very sad.
After teaching love for years and years, these people still acted like fanatics.
‘What’s the big deal? Why should I waste my life teaching these bigots?’
Ramanuja ran to the temple. It was late in the night.
They were about to close the doors.
They were waiting for the Acharya to finish his darshan.
Ramanuja was sobbing before the sleeping Lord.
“I tried my best to make them understand Perianambi’s love.
I have failed in my mission.
Please, Lord, you will have to do something about it.
“Please don’t let Perianambi suffer for his greatest act of love.
Please my, Lord. Please…
”The Lord who is nothing but Love, the Lord who even while sleeping on the banks of Cauvery is constantly thinking about his devotees, the Lord who cannot tolerate any kind of bigotry, just smiled.
He had already made up his mind to teach a lesson to those fanatics.
It was festival time in Srirangam. The very next day was the famous car festival.
The huge Ther (car) of Srirangam was to pass through the house of Perianambi.
When the Lord’s Ther came into the street Perianambi was sitting in his pooja room with all the sadness in his face.
He had never missed the car festival in the past. Because he was a well-learned Brahman and one of Alavandar’s disciples, the car would stop at the gate of his house so that he could have dharshan.
But this time it was different. He was not allowed in the temple.
And nobody talked to him. He also knew that the Lord’s car would not stop in front of his house, this time.
His eyes were shedding tears of love…..
“My Lord, do you also think that what I did was wrong?
Maraneri Nambi is a much better person than I. And I am really proud that I had the blessing to light his funeral pyre.
“If you have also decided to let me down, Oh My, dear, dear Lord, so be it. If you let me down, I don’t want anybody else to save me.
Do whatever you wish, my Lord.” The Car had just approached the house of Perianambi.
When Azhagia Manavala Perumal seated in the car was right in front of Perianambi’s house-entrance the huge car suddenly came to a grinding halt.Actually the administrators had cunningly planned to make the car run at double the usual speed when they were crossing Perianambi’s house.
But those petty minds were but small pieces of cotton in that large fire of love whose name was AzhagiaManavala Perumal. He had his say.
And He always had his way.The gigantic Ther stopped before Perianambi’s house. It looked as if their roles had been reversed. For years and years Perianambi used to wait outside his house for the Lord.
Today the Lord was waiting for him. The administrators thought it was a mechanical problem and could be corrected only if they applied more oil on the axis. Pots of oil were poured on the humongous axis.
Yet the car would not move.They sent word to the nearby villages. Hundreds of people came to pull the car. The Lord did not even move a milli-metre.They sent word to the stable and six elephants were brought to pull the car. The Lord was adamant. They then went in search of mantrikas and astrologers.The Lord was waiting patiently at the gate of Perianambi’s house.
Four hours had passed. Perianambi was crying in the pooja room. Nothing moved.The best of mantrikas was summoned. He came there, closed his eyes and went into a state of trance.
After thirty minutes he woke up. “Idiots, you have hurt a good man, a noble soul. Unless you give Lord’s prasadam to him with due respects the Lord will not move an inch from this place. And fools, do remember this.
If he thinks ill of you even for a second you’ll all be burnt to ashes in no time. You can even play with this God. He won’t mind. But never try to play with his devotees.
You will be annihilated.Emboldened by their silence the mantrika delivered his punchline with aplomb.“You fools, if you have any sense still left in you, fall at Perianambi’s feet and beg his pardon.
Unless he forgives you even this loving Lord will not forgive you. Mind it.”He refused to accept any fees from them.
“I have a strong policy not to accept anything from sinners like you.” He ran away from the place. Then and only then they realized their mistake.
The Chief Priest went into Perianambi’s house and fell at his feet. “Perianambi, our Lord, Azhakia Manavalar is waiting to see you.
At your gate. Looks like He won’t move any further unless you come out and see him. ‘Please come with me and accept the Lord’s prasadam. And please forgive all of us. We are all petty-minded people.
“We now know for sure that you are on our Lord’s side. No, no, our Lord is on your side. Please come, Peria Nambi. The Lord has been waiting for you for the past four hours.” Perianambi ran out of the house.
It was a sight to see almost the entire town falling at his feet.He ignored them all and fell before the huge car.
The Chief Priest lifted him up and honoured him with the Lord’s cloth and his sadari. A garland was taken from the Lord and was placed on Perianambi’s neck.
Azhagia Manavala Perumal was affectionately smiling at his devotee. Perianambi was respected like a King amongst his peers.
For did not the Lord Himself stop at his place? Seeing the bewitching smile on Azhakia Manavalar’s most beautiful face Peria Nambi folded his hands.
He did not even attempt to control his sobs. “Any day your love is a million times better than mine, my Lord. Give me a billion births to be born as a worm to be crushed by the feet of your loving devotees. I can’t even repay a small fraction of your love.
Oh My Lord, you stopped at my place! You stopped at the house of this worm! You waited for me! My Lord! My Lord!”
The Chief Priest came near Perianambi and gently reminded him.“Please let the Lord go, Perianambi. It’s getting late, you see. Please..”
Perianambi moved away.
The Lord took leave of his devotee and resumed his onward journey. The huge car now moved as if its wheels were on air.
The gigantic Chariot started moving when less than fifty people gently pulled its ropes.
Credits : HG Shri Varalotti Rengasamy
All glories to Peria nambee All glories to Alavandar Srimathey Ramanujaya namah:
Pics : Thanks to Google images /and other websites shared by advance devotees
ThirupAan azhwar appeared during the month of Karthikai in the Rohini thirunakshatram at Uraiyur near Srirangam
Azhwar was a ardent devotee of Lord Ranganatha and used to sing songs in praise of the Lord with the accompaniment of his veenai . Azhwar used to walk from Uraiyur to Srirangam which was almost 20 miles , but did not attempt to go inside the temple due to the practices followed by the temple those days .
He used to stand at the southern bank of river Kaveri facing the temple and used to glorify the Supreme Lord singing on his veenai . This was going on for a long time.
One day early in the morning hours , he was singing song in praise of the Lord with deep devotion and was in a absolute trance.
LokaSarangar, the chief priest of Lord Ranganatha’s temple came to river Kaveri as a routine , to collect kaveri water for ( abhishekam ) thirumanjanam to the Lordships . As he found ThirupaNazwar who was in a trance , obstructing his path, he told him to leave the place .
ThirupaNazwar who was in a different mood , did not hear anything as he was totally immersed in Lord Ranganatha’s glory and oblivious to his surroundings.
Lokasarangar got very angry . He picked up a stone and threw it at ThirupaNan to disurb him from the mood.
It struck ThirupaNa’s forehead and thus he suddenly came out of his trance.
A true devotee , he pleaded with the Priest Lokasarangar to forgive him for his mistake and left the place hurriedly .
Lokasarangar reached the temple with the kaveri water . He was panicked to find Lord was unhappy with his arrogance and was worried.
That night Lord Ranganatha appeared in his dream and told him that by hurting His true devotee he had committed a grave mistake. He ordered him to bring ThirupaN to the temple, carrying him on his shoulders.
Next morning Lokasarangar went in search of he great devotee ThirupaN with other devotees .
He located the devotee at the bank of Kaveri singing in deep devotion . Running towards him , he fell at his feet and pleaded him to forgive him for the act . He requested Azhwar, that the Lord had ordered him to bring him to the temple.
ThirupaN was aghast and told Lokasrangar,
“Swami, I come from a low caste and I am not allowed even to set foot in Srirangam.
How can I go into the temple and have Lord’s darshan?”
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The Priest Lokasarngar replied …
Swamin !!! “You do not have to set foot, but
…. Please allow me to carry you on my shoulders as per the Lord’s order.”
As ThirupaN was still hesitating, Lokasarangar had to convince him to accede to his request as it was from Supreme Lord ……
When Lokasarangar carried Thirupan on his shoulders surrounded by vedic pundits , the people of Srirangam watched with astonishment.
It was a celebration …
The devotee was being carried by the Chief Priest .
The group reached the temple and Lokasarangar took him to the sanctum .
ThirupaN was in total bliss to get darshan of the Lord’s Sayana Thirukolam.
He was so bewitched to see the Lord’s beauty. He immediately started singing describing the Lord’s beauty from
( Lotus feet to his blossoming divine face )Thiruvadi to Thirumudi in ten wonderful pasurams.
This outpouring during his very first darshanam of LORD glorified as “Amalan Aathipiraan.” which is among the 4000 Divya prabhanda pasurams .
As ThirupaNazwar finished singing he merged with Lord Ranganatha while the onlookers were looking dumb-founded. Thus he was also blessed like Andal to merge with the Lord.
* koNdal vaNNanaik *
kOvalanAy veNNey uNda vAyan *
en uLLam kavarndhAnai **
aNdar kOn aNi arangkan *
en amudhinaik kaNda kaNgaL *
maRRonRinaik kANAvE
Having seen the One whose color dark like rain clouds and the one with the mouth that swallowed the butter of cowherds, He is the Lord of the devas, He is Lord Ranganatha, He is my nectar, my life ! My eyes that have seen my Supreme Lord and will not see anything else!
In Amalanaathipiraan ThirupaN Azwar describes Lord’s beauty from His Kamala Thiruptham to His thirumudi part by part and also sangu, chakram .
The Lord once again reconfirms that caste, colour or creed is no bar for a true devotee to reach his lotus feet . Lord’s grace and benevolence is showered on his true bhakthas without any discrimination.
Azhwars Appearance day is celebrated in all Srivaishnava temples in grand scale.
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Photos Courtesy : Google images uploaded by advance devotees
It was during the period 1795 to 1799 a British officer called Colonel Lionel Blazehe was Collector of Chengalpattu District . Colonel Lionel on his routine survey had witnessed two cracks to the huge tank in Madurantakam taluk.
The enormity of the problem can be appreciated only when we know of the massive size of the tank. Having an area of 13 square miles and a depth of 21 feet, the breaching of the tank following torrential downpour was any official’s nightmare. Wanting to take preemptive action in the year 1798 the Collector camped at Madurantakam.
During his sojourn the Collector was exploring ways and means to undertake urgent repairs of the breaches if and when they happened. During the course of his inspections, he happened to see a large collection of granite and other stones in the precincts of the LOrd Sri Rama temple near to the tank .
The Collector mentioned to his subordinates that these granite stones could be put to use in restoration of the bunds. Hearing this the temple priests submitted that the stones were meant for constructing a separate shrine for Mother Janakavalli Thayar and since there was paucity of funds, the construction could not commence.
Noticing this the Collector is said to have remarked that where was the need for a separate shrine when more urgent work like repairing the bunds were crying for resources and asked the priests jestingly as to why the Lord was not able to save the tank each year? The priests replied saying that the Lord was always known to answer a sincere prayer from the heart.
Meanwhile , during his stay , the rains came and it poured and in a few days the tank was full to the brim and a rupture seemed imminent. That night a worried Collector camped near the tank hoping against hope that the bunds would hold. The water level had risen alarmingly .In another hour or so of the rain and the lake would breach submerging the whole villages and since rain was still coming down in sheets accompanied by a storms , there seemed little hope of averting the inevitable.
He imagined whether it was the will of the Jesus that he should die in a heathen land,forsaking his beautiful wife and affectionate children in distant England? The moment these thoughts occurred to him, he banished them with guilt-he was the District Collector, responsible for the lives and safety of thousands. They looked up to him with child-like faith, hoping against hope that the fair-skinned “Durai” would somehow work a miracle and save them all from certain death.
But what could he do in the face of Nature’s unrelenting fury? The swirling waters of the lake were looking more menacing by the minute, and the wind had snatched away the umbrella held over his head by a lackey, apparently angered at the Collector’s efforts at protecting his head while thousands innocent villagers were drenched to the skin stretched tightly over their skeletal bodies. He was desperate and could think of no way to prevent the waters rushing out on their terrible mission of destruction.
The pious old priest of the temple, who had spoken of the temple deities reached the Collector’s side and, picking up courage, told the Official that only Lord Rama could save them now, as the situation seemed beyond human intervention. He explained to the skeptical Englishman the immense power of the Lord and His matchless beauty.
In the drenching downpour, despite the shivering , swallowing away many of his words, his broken English, he gave the foreigner an account of the exploits of Lord Sri Rama and of His bridging the vast ocean with the aid of mere monkeys. He narrated about Lord Rama who from a royal family had spent fourteen hard years in the jungle, just to obey an unjust command supposedly from His father and conveyed to Him by a step-mother who was intent on making her own son the heir to the throne.The old Priest said , when we are drowning, we tend to clutch at straws in desperation, especially when nothing else is available to hold on to. The British man was in a similar situation.
Though his strict Christian upbringing and military training prompted only disbelief at the Priest tales, still an image began to form in his mind of a tall, handsome Prince, with a long bow held aloft in His powerful hands, the personification of mercy and righteous conduct, the symbol of sacrifice.
His lotus-like eyes brimming with mercy for all mortals, and accompanied by an equally impressive figure, obviously a younger brother and ever ready to rush to the rescue of those in distress, at a mere call for safety, be it from whichever quarter. And once the image of the bewitching Lord entered his mind, the britisher found it was difficult to shake it off and experienced an extremely pleasurable sensation, even amidst the desperate situation he found himself trapped in.
Still , his mind reluctantly he posed round to the possibility of appealing to this mythological hero for aid, which seemed the only thing left, especially since all other efforts had failed. And once his mind accepted what was hitherto unthinkable for him, he felt unreasonably accepted and prayed in his heart of hearts to Lord Sri Rama to somehow, somehow, lead him and thousands of villagers out of this apparently inescapable end.
“Oh Sri Rama!” prayed the Britisher ,” Please do this, if not for my sake, then for the sake of the thousands who believe in You with all their spiritual might and conviction.
I was listening to the stories of Your impossible feats with only half an ear.
However, if it was possible for You to conquer that vast body of waters (lying between You and Lanka) with the mere threat of retribution, it should be no difficult task for You to control the menacing waters of this MadhurAntakam lake and to keep them confined to the inner bunds.
I know understand well that these are the words of an ignorant fool who lacks absolute faith in You.He inwardly prayed LORD SREE RAMA .
Do this for me and for the sake of the hundreds of men, women and children who are in danger , and I shall surely build a temple for Your Consort, whom You appear to love dearly. Lord, please do help me!” The Britisher saw a miraculous sight. He saw two warriors bearing bow and quiver guarding the bunds.
He went on his knees and prayed, for he knew it was none other than Lord Rama and his divine brother Lakshmana in his heart inwardly . It was indeed strange that nobody else who was a part of the Collector’s team saw the Lord. The awe-struck foreigner, overjoyed by the unbelievable fainted and fell on the sandy silty tank bund with a thud, slipping into unconsciousness, obviously incapable of absorbing the full delight of the divine spectacle.
When he emerged from his trance, Colonel found himself in his comfortable bed in his own quarters . The impossible situation in which he had fainted, the Collector sat up with a jerk and demanded from his subordinates the latest position on the flooding threat, and felt immense relief wash over him when told that the rains had stopped with miraculous suddenness during the night and the lake waters too, poised on the brink, had receded to fairly safe levels.
Through a planned opening of the sluices, the water level was brought back to near normal and the threat had blown-over. After a while the vision evanesced the rain stopped.
The Transcendental image of the Lord and His infinite mercy in answering the insincere prayers of an unbelieving foreigner continued to occupy the Britisher thoughts forever, and he used to recount the tale with devotion to skeptical audiences even after his return to England.
The grateful Collector undertook the building of the shrine for Mother Janakavalli thayar and the Sri Rama in the temple came to be known as the Erikatha Ramar (Rama who saved the tank). The edict with the Collector’s name citing him as a benefactor can be seen even today in the Madurantakam temple.
The temple of Madurantakam is situated 50 km from Chennai on the Grand Southern Trunk road leading to Trichy. There is a separate shrine for Sri Periya Nambigal and Sri Ramanujar here in this temple.
This is said to be the only temple where Swamy Ramanujar is seen as a Grahastha (married person) and is seen with white clothing instead of saffron, as seen in other temples.The great event of Swamy Ramanujars Panchasamaskara Vybhavam is celebrated during August month .
All glories to LORD SREE RAMA All glories to the Britisher who surrendered to LORD Jai Jai Sree Rama Adiyen Ramanuja dasan Pics : Courtesy Google
Lord Krishna reveals that he manifests himself as the month of Margazhi, when He describes his Vibhoothi to Arjuna in the 10th chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita
This Tamil month of Margazhi conjures up different experiences . Sanctums in almost all temples open in the small hours blaring songs to wake up people early.
The devotees make pre-dawn visits to have darshan at the temples. The colourful kolams ( rangolis ) at the entrance of the houses and temples before sun rise with flowers adds to the devotional spirit. This month is entirely devoted to devotional and spiritual activities.
Devotees chant holy names by doing Nama Sangeerthanam and Nagarasangeerthanam .THE 30 pasurams of Thiruppavai sung by Aandal who is reverentially called ‘Soodi Kodutha Sudarkodi’, Mother Andal set the example of showing devotion to God through deep love and total surrender .The appearance of mother Andal during the tamil month Aadee is very special and hence one glorification goes like Thiruvaadi poorathu jagathudithaal vazhiye
The only divya desams where Perumal, Azhwar and Naachiyar had done thiru avatharam is the holy shrine Srivilliputhur near Madurai. Also our mother Andal came from Moolasthanam to garbagruham to welcome Swami Ramanuja and addresses our JagathAcharyar as Anna and hence during margazhi utsavams, Swamy Ramanujar is welcomed as ” aruLapAdu Koil Annan” .
Srivilliputhur has been given to Sri Andal as ‘Sri dhanam’ by Lord Varaha Perumal (Adhipathi of the kshetram), Sri Vada Perunkoviludayan (referred to as ‘Kannan’ by Sri Andal) & ‘oru magal thannai udayavarana’ Sri Periazhwar and hence this is the reason all the houses in Srivilliputhur are glorified as ‘Nachiar Thirumaaligai’ and the Sannidhi is also be called as ‘Nachiar Devasthanam’
And importantly not like other Nachimaars, for whom birth place is different from the husband’s place, Andal has both these places as the same place.
This is another specialty for Sri Andal .
Mother Andal has given sama asana, Thiruvaradanam, amudhu seithal together to Peria Thiruvadi ( Sri Garudazhwar ) during the month of July August ….
By this, She proves the kalayana guna of treating her devotees in par in taking them to the lotus feet of Lord . Another speciality in Srivilliputhur is that,
Sri Periazhwar has done ThiruAradhana kainkaryam to mother Andal here.
This is the a rare specialty compared to other Andal sannidhis.
Our Jaganmatha Andal after singing the immortal poem “Thiruppavai,” goes for a well deserved sleep.
Lord appears in her dream. A pleasant dream of divine wedlock. It is also a pleasant dream of number of emissaries carrying her message of love to her beloved Lord of Dwaraka.
In the transcendental mood , suddenly . Mother Andal wakes up and recollects the divine experience ….
She thanks Lord for granting her wish
Lord advises Andaal once again to sing one more song as pleasant as Thiruppavai.
Andaal is overjoyed …
She replies …Lord !!! Me …
Yes !!! replied the LORD …
Did you not seek the ‘kingdom of service’?
and I want you to continue your song”.
Andaal had no qualms about it.
She decides to sing what she had dreamt.
Thus was born the immortal ‘NACHIYAR THIRUMOZHI ’ of one hundred and forty odd wonderful hymns.
At this holy place ,
every day a parrot adorns our Thayar which is conducted as a special ritual in this temple
This parrot is made of special leaves every day and presented to the Lordships Presiding Deity , Andal at Srivilliputtur.
This parrot is made every day with leaves and kept In the left hand of Sri Andal.
At the end of the day,
It is given to devotees who seek for blessings ….‘ Kili viDu Thuthu’ is a genre in Tamil.
Andaal is said to have sent the parrot to Lord Sriman Narayana to express the message of her love.
The Lord listens to her wonderful hymns with utmost interest and enjoys every bit of it.
Lord out of His infinite mercy, grants her wish of ‘service’ and also the grand ‘wedlock’
How can we ever know the dream of Andal if she had not chosen to tell us?
Are not dreams in the personal domain of the individual?
Only after Andal had sung the two immortal songs, does the Lord arrange for the marriage retinue to call on her father and urges him to wed his daughter for him at Sri Rangam.
Andaal’s entry into eternity,through the temple of Sri Rangam is a sequence of fascinating events.
Its a constant reminder for jivatmaas to seek Paramatmaa .
Jaganmathas appearance day is celebrated during July /August in ThiruAdipooram star , at all sri vaishnava temples and every day all srivaishnavas recite THIRUPPAVAI which binds us to our Divine parents …
Forever and forever, in this and the next seven births ,
May we be privileged to have a relationship with YOU and YOU only …..
We surrender to Divya dampathees
Oh ! LORD !!!! and please shower us this boon that we should be beholden and offer worship to YOU and only YOU and not any other
—-“The Holy Feet of My Master, Ramanuja, are my sole refuge!
For He Is an Ocean of Mercy! And for Him. ……
all else Is dross other than the supreme wealth that Is the Holy Feet of God!” ……
This wonderful prayer was recited by the great saint Swamy Koorath Azhwan on his Acharyar Swami Ramanujar ..
offering obeisances.. and this glorifications is recited by all vaishnavas daily in their prayers and this sloka is unconditional surrender to the lotus feet of Jagath Acharyar Swamy Ramanuja …
The story of Swamy Kuresan’s lIfe has been told many times over the centuries. Nonetheless,It Is a lIfe-story of such nobIlIty and InspIratIon that It wIll bear repetition Inumerable tImes tIll the yuga ends.
Swamy Kuresan appeared at a place called “kooram” near KanchIpuram.
He belonged to the clan of the HarItas and to a well-to-do, land-owning and properties. Kuresan had a gem of a person In hIs young and homely wIfe, AndAlammA.
They lIved a happy and contented lIfe In Kuram near to Kancheepuram
The couple were both known In KanchI for theIr unstIntIng philanthropy and kindness. They were both ardent devotees of Lord KanchI Varadarajan the presiding deIty of the holy cIty.
Under some dIvIne interventIon Kuresan quIckly became a dIscIple of Swamy RamanujAchArya and thus Kuresan started a new chapter In hIs lIfe at the capItal of VaIshnavIsm SrIRangam.
He was one of the closest dIscIples of Swamy SrIRamanuja.
He assIsted Ramanujacharya In all aspects and affaIrs of hIs mInIstry… the temple of Lord SrIRanganatha and the SrIVaIshnava communIty.
He was Ramanuja’s aIde In scrIptural study, dIsputatIons and exegesIs. He was at hIs beck and call.
He tended to hIs mInutest needs.
He was hIs factotum.
HIs amanuensIs.
HIs valet.
HIs eyes and ears.
HIs conscIence keeper.
HIs alter ego….
Kuresan soon became hIs Master’s faithful shadow.
Kuresan and Swamy Ramanuja proceeded to compose the great standard works of “srI-sampradAyam” that have come down to posterIty —
“srI-bhAshya”,
“vedanta-deepa”,
“vedanta-sAra”,
“vedArtha-sangraha” and
“gIta-bhAshya”.
Later after hIs VIjaya YathIraI , Swamy Ramanuja fInIshed hIs Immortal “srI-bhAshyA” with a sense of utter fulfillment thanks to the “vruttI” and even greater thanks to the darIng enterprIse and phenomenal memory of hIs chIef dIscIple, SrI.Kuresan!
Swamy Ramanujas stature as a gIant of an “AchAryA” In the VedantIc galaxy of IndIa became secure.
SrI VaIshnavam had reached Its pInnacle of development around that tIme.
Amongst some sectIons of the people whIch at that tIme was concentrated around GangaI-konda- sozha-puram… near ChIdambaram … hatred to SrIVaIshnavaIsm and of Swamy Ramanuja began to flare up.
The KIng of ChozhanAd at that time was a tyrant who was also a SaIvIte fanatic.
HIs name was KrImIkantha Chola of the clan of the Kollutunga kIngs.
He was hell-bent on rooting out VaIshnavIsm in hIs kIngdom and the best way to do that, he thought, was to destroy Swamy Kuresan then volunteered to go as Ramanuja’s proxy and respond to the royal summons.
In the process Kuresan plucks hIs own eyes rebuking their usage that set sights on a sinner like that fanatIc kIng .ThIs Chola tyrant, KIng KrImIkantha, dIed of a deadly tumour that grew InsIde hIs neck in a day or two for the grave sin committed on a ardent devotee of LORD .
After hIs death, the fanatIc frInge of SaIvIsm lost Its mIlItant edge and the land of the Cholas agaIn reverted to sanIty and Its hIgh cIvIlIzatIon.KrImIkanta Chola’s successor was hIs son who turned out to be a wise kIng utterly unlIke hIs father.
He dIscouraged relIgIous bIgotry In hIs kIngdom and allowed freedom of faIth and worshIp amongst all hIs subjects. TakIng leave of hIs vast followIng In the Mysore regIons of TIrunarayanapuram, and at the rIpe old age of around 100, Swamy IRamanuja fInally decIded to return In trIumph to SrIRangam.
HavIng e learnt that his Acharyar Ramanuja was returnIng to SrIRangam, Kuresan and his famIly, exiled In TIrumalIrunjolaI for several years, returned to the capItal.
Kuresan worked tIrelessly at SrIrangam all hIs lIfe for hIs Acharyar Ramanuja who was by then more than 110 years old and also for the cause of SrIVaIshnavaIsm whIch had by then become fIrmly establIshed as a dIstInctIve shool of VedantIc thought and practIce In IndIa.
It so happened , One day blInd Kuresan went all by hImself to vIsIt Lord of Lords Ranganathar In the temple. After offerIng worshIp Kuresa contInued to lInger behInd In the presence of the Lord.
The reclInIng LORD was a lIttle surprised and asked Kuresan,
“You seem to have somethIng to say to Me, Kuresa?”.
Kuresan replIed,
“No my Lord! I am here so that I may sIng your praIse to my hearts content!”.
LORD was pleased and saId,
“Kuresa, you have pleased me today! Ask of me any favour you want!”.
Kuresan quIckly replIed,
“O Lord Ranga, you have bestowed me wIth every blessIng and gIft In lIfe!
There Is nothIng that I lack! What can I ask thee further?”.
The LORD however pressed Kuresan,
“No, once more ask, and ask for more, If not for yourself, then ask for the love that I bear towards my beloved spouse, RanganayakI, and towards my Ramanuja!”.
Kuresan then prayed LORD that he be released from hIs mortal body and be merged In the Lord’s Feet.
Lord , however demurred and saId,
“Ask me anythIng but that,
Kuresan! SaId LORD …….
Kuresan saId he had nothIng else to ask.
LORD Ranganathar fInally relented and saId,
“Let It be so then! What you have asked of me, Kuresan, shall be boon for not only thee but also a boon conferred upon everyone that has any sort of kInshIp wIth thee!”.
On receIvIng the supreme blessIng from the LORD of SrIrangam,
Kuresan walked out of the temple wIth hIs head held hIgh In prIde!
He felt lIke a crown-prInce who was about to be coronated In the KIngdom of God!
He went home wIth hIs spIrIt soarIng!
MeanwhIle thIs news of Kuresan’s prayers answered wIth Lord Ranganathan quIckly reached Swamy Ramanuja .
When the old AchArya heard of the divine IncIdent , He stood up ImmedIately, and throwIng hIs upper garment In the aIr, and great rejoIces for the great boon gIven to hIs dIscIple
The old achAryA’s behavIour was so unusual that a dIscIple sIlently questIons their Acharyar .
Swamy Ramanuja was immensely pleased and replIes ,
Look my children !!
When “My faIthful one, do I also not bear kInshIp wIth my Kuresan!
My salvatIon too Is now assured by the boon that Lord Ranga has granted my Kuresan!”
It was an Ironic but wonderful reversal of roles!
Usually It Is by the guru’s Inter Cession that God’s grace Is fetched for a dIscIple. But here In the case of Kuresan and Ramanuja,
It was the Master who was benefiting from the dIscIple’s stock wIth the AlmIghty!
The old pontIff then left hIs Mutt and made hIs way to the quarters of Kuresan In the other part of SrIRangam. Kuresan was waItIng for hIs guru. When the Master met Kuresan he questIons hIs dIscIple ,
“What have you done,Kuresan?!
You have gone and done a deed wIthout even consultIng me your guru?”.
Swamy Ramanuja’s tone was a bIt remonstrate and a bIt accusatory too.
So Kuresan kept sIlent.
“Why do you not speak, Kuresa?
What was your purpose In goIng to our Lord Ranga and beggIng HIm
to let go of thee far In advance of someone lIke me here who Is so far gone In age?
Do you wIsh to be gone ahead of me, my dear Kuresa?
Why?”.
Kuresan spoke In soft tones,
“My Master, my most Holy SIre!
My sole purpose was to preserve the order of precedence In “parama-padam”….
In Lords KIngdom.”.
“Don’t speak to me In rIddles and conundrums, Kuresa!
I am your Acharyan , speak plaInly wIth me!”, gently chIded Ramanuja.
SwamIn !!, In the “pasuram” “muDIyuDaI”
It Is saId that our elders In heaven who preceded us come out of the gates of “parama=padam” to welcome theIr younger brothers when It Is the latter’s turn to arrIve there…. and then the elders usher the young ones Into God’s Presence.
SIre, but thIs I consIder as beIng of Improper order!
It Is the younger ones who should always go fIrst and prepare In Heaven to receIve and welcome theIr elders.
That Is the order of precedence I wIsh to preserve!
Hence, SIre, I go In advance so that I may welcome my Master when he arrIves there In good tIme!”.
When Ramanuja heard Kuresan’s stIrrIng words hIs whole body shook wIth tremors of emotIon. HIs spIrIt melted.
“My most beloved Kuresan, you forget the rule In Heaven that all dIfferences and dIstInctIon between elder and young, between wIse and Ignorant, between saInt and sInner sImply dIsappear there! And….
yet you Kuresan, who has served me here so devotedly as a dIscIple, wIsh to perpetuate In Heaven too the same relatIonshIp that exIsted between you and me here on earth!
O, my dearest Kuresa, Is there anybody to match you In thIs world! Kuresa, my beloved chIld!”.
The aged Swamy Ramanuja could not contaIn hIs tears and rushIng forward took hold of hIs dIscIple and embraced hIm.
“Kuresa, my Kuresa, my dearest son, you are my very soul!
How can I part wIth thee?
You say you want to leave thIs old man behInd alone In thIs world!
Can you not be kInd-earted to thIs Master of yours of so many years? Take me too wIth you, my son, to the KIngdom of God!
Why do you want to leave me behInd to suffer the pangs of separatIon? WhIle I am yet here upon thIs earth, how can you be so anxIous for Heaven,
O Kuresa? Tell me, how can you enjoy “parama-padam” wIthout me?”
On hearIng hIs old guru’s wrenchIng words, Kuresan heart was torn to shreds by emotIon.
He was stunned Into a poignant sIlence.
After a moment Kuresan meekly replIed….
“My Master, my Great SwamIn
In the depth of my thoughts for the mIserIes of earthly exIstence,
AdIyen completely forgot the poInt that you have raIsed!
Pray forgIve me please, SIre, please pardon for me my thoughtlessness even In the presence of God!”. Ramanuja then saId,
“If Lord Ranga can grant you a boon such as that whIch you asked hIm, Kuresa, surely He can grant me one too!
So I wIll go rIght now to HIs temple and ask hIm to stop you here on earth for my sake!”. So sayIng Ramanuja turned and walked a few paces towards the temple of Lord Rangantha….
but then after a short distance paused abruptly and reflected aloud…
“The WIll of God Is unalterable! What audacity on my part to go and force HIm to change it …
No! Let me submIt and be resIgned to the DIvIne Inevitable!”.
So sayIng the old guru retraced hIs steps towards Kuresan.
Ramanuja now faced Kuresan and spoke In a clear voIce: “
Kuresa! When you are gone how shall I lIve wIthout thee?
Alas,
God In “parama-padam” has attracted thee, even though our Ranga here has all attractIons too!
So then yet have you decIded to sever yourself from Lord Ranga here! Happy Is the God In “parama-padam” and happy HIs celestIals to claIm thee as one of theIr own!
“But Kuresa, I am an old and fadIng man now, let me not change your mInd and dIsturb thy plans! Be It all as thou wIshest! All HaIl to you, my dearest Kuresa! Go now, go now and proceed to the Blessed KIngdom of God and rule there In eternal Peace and HappIness!”.
So sayIng Ramanuja gathered the blInd Kuresan In hIs arms and smothered hIm wIth love, strokIng hIs head and shoulders as If he were a but mere a chIld.
“Kuresa, In thIs moment when you have to depart from me, I salute thee now, my son!”.
It was moment of dIvIne pathos. Kuresan had no words left In hIm! Such was hIs stupefIed condItIon of beIng that he sImply lay motIonless In the arms of hIs great “achAryA” who clasped hIm In hIs arms as If he were a tIny Infant!
After a whIle Kuresan dIsengaged hImself slowly and sImply fell at Swamy Ramanuja’s lotus feet lIke a log of senseless wood. The old guru then bent down and raIsed hIs dIscIple and wIped away hIs tears.
“Go now, my chIld, go now quIckly to the Lord! Thou hast now my leave to depart!”.
So sayIng the aged and venerable Swamy Ramanuja turned and slowly made hIs way to return to hIs monastery……..
It was at that moment that a most excellent and poIgnant prayer (“tanIan”)…
In euphonIums SanskrIt sprang spontaneously to Kuresan’s lIps and whIch even to thIs day all devout followers of SrIRamanuja recIte In theIr homes daIly and at all tImes:
The most revered disciple Swami Rama Misra (Manakkal Nambi) appeared at maNakkAl (a village on the banks of river cauvery, near srirangam).
He lived with his Acharyan UyyakkondAr and served him for 12 years at the holy place Thiruvellarai. . UyyakkondAr pleased with Swami Rama Mishrar appoints him as his successor while leaving to paramapadham ( srivaikuntam) .
He advises his disciple Rama mishrar ( Nambi) to train Ishvara muni’s son Swamy Yamunacharya such that he takes over the duty of spreading the sri vaishnava dharisanam.
Meanwhile at Srirangam , Swamy Yamunar joins the school of Sri Mahabhashya Bhatta who is well versed in all the vaishnava sampradayas . During this period all the Vidwans (scholars) in the Chola Kingdom had to pay annual tribute (prescribed fee) to Aakkialwan, the royal purohit who was close to the King .
As it is the case ,one day on receiving the notice for payment , Mahabhashya Bhatta became very sad, as he was penny less.
Observing his Acharyars sad face, and coming to know the difficult situation, Swamy Yamunacharya took it upon Himself to put an end to the audacity and the atrocity of Royal purohit Aakkialwan . In presence of the gaurds ,Yamauna tears the notice to pieces and sends the messenger back.
On hearing the happenings there , Aakkialwan send backs the messenger to check whether Yamuna was a poet or a scholar well versed in Shastras. The guards come to know about Yamuna’s proficiency from the neighbors and informs the Purohit about his strong hating to the opponents .
Aakkialwan , astonished at the scholarship of Yamuna informs the Chola King.
The King orders this young Scholar to come to his court immediately.
Yamuna bluntly refuses……..
The King realizing that he wasn¡¯t dealing with an ordinary person, sends a palanquin along with bearers to bring Swamy Yamuna.
As Yamuna reaches the courts, he passes a sloka to show his scholarship which stuns the gathering ..
The sloka meaning goes like this ….
¨ Though you strive hard to find an equal to me , mastered both the Meemamsas starting from the slope of the Himalaya mountain (in the north) which is lucky enough to possess the tender foot prints of the mountain girl Parvathi up to the bridge (in the south) which caused the blooming of the Lotus like face of Sita, abducted by the demon Ravana and also beginning from the rising mountain (in the east) of both the luminaries Sun and Moon and ending with the setting mountain (in the west).
The Purohit face turned red and he shouted aloud that he would debate with this young imposter.
Looking at Yamuna, the king orders him ..
Young man …
You please start the debate with our court pundit, Aakkialwan to prove your scholarship
Yamuna replied, ¡
Well, your Majesty it is hard for you to decide who is the winner and the loser when we debate and we both may not accept defeat.
Therefore it would be appropriate if we argue in the midst of learned scholars who are assembled here..
Having invited all learned men, the King occupying the royal throne along with his queen at the debating hall looks at the young man .
The queen, being very much impressed by the handsome appearance of the young man, drew the attention of the King towards him and exclaimed that he would never sustain defeat in the wordy quarrel.
If at all Yamuna is defeated, she said that she would become a maid and cook the food for the dogs in the palace.
The King too retorted saying that in case Aakkialwan was the loser, he would part with half of his kingdom by presenting it to Yamuna.
The debate started much to the eagerness of the Royal couple . Aakkialwan said to Yamuna, Let us start with ordinary worldly affairs. I will negate all your affirmatives and your negative statements will be made affirmatives by me.
Agreeing to this proposal, Swamy Yamuna uttered three sentences to Aakkialwan expecting him to counter the statements ..
1) Your mother is a barren woman.
2) The King is righteous one
3) The Queen is a very chaste woman.
Fearing severe punishment at the hands of the king by the denial of the three statements, Aakkialwan simply blinked and winged his hands.
Yamuna came out with his denial of these three statements and explained from sastras .
1) A single tree cannot become a garden. Similarly one child is not enough to make a mother. As Aakkialwan is the only son of his mother, she is still a barren woman.
2) The sins committed by the subjects will go to the King, as he has not prevented them from doing so. Thus the king loses his righteousness.
3) Normally a girl becomes the wife of some divine personalities like Indra etc. after her marriage. Hence, the husband is not allowed to share her bed immediately after the marriage. Thus the queen has forfeited her claim for chastity.
These negations earned the approval of all scholars and thus Aakkialwan was put to shame.
The same fate overtook Aakkialwan in the Shastra debate that followed.
Now Yamuna had acquired the right to strike on the head of Aakkialwan.
But he politely declared his decent decision,
Oh gentleman! I will not strike you on your head as per our agreement before the debate.
It is because, I give due respect to your age and the exalted position that you occupy in the royal court.
This proclamation earned the appreciation and approval of all the scholars.
The queen rushing towards Yamuna embraced him and observed with a slippery tone full of affection You have come to my rescue.
Hence you are my ruler (Ennai Aalavandeero!).
From that day onwards he came to be called Aalavandar.
Having said so, she took him to the palace accompanied by the King.
His Majesty also kept up his promise by offering half of his kingdom to Aalavandar. Enjoying all the royal pleasures in the company of his wife, the young prince ruled over the kingdom happily and peacefully.
Manakkal Nambi got this news that the future Acharyar of Srivaishnavism has become the King .
Watching silently the eminence which Alavandar had reached so rapidly and Aakkialwan ’s ignominious defeat and Alavandar becoming a king, his joy knew no bounds He wanted to fulfill his promise to his revered Guru Uyyakkondar in bringing him back to the Sampradaya .
He thought of his Acharyar’s instructions in making Alavandar the future Apostle of the Faith. So, he went to the palace, but the guards obstructed his entrance.
He found his way however into the kitchen where contracting friendship with the cooks, had ascertained from them the potherbs that pleased Alavandar most.
He took that herb Thoodhuvalai, a kind of spinach, daily to the kitchen for a period of six months and yet no notice was taken of it.
Wearied, he stopped away for a few days. Alavandar finding his favourite dish missing from his dinner so suddenly enquired of the cooks the reason.
They informed him of an old Brahmana having, for six months uninterruptedly, brought the green herb and having stopped the supply for a few days.
“If he should return again,” commanded the king, after chiding them, “inform me at once.” Rama Misra thought he would try again, and so put in his appearance with the favourite vegetable, after some interval.
The king was immediately informed; and he ordered the venerable man being conducted into his presence.
When he duly arrived, the king rose, and making obeisance, seated him with every mark of respect; and asked how he may reward him for his services, -by money or by lands.
Our Misra said: “Good king, these riches I do not need from thee; for I have precious riches, amassed by your ancestors, to give thee; and I shall show thee where they lie treasured up. Till I put thee in possession of these, let me be admitted to thy presence without hindrance by the guards at thy gates.”
Alavandar was taken out of himself by this unexpected revelation, and placed his men under instructions to admit the worthy visitant freely without caring for ceremony.
Swamy Rama Misra now began to teach Alavandar the Bhagavad Gita, the essence of all the Upanishads.
As Alavandar listened attentively through the eighteen books of this Sublime Poem, his spiritual sense was awakened, and a craving caused in his heart to realize God, as is spoken therein.
“How shall I realize Him?” asked he of his Acharya.
“That is taught in the Great Charama Sloka”, promptly responded the teacher and taught its significant Mysteries.
The more Alavandar meditated on these, the more they entered deep into his heart.
The saving grace taught therein made him more and more inclined to surrender himself to God, and more and more to cultivate the sense of resignation to His will.
His soul bent more and more to Him with the nourishment the teachings gave, just as the ripening grain-stalks bend as they receive more milk.
As days passed, his love for the Merciful grew warmer and warmer; and as this love increased, his attachment to other things; became weaker and weaker.
The Teacher watched the spiritual progress of his disciple, and thought the time was ripe for leading him to where his promised patrimonial wealth lay hidden.
He led him therefore to the Holy Shrine of Srirangam, where, pointing to God reposing therein in the serene glory of His presence, to all worshippers accessible, he said: “Who will not worship Rangam, the most Holy, – if he be wise?
For doth not wisdom blossom here and keep Yama (death) out of sight?”
This is your trove, your heritage, and my trust, which I here discharge on this auspicious day.
”Alavandar, with the spiritual vision which was endowed to him by God’s Grace, saw in the Holy Image of Ranga the Treasure of the Universe enshrined; and exclaimed, with a feelings of remorse in his heart for past days, which had been spent without this Blessed Vision, and feelings of bliss overflowing in streams of loving tears, at the fascinating sight he enjoyed
“O Blissful God”, he exclaimed,
“Many days have I lost in the vain pursuits of the world. I mourn for this. Now I have seen Thee reclining on Thy Sesha.
I serve Thee for evermore.
I find myself reclaimed from the death of worldly enjoyments, and initiated into the life of Thy service.”
Lord! lands and friends and riches, Sons and wives, cattle and houses,- To him who has thy service tasted, Hateful objects become they.
After this, a determination came to him to renounce the world, and don the robes of the Sanyasin, in as much as the love of the world and of God were incompatible with each other.
Hence forward he devoted himself to divine contemplation and service.
Swami Manakkal Nambee was binding force for srivaishnavam to progress. All glories to Swami Manakkal Nambee
Muktinath Kshetram is located in Nepal and is an important pilgrimage site for Sri Vaishnavites and Buddhists. It is one of the eight swayam vyakta kshetrams-out of this 4 are in southern India and 4 in Northern India. In Northern India, LORD has manifested Himself in the form of forest at Naimisaranyam, as divine water in Pushkar, as mountain in Badrinath and as Fossils in Saalagramam kshetram whereas in rest of India, Perumal is in Archa form (Tirumala, Srirangam) .
The best season to visit ( Mukthinaath) “saalagramam” is during March-April and during September to 1s week of October. May to August is rainy season and is not advisable as per locals . As a visit to this place bestows liberation, this kshetram is known as Mukthi kshetram and Perumal as MUKTHI NARAYANAN.
With the blessings of Almighty, Adiyen had darshan of LORD at Mukthinath ” Saaligrama divya desam” one among the 108 Srivaishnava Divya desam with my family who accompanied me in paying obeisance’s for all the 105 divyadesams since past 6 years . This was our 106 divya desa yaatrai and it took 3 years for Adiyen to undertake this. My sincere prayers to LORD VENKATESHWARA ” ( Thiruvengadamudaiyan) during my regular visits to Tirumala sowed the seed of desire deeply in my heart to visit this divya desam and feel blessed by his abundant mercy for making this yathirai memorable and a milestone in our divyadesam piligrimage. The pilgrimage to Shalagram was definitely ecstatic. This piligrimage was undertaken during 2006 and was posted in www.srivaishnavam.com . Was keen to share the pictures and video clips as requested by few devotee friends . The present situation as per the experiences of piligrims is roads are good and transport arrangements are available right from Jomson to Mukthinath .Also the road to Pokara to Mukthinath is approachable and made motorable with some good experiences .Before I continue with my travel diary done during 2006 , Adiyen offer my sincere obeisance’s to Sri Rangasri group members , ISCKON Maharajs and several great devotees of LORD who played a pivotal role in making this trip possible with whatever information they could give me.
With humble obeisance’s to my parents and elders’ , we left to Gorakhpur by Secunderabad-Gorakhpur Express train and reached Gorakhpur next day in the evening in the evening . We checked into one of the many hotels, Hotel Standard (room rent 350/-) though the plan was to retire in Railway retiring room. Gorakhpur, a busy city, wore a festive look on the eve of Durga ashtami. Durga Ashtami and Vijayadasami are the major festivals in Uttar Pradesh apart from Deepavali. We strolled into the streets to have a glance of the celebrations in the busy city.
As we did not really plan any package trip we took a chance to enquire about the facilities en route from Gorakpur. We happened to peep into one of the tourist offices near to the hotel opposite to Railway station. There are many travel agents near the station who arrange for pilgrimage, mountaineering and sight seeing trips to Nepal. Out of inquisitiveness, we contacted Sai Baba Travels and finalized the tour package for Rs.45,000/- including the cab (Bolero hire charges) for 9 days, border permit and other road permits, room accommodation at Pokhara for 3 days, at Jomsom for 1 day, at Chitwan for a day, at Katmandu for a day , at Janakpur for a day and flight tickets from Pokhara to Jomsom for 4 persons to and fro with a vegetarian driver who respects our values .The agent obliged and handed over letters to be given at the various hotels we were to check in. He had taken Rs.25,000 as advance and assured us that we don’t have to pay anywhere. Presumed that they had tie up in several places in Nepal.
We left Gorakhpur the next day early morning i.e: by a four wheeler “BOLERO” around 9 A.M. After 90 kms , 2 hours drive, we reached Sunouli, the last village on the Indian border. It took about an hour to finish all the formalities in the border by the agent who accompanied us upto Sunouli . For Indians, the immigration is very simple. The temperature was a bit hot . It was 12 noon by the time we crossed the Nepali border. As children were very keen to visit Lumbini and other picnic spots Adiyen had to compromise the yathirai out of academic interest. We reached Lumbini in the afternoon . Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, is one hour drive from India-Nepal border and is situated 250 kms south-west of Katmandu.
This is recognized as one of World’s Heritage Centre and covers a vast area of over 970 sq. kms . We visited the holy tank in which Mayadevi, Buddha’s mother had a holy dip and the Asoka pillar, several monastries built by Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Nepalese , Germans and our own Vipaasana centres.
From Lumbini we drove to Pokra ,Almost 95 % of the land area is covered by mountains and as one has to travel thru ghat roads, night journey is not advisable. Also, it is not advisable to give lift to any stranger . Intoxicants are freely available and as the country is economically poor, wayside robbery is very common.
Our trip started driving around mountains .It was a pleasant drive .Continuously Harinaam sankirtan was our breath through the ears . The ride to Pokhara is a dangerous one. The Machapuchare Peak of the Annapurna range,is seen from Pokhara. The Machapuchare {“Fishtail”} peak is 6696 meters high and has never been climbed. The government forbids mountaineers from trekking it because Nepalis consider it holy. Though one of the most magnificent of Himalayan mountains, Machapuchare is a small compared to Mt. Everest (Sagarmata),.
Pokhara valley (3000 feet above sea level) is one of the most picturesque spots in Nepal situated amidst lovely lakes – Phewa, Begnas and Rupa which have their source in Annapurna ranges of the Himalayas. Pokra , a small but busy town is the travel base for all trekkers and is situated 200 kms from Katmandu. It has a floating population of foreign tourists in thousands. There are innumerable hotels/lodges and shops selling mountaineering equipments and also few Vegetarian restaurants like Marwadi Hotel, Punjabi Dhabas where only vegetarian food is served. Almost all the hotels are situated around Phewa lake and offers fantastic view of the lake with mountains as back-drops. Though there were few browsing centres, the charges are costly- 100/- per hour and the speed is very slow. STD call charges are also high. We checked in Hotel Blue Heaven at Pokhara for the night.
It was shocking to note that no arrangement for flight booking was done upto Jomson as the agent had not even informed them regarding this. We were totally upset about this as we intended to be at ” Mukthinaath “Saaligramam on Ekadasi day. The attempts by the hotel owner by contacting travel agents for flight tickets continued . Our anxiety increased as no one was able to provide us with a confirmed ticket. Festival being Dussera, all the tourist offices remain closed and we were left with no other choice other than sight seeing . Being a holiday, we could not even get a guide but a shop-keeper accepted our request and accompanied us.
First, we visited Gupteshwar temple, which is in a natural cave descending around 100 steps, shrine dedicated to ParamaShiva . A sage by name, Gupteshwar did penance at this place and had darshan of Lord Shiva, the presiding diety of Nepal. The rocks have taken the shape of a huge snake and it looks as if the snake is protecting the deity. This natural formation is admirable. The entry fee for Indians is Rs.20/- and for Nepalese , it is FREE. Few saaligrama shilas were also placed near the shivalingam. It may be noted that saaligramams are available everywhere in Nepal. From there, we proceeded to DEVI’S FALLS on the other side of the road.
The water from these falls joins the Phewa river. This was discovered few decades ago during a sudden gushing of water into the town. Bhairavi temple situated on the other side of Phewa lake has to be reached by boat. The charges for the boat ride is 20/- NR. It is a common practice in Nepal to apply Kumkum mixed with rice on the forehead during Dussera. The tradition of kumkum with which Goddess Durga was worshipped for 8 days would be applied on brothers’ and sisters’ forehead for their longevity is practiced with pomp and show. Every sister ensures to visit her brother and apply tikka. After viewing sunset from the temple, we retired for the day. “WORLD PEACE” centre ‘s Buddha Stupa situated on a hillock could not be visited as we had to rush back to the travel agent for confirming ourtickets for Saaligrama yaatrai To our dismay, the tickets were not confirmed. None of the agent could help us and we finally decided to approach Gorkha Airlines office itself with the request and sadly the office situated opposite to Pokhara airport was closed. Dussera is celebrated grandly all over the country and it is very common for offices to remain closed for at least a week in Nepal similar to West Bengal. Only Gorka Airlines provides service from Pokara to Jomsom. Added to this, due to bad weather conditions, all the flights to Jomsom were cancelled for more than a week. Hence, there was no room for reservation. All the efforts to contact travel agents proved futile. Finally we drove to Gorkha Airlines office next day which is 7 kms from Pokra and after hours of pleading, we could finally get our tickets to Jomsom but the return journey could not be confirmed as that would be decided at Jomsom and added that our journey of Lord Muktinarayanan ..
The ticket costs Rs.15,000/- INR to and fro for 4 Persons. As 3 more days were left for our trip to Saaligramam, we decided to visit the remaining places as per our package. We checked out in the afternoon and proceeded towards Katmandu bypass road to Chitwan. Chitwan jungle is 195 kms from Pokara and it took about 5 hours for us to reach the place. Chitwan jungle is famous for its rare species of animals including one horn rhinos, kingfishers, elephants etc. Chitwan is located on Nepal-Bihar highway. The package tour to Chitwan offered by all the travel agents include to and fro to Chitwan, night stay in one of the resorts, elephant ride, Nepali lunch, viewing cultural programmes in the jungle, and a visit to Tharu museum.
The cost for the same is Rs.3,500/- for 4 PAX which is not really much worth . However, having paid, we went to view Tharu Cultural Programme organized by the local tribes, The next day we left early in the morning in a open top gypsy accompanied by 2 guides and a driver deep into the forest, though we could not spot any rare animal except deers and monkeys , we happened to see crocodile breeding centres, and also saw a man-eating tiger which was in a cage. Not preparing for further exploitation, except surrendering to our LORD ,we left for Katmandu, which was another 5 hours drive. reached Katmandu at 7P.M. Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, is also called as Kantipur. Kathmandu is full of temples. It lies in a valley surrounded by high hills. Magnificent snow peaks are visible in the north. This city is situated to the north of Patan and the west of Bhaktapur. The altitude of Kathmandu is 4500 ft from sea level .Though we had intended to stay in ISKCON guest house at Katmandu but as there was no accommodation, we were forced to check in Hotel Taj (as recommended by the travel agent) and retired for the night. On 5th, we went for local sight seeing in Katmandu. And covered various temples including the famous Pashupathinath temple. The temple of ParamaShivan one of the Jyothir Linga is situated at the bank of the sacred Bagmati river. It is 5 Kilometers for east from the Kathmandu city. This pagoda style temple built with golden roofs and silver doors is where thousands of devotees come to pay homage to God Pashupati Nath. Shivaratri is the holy day of religious festival of Hindu people. Pashupati Nath ia the patron deity of Nepal. It was noon and midday abhishekam was going on. Lord Shiva’s face with matted locks and Ganges escaping from the locks is beautifully carved on all five sides of the deity . The main sanctorum (garbagriham) has doors on all four sides which enables the devotees to have darshan from all the four sides.
Offering humble prayers seeking a wonderful darshan and satsangh at Mukthinath we proceeded to Buddhanilkantha temple which is 9 km from Kathmandu city. The temple consists of a pond in which lies a diety of Lord Vishnu reclining on the coils of a cosmic serpent. The huge deity of sleeping Vishnu lying on Ananta Sesa, in the cosmic ocean is very attractive . The Deity is over 1,000 years old. Lord Vishnu is about 5m (17 ft) and is lying in a 13m (43 ft) long tank, as if floating, with His legs crossed. His four hands hold the four symbols of Vishnu: the chakra (disc), club, and conch-shell and lotus flower. Budhanilkantha literally means “old blue-throat.”
Ananta has 11-hooded heads. It is believed that the deity was carved in the 7th or 8th century during the Licchavi period. It is carved from the single block of black stone of a type not found in the valley. The main festival of the year is when Lord Vishnu, who sleeps on the cosmic ocean during Chaturmasya period wakes up on the Haribondhini Ekadashi day in late October or early November. Many thousands of people come on this day. Three other images of Lord Vishnu were carved at the same time.
One is here at Budhanilkantha and is considered the most important and original, one is at Balaju Gardens, and one is at the old Royal Palace in Kathmandu, but can not be viewed by tourist. It was told that The king of Nepal is not allowed to see the deity at Budhanilkantha, but he can see the other two deities.. This is the deity of Budhanilkantha was lost for a while and was later rediscovered by a farmer. It is believed that the farmers struck the buried deity with his plough and that blood came out from the ground. The morning puja between 9 and 10 am is interesting. Budhanilkantha is about 8km northeast of Kathmandu and 15km from Thamel, at the base of Shivapuri hill. Buses to Budhanilkantha depart every half-hour from Rani Pokhari or the City bus stand (1 hr, bus #5, Rs 7) inKathmandu. From where the bus stops the temple is around 100m away. Tempos depart from Jamal on the north side of Rani Pokhari to here. Iskcon took over the maintainence of the temple and grounds from about 1986-87. there is now even a guest house Hindus can walk down the steps and touch His lotus feet, but foreigners cannot.The ISKCON Temple is located about a ten-minute walk from the Budhanilkantha Temple, in a beautiful rural setting. Buses to Budhanilkantha (8 km) depart from Rani Pokhri in Kathmandu, every half-hour.
The next point was Boudhanath temple constructed by Tibetans, and Swayambhunath temple . This temple is also dedicated to Buddha and is one of the oldest Buddhist monastries. . We returned back in the evening and after a bit of last minute purchase like bags etc. for our Muktinath trip, retired for the night.The next day we checked out around 8 A.M to visit few more tourist places in Katmandu . Hanuman Dhoka is the Durbar Square of the ancient city of Kathmandu. King Pratap Malla, the lover of art and architecture, established the image of Bhaktha Hanuman in the main gate of his palace. The Durbar (palace) Square, itself is named as Hanuman Dhoka (meaning Hanuman gate). Within the Durbar Square, there is a three tiered pagoda style temple built by King Mahendra Malla in 1549 A.D.
This temple of goddess, Talejubhawani, is on a big platform which is considered as one of the most magnificent temples in Nepal. In Hanuman Dhoka, there are plenty of things to be seen, as the dreaded figure of Kal Bhairab, (God of Destruction), coronation platform, statue of King Pratap Malla, Big Bell and drum. Within the Durbar Square, there is a three tiered pagoda style temple built by King Mahendra Malla in 1549 A.D. This temple of goddess, Talejubhawani, is on a big platform which is considered as one of the most magnificent temples in Nepal. In Hanuman Dhoka, there are plenty of things to be seen, as the dreaded figure of Kal Bhairab, (God of Destruction), coronation platform, statue of King Pratap Malla, Big Bell and drum. Within a short walking distance from Durbar Square, the temple of Akash Bhairab lies at Indra Chowk, the main market avenue of the Kathmandu city. The image of Akash Bhairab is displayed outside the temple for a week during the festival of Indra Jatra. We then moved to to BOUDH NATH TEMPLE ,This classical stupa located at Boudha in the north east of the Kathmandu city. This is considered to be one of the biggest stupas in the World. The stupa having four eyes in four directions is symbolized as watch for welfare and behaviour of human beings. It is said that the stupa was built by King Man Dev as per the advice given by goddess Main ogini. The Lamas of Nepal who are real devotees of Lord Buddha always dwell at the surrounding of the stupa. Further moved to Soyambhu NathTemple situated at the hill side of Kathmandu city. It is at a distance of two miles from city. This stupa is made of a solid hemisphere of brick and earth. From this stupa one can see a beautiful view of Kathmanducity. Bhaktapur, also known as Patan which has old monuments. Earlier, this was the capital of the Nepali kings. This place with all its monuments is worth seeing including “PACHPAN(55) WINDOW PALACE. This place also houses a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna which is opened for public only once in a year on Janmashtami. All the monuments are in red colour. We resumed our journey to Pokhara in the evening after leisure purchases . The route to Pokhara from Katmandu is tough and the driver has to be careful as the locals in the dark are very tough to convince. En route , there is a famous temple known as “MANOKAAMNA MANDIR” – a temple dedicated to an amsam of Parvati. This temple is situated on top of a hill and has to be approached by ropeway. Similar temple is found in Rishikesh too. As it was getting dark we didn’t alight here and continued our journey to Pokara. On reaching Pokhara, we approached Gorkha Airlines office regarding our return journey confirmation but got a negative reply. However, the manager Mr Rane spoke to his counterpart in Jomsom and issued us REQUEST ticket. We were delighted to see few south Indians in a nearby hotel . With sigh of relief , we checked into this hotel run by a Punjabi HOTEL DEGCHEE. The hotel incharge who seemed to have contact with Jomsom hotels, made arrangement for our hotel stay in Jomsom and trekking permits, horse ride for children. We learnt from him that there are different modes of transport to reach Muktinath from Jomsom.
By walk
By pony ride
By motor cycle (charge 2200 NR with 2 hours stay in Muktinath)
By tractor (depends upon the no. of passengers)
The package for Rs.5,500/- INR which included hotel stay at Jomsom and Muktinath, 2 ponies, overnight stay allowance to pony rider and trekking permits was considered good enough as we did not have any alternative though we later learnt it was exorbitant. The climate in Pokhara valley is unpredictable. To add to our tension, there was a heavy downpour in the evening and we had our apprehensions regarding next day’s flight to Jomsom. However, the hotel owner assured us that this was very common and it would return to normalcy by morning. By this time, we lost all our confidence and sincerely chanted Sri Vishnu sahsranamam. We shed our pride , surrendered and prayed Perumal with devotion and sincerity for our safe journey and a darshan. We knew that it was “NOW or NEVER” for us. We had to go to Muktinath at any cost and reach Gorakpur as planned ,because there is only one train to Secunderabad from Gorakpur and we had to leave for Tirupati on 15th. All the tickets were confirmed and we were in total confusion. We realized that whatever information which we gathered and were confident about was NOTHING and only HIS GRACE could make us visit MUKTINATH. Our sole intention was to go to Muktinath and all other sight seeing were only to kill the time usefully. The day finally arrived .It was Pournami ( Full moon day ) , the auspicious month of Purattasi. Submitting to LORD and with our morning prayers, we left for airport which is a 10 minute drive from the hotel.
Our flight was scheduled to depart at 8.30 A.M. (fifth flight). As mentioned earlier, Gorkha Airlines and Royal Nepal Air lines operates service for POKHARA-JOMSOM-POKHARA sector presently . For the record, Royal Nepal Airlines, have only 1 or 2 flights operating ( Depending on their moods) is known to be the most unreliable airline in Nepal. There are many other airlines flying to Pokhara and Jomsom, such as Nikon Air, Buddha Air and Cosmic Air, and they are presently not operating for losses incurred. These others are private airlines, while the government runs Royal Nepal Airlines. The private airlines are more reliable in Nepal. Out of their 2 flights, only one was operational and this has to make atleast 5 trips every day to clear the traffic. As mentioned earlier, the services resumed only 2 days earlier after a gap of 10 days. To our dismay, we learnt that though it was nearly 9 A.M., the first trip itself did not take off due to fog. Boarding pass were not issued to us because our names were in the 5th trip. The officials were doubtful because after 11 AM , flights cannot reach Jomsom due to heavy winds and if the wind doesn’t subside the flight will be cancelled . Our hearts beat fast chanting Dwayam. There’s a light breeze, which is chilly.The sky is blue and the tops of the mountains are slowly becoming clear. We started reciting Sri Vishnu Sahasranaamam in the airport and prayed ardently to Periya Thiruvadi ( Garuda bhagavan )and Siriya Thiruvadi ( Bhaktha hanuman ) for their intervention in reaching Lords abode . The children were excited when The sky became clear and the flights resumed. Chanting Vishnu Sahasranaamam was mandatory for all of us .
Our turn to board the flight came at 11 A.M. Thanking the Lord, with tears rolling , we boarded the 20 seater propeller flight with window seats for everyone at 11 A.M . We’re on the plane. It’s moving. 18 passengers plus the flight attendant squeezed into these little seats. No overhead baggage compartment. The flight attendant passed out some sweets and cotton for people to plug their ears. The captain is still checking out the RPMs. We are about to take off and we chant loudly GOVINDA …….We’re in the air now. It’s a smooth flight.
On the right of the aircraft I can see the white Himalayas, which stand like a great wall between Nepal and China. On the left are high mountains, but no snow. Below us are valleys and a holy river. The weather is good. It is clear. We can even feel some heat on my feet. The plane flies between the Himalayas, not over them! The flight takes only 20 minutes but seems a lot longer. We are in this little Dornier aircraft, skims craggy ridge tops and is often buffeted by mountain winds. Chanting Lords name continuously I slowly dare to see the propellers from the window panes ..When an airplane flies to Jomsom they are very close to the mountains on either side of the valley. Strong winds come off the mountains at times, making it difficult or impossible to fly. A few years ago a flight crashed into the side of one of the mountains and it took them several days to find it. There were no survivors.
The recent news of a helicopter crashing added to further fear though my wife and kids were relaxed and surrendered to Lords wish. Just 20 mins from Pokhara flying up the highest-deepest valley in the world, sometimes battling winds of 120 Mph (200 km+) as the clouds lift causing a kind of vacuum effect propelling winds. The flight is moving amidst big mountains, taking sharp turns and is sure to instill fear in everyone but the Lord’s names on our lips drove out the fear in us.
We are now flying between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, two immense glacier covered peaks towering well above the airplane as we flew up the Gandaki river valley. We were longing for our lifetime mission to be completed and were enthusiastic and prepared to face the worst situation, if any.
We landed at Jomsom airport in about 20 mins . We look around the small airport surrounded by mountains . Quickly coming out we see plenty of foreigners accompanying us .
Jomsom is so modern that there’s even an Internet Cafe here. This is apple country. Apples like cold weather, We took 3 kgs of apples Thanking Lord very much we briskly moved and located the hotel . As assured the incharge , had made all arrangements for our trip to Muktinath. Annapurna trekking permit is a must and we had taken our pass port photographs with NR as fees for the same . 2 ponies with a guide were provided. Baggages were tied to children’s ponies and myself accompanied by my wife started the holy trek to Muktinath at 12 noon While my wife and children were chanting I quickly procured the Conversation Permit to go trekking in the area surrounding Annapurna Mountain and understood the ponies were booked no doubt but are awaiting at the banks of gandaki river which is 20 mins trek . After clearing the town of Jomsom which is modern , we headed out over the stony riverbed. . I was enthusiastic in revealing the legendary stories about this punya stala to my kids who are distinguished as they also joined in the 106 Divya desam yathirai effortlessly.
Salagramo Mahadevo devi Dwaravati bhaved Ubhayossangamo yatra Muktisttattra na samsaya.”
“To the north of the river, Gandaki (also called Narayani), and south of the Himalayas, there is the holy region of Salagrama, which is ten yojanas extent, where Dwaravati merges into Salagrama. Undoubtedly such a place is capable of vouchsafing Moksha.” Actually, about 140 miles from Khatmandu is situated Muktimati or Muktikshetra, also called “Salagrama-kshetra. Legend has it that once Bramha was exasperated at the rate of increase of the sinners among his creation. Then drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks (Ganda), ultimately collecting themselves into the form of a female child called “Gandaki.” She took it into her head to do a severe penance which became so overwhelming that the Devas started trembling before her. As usual they offered her the bait of a boon on return for her stopping her penance, but they met a Tartar in her, for she wanted to mother all the Devas. Not having the power to grant such a boon, the Devas pleaded their inability, at which Gandaki became furious and cursed all the devas to be born as worms on the earth below. The Devas in their turn placed a counter curse on her head that she should become “Jada” or inert matter. Naturally Bramha was concerned with this unexpected development. Unable to find a way out, he consulted Indra and Rudra. With them also he drew a blank. Finally, all the three turned to Vishnu, who said: “In as much as the curses have been already pronounced, they cannot be revoked, and both parties affected must suffer them. The problem is how to make them work to their mutual and ultimately universal benefit.” After consideration, Vishnu said: ” I shall take up my abode in the Chakra Teertha near Salagramakshetra. You, Devas, shall migrate to this hallowed region as “Vajrakitas” eating into the pebbles. Gandaki shall in the form of a river fill the universe enveloping the shilas hallowed by me.” Salagrama stones are obtained only from the river Gandaki, which is a Himalayan stream, celebrated since antiquity as Narayani, Saligrami, Hiranvati and Hiranyavati. The epic Mahabharata speaks of its sanctity (Bhishma-parva) . The puranas also describe it as a sacred stream in which all the gods and titans abide . By merely looking at it, one would eliminate all his mental defilement’s, by touching it his bodily sins are burnt up, and by sipping its water the verbal demerits are thrown out: One who comes into contact with this sacred stream will be liberated from the cycle of birth and deaths, even if he be a sinner.
And for the reason, the river Gandaki became among all the rivers extraordinarily sacred Being a mystic river, looking at it, touching it, bathing in it and sipping its waters will be conductive to eliminate all sins, even the greatest of sins pertaining to the body, speech and mind. Adiyen recollected them there are many aspects of this pilgrimage right from going to the Holy Tirtha of Shalagram high in the Himalayas; the challenge of one’s faith, to be there and to find one’s worshippful Lord; the material elements, and other various hardships – walking many miles/kilometres, high altitude, no food, the weather, the constant wind, wild animals, dacoits and theives, mundane trekkers, so many things.
We are now trekking near the banks of Gandaki river. Which rises beyond the Himalayan ranges, probably in Tibet, and flows (in the north-south direction) into Nepal, There is a lake at the source of the Kali-Gandaki , called Damodar-kunda on the Nepal . The lower Gandaki is well known as Mukti-natha-kshetra, also called Saligrama-kshetra. The sacred stones are largely found on the banks of Kali-gandaki near Tukche, between the two mountains Dhavala-giri and Annapurana. Damodara-Kunda is considered as Saivite place of pilgrimage by Nepalis. This is the punya kshetram where saligrama deities are found within the Nepal territory to the fortunate souls . As advised by my father the children learnt the sloka by heart supposed to be chanted while we trek the route .The sloka goes like this with meaning explained below
dheya sada savitra mandala madhya-varti— naryanah sarasijasana sannivistah
Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be meditated upon in the center of the sun globe. He is situated on a lotus flower and seated in the lotus posture. He is adorned with beautiful golden bracelets, amulets, earrings, necklace and a crown. He has the golden effulgence and is seen holding the pure white conch and Sudarshana cakra in His lotus hands. Oh wielder of the conch, disc, club, and other natural weapons, You are the Lord and resident of the spiritual realm. Oh indestructible one, protector of the worlds, oh lotus eyed Lord, please save all of us who have taken shelter of you and appear before us .We found there was a path that skirted the riverbed, but we preferred to walk along the riverbed. The children were delighted to see the horseman and the horses at the river bank. As we walked along we started to notice the wind was picking up and the clouds were closing in from the mountains on either side of us. My children happily rode the horses chanting the Dhyana sloka as I advised them to sincerely pray and look in the river for holy salagrama silas .En route after offering oblations and sincere obeisancesto the holy gandaki river I requested the horse man to help the children in looking for the salagrama which he readily obliged. The river Gandaki is a very ancient river; and the geologists say that it existed even before the formation of the Himalayan ranges. It rises beyond the Himalayan ranges, probably in Tibet, and flows (in the north-south direction) into Nepal. And for the reason, the river Gandaki became among all the rivers extraordinarily sacred Being a mystic river, looking at it, touching it, bathing in it and sipping its waters will be conductive to eliminate all sins, even the greatest of sins pertaining to the body, speech and mind. My soul danced with joy looking at the nature and being in Gods own world.
We are now in the Lower Mustang belt as per the Map . Mustang is an Anglicization of the Tibetan Lo Manthang, which is an autonomous region in north-central Nepal that borders on Tibet. The destination of our trek today was to reach Mukthinath by evening . En route there is the village of Kagbeni (“Crow Confluence” in Nepali). The rocky highland stretching from Jomsom to Kagbeni–through which the Gandaki flows–is called Lower Mustang. Upper Mustang is where Damodar Kund is located, a lake that is the root source of all salagram silas. It was told that from here one treks to Damodar kund the source of all the saligrama silas ( Sree Moorthy ) According to one version, the Salagramam Divya Desam is just the bank/bed of River Gandaki and not the Mukthinath temple. Few also claim Its Damodar kund .River Kaligandaki has its source in Damodar Kund and throughout its flow to south right up to Indian border carries a manifestation of lying lord Vishnu with Damodarkund jeweled as His auspicious Head and with Muktinath as the mouth, Shaligram Chakra as chest Kuru Kshetra as the waist, Devaghatam as the Knee and lastly the auspicious feet of lord Vishnu goes to the credit of Gajendra Moksha devadham,. Such a beautiful elaboration of the lord, one may find starting from the auspicious lakes of Damodar Kund. The Damodar Kunda (lake) is situated rain shadow of High Himalayas north of Annapurna range. The elevation of the Damodar Kunda is 4890 meters and it is a cold and windy place. According to another version, the Mukthinath temple is very much the Divya Desam of Salagramam. It is difficult to establish which of the two versions is right. Either way, there is no question that our great saint Thirumangai Azhwar visited at least the banks of the Gandaki River, as did Swamy Ramanuja. And no matter which version is accurate, there is no taking away from the beauty of this Divya Desam and its surroundings. and one of the pAsuram, Tirumangai AzhwAr exhorts his mind to attain the Lord of Salagrama. It was this Lord who, armed with bow and arrow, crossed forests inhabited by wild deer, elephants and horses, and then built a bridge of boulders to reach the high-walled fortress of Lanka and severed the ten heads of Ravana- the king of the RakshasAs glorifying LORD RAMAs avataram . The route to Damodar lake is three days walk north east from the main Mustang trekking route & very close to Tibetan border.
We had to drop the idea of going into Upper Mustang as expensive permits are required from the Nepali authorities . Formerly the Gandaki River Valley was the most important trade route between India and Tibet. It was controlled by the Buddhist kingdom of Lo Manthang, which was of Tibetan culture.
But more than 200 years ago the Buddhist Raja of Lo Manthang allied with the Hindu Raja of Kathmandu in a war against Tibet. This is why the present region of Mustang (Lo Manthang), which is populated mostly by Buddhist people with Mongolian features, is part of Nepal and not Tibet (now fully controlled by Communist China).
Now the trekking trail takes us away from the bank of the Gandaki for a while. I along with my wife started chanting Shri Vishnu sahasranaamam , while my eyes were immersed in the beauty of Lords own little world far away from material and karmic vasanas. . Few foreigners along with their guide walk briskly before us cheering NAMASTE … I feel their enthusiasm in trekking the mountains and truly with the protective wind shields, woolen socks, rock boots and body packs they were perfect mountaineers, I avoided the trekking kit to tax my body in reaching Lords abode with a sincere vow as I did for Ahobilam and Tirumala.
Muktinath is situated at a height of 3,800 metres whereas jomsom is at 2713 metres. The distance to Muktinath from Jomsom by walk is 21 kms (via Kagbeni) whereas now there is another short-cut which involves climbing of a steep mountain but would save about 3-4 kms. To reach Muktinath, we need to cross 3 settlements- Eklabhatti, Khinga, Jharkot (Earlier, piligrims used to go toMuktinath via Eklabhatti, Kagbeni, Jharkot). One can find maps displayed on boards with the name of settlement, no. of hotels,lodges , distance to the next settlement and approximate time-only in these places, one can get drinks/ food etc) I could see my children moving away from us quickly . I wonder whether we can make it today . En route we see the skull of a yak. This classic symbol of desolation accentuates the atmosphere of loneliness that hangs over the Gandaki River Valley. Between Jomsom and Kagbeni one sees evidence of human habitation only rarely. We could see an isolated stone hut of a herdsman. Nobody was home when we passed it . A metal suspension bridge en route spans the Gandaki River Valley. What adds a cultural mystique to the mountain paths and the flat areas of the Kali Gandaki are the teams of yaks and mules that would traverse the steep slopes carrying supplies back and forth from each area. The owner would be behind a team of 6 or more animals that methodically climb and descend (they could probably have done it blindfolded), stepping out of the way of persons who would approach from the opposite way. Each would wear an enchanting bell (like one of those wind chimes) which would create a sattvic atmosphere, especially needed when you round a sharp corner on a narrow path and if without the bell… without a warning…well you tell me…you are quietly rounding a blind corner bend over a 500 meter canyon and suddenly you come nose to nose with a large personality with long horns…how would you react? So the bells do provide tranquility and safe travels. On the pan of the Gandaki you will note on the bottom right-hand side of the picture a tiny line of such a team sauntering along. This gives you an appreciation for the vastness of the area. Incredibly strong winds often blow through the valley, and if you are crossing this bridge when such a wind comes up, you truly fear you’ll be blown off into the valley below . My wife pauses for rest on the east end of the bridge. Where I quickly take few pictures and shoot from my camcorder . As we continued our trek, we moved away from Kali Gandaki river ,we could view her only from a distance. Initially, the way was broad enough but it was a stony path. Though one doesn’t feel thirsty due to the chillness , it is advisable to carry a bottle of water, some glucose, few apples etc on the way . Some foreign tourists were cycling on the steep mountains. They are fortunate to be there as It was sure Its HIS blessings they were there and who knows destined to get emancipation too.
We were surrounded by Annapurna mountains on one side and Dhaulagiri mountains on the other sides. With mountains all around, a pleasant chilly breeze and Kali Gandaki flowing below, the picturesque beauty was feast to the body mind and soul. Visualizing the Viraata Purusha in our mind’s eye moving upwards, the path was narrowing and in some places, we came to the edge of the cliff. We had to slowly walk forward by holding hands. This was becoming more adventurous. Crossing many mountains on the way and the connecting path is usually narrow. It took about 2 hours for us to reach the first settlement EKLABHATTI. At this point we are thankfully within sight of the town of Kagbeni. The trek through the valley involves is mostly flat and level. But the valley itself is some 2000 meters above sea level! Thus catching your breath is a problem, since there is less oxygen in the air than normal. As we descend from the bridge to the valley floor we meet a herd of incredibly nimble mountain goats. At the upper edgey we can see Ekla Bhatti, the southern “suburb” of Kagbeni. Behind , the holy Gandaki flows on her way from Kagbeni, visible in the distance As the sun shines over the Himalayan horizon, we see the blackish waters of the Gandaki from a higher altitude. I finally locate the sign board of Eklabatti where my children and the horseman are awaiting. The pony rider told us that from this place, there are 2 routes – one towards Kagbeni and the other towards Khinga. Kagbeni is a small developing village with staying facilities and people with sufficient time stay at kagbeni. But as we were running short of time, we decided to go via Khinga. Further trail to Muktinath carries us out of the Gandaki River Valley into the soaring mountain heights. This is not easy going. The air was thin to begin with, but now as we trudge ever-higher in the hot sun and the decreasing oxygen becomes more and more of a problem. In less than half and hour, we look down upon Kagbeni as if from an airplane. We met a good number of trekkers along the Jomsom-Kagbeni-Muktinath path. Americans, Australians, Britishers, Europeans, and local Nepalese were moving in scattered numbers. The trail winds along the side of a steep valley formed by a white-water tributary that rushes down to meet the Gandaki at Kagbeni. In the cliffside opposite are many caves. The local Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns sometimes retire to these caves for meditation and austerity. Chanting loudly Lords names and the mahamantra , We climb the steep slippery mountain for about half an hour . The pony rider advised us not to look up or look down as it would instill fear in us we trek like sheeps.. There is a very narrow path where one can put only one foot carefully . Children were frightened to sit on the pony but having come half the way, they had no other choice but to keep their eyes tightly closed and pray to Lord. We were passing thru a deserted place where there was no vegetation but only few mountain shrubs. WE were literally gasping for breath. Added to this, wind started blowing and it was becoming even more difficult to trek. After climbing the steep mountain, we kept on walking on the narrow way for nearly an hour . Suddenly the weather changed and it started drizzling. We were unable to put a step further because it was slippery and the rains would make the road worse. Added to that, there was no one in sight to help us in any adverse condition. Once again, our prayers to Lord did not go in vain. It stopped drizzling and there was only cool soft breeze. Prayed to Bhaktha Hanuman for His intervention and all of a sudden It stopped drizzling. Soft cool breeze was blowing . WE felt as if Vayu Bhagavan was being kind to us as we are on the way to have darshan of Lord Vishnu. It was 4 PM in the evening. Rested for a while at one of the way side restaurants and with the ingredients like milk powder, sugar, which we had taken with us, prepared some hot drink and we are charged up once again. It may be mentioned that enroute at the settlements, the hotels provide limited variety of fast food like rotis/ noodles and hot water. The pony rider asked us to walk fast as it was getting dark at 5 PM itself ,but as we are not used to walking, we could not do so. The trek from Khinga was not very difficult. In and around Khinga, we came across rich vegetation, and the dwellers in these places, polite by nature, were seen knitting mufflers and other woolen products. Apples were available in plenty , though a bit costly compared to Jomsom, we could get them for Rs.10/- per kg. On the way, we had to cross few mountain streams while trekking which was refreshing. It was becoming dark at 5 itself and by 6 P.M., we could not see anything. Exhausted, we decided to stay overnight in the nearest settlement. The inn-keeper charged Rs.300/- INR for 4 beds. After finishing our dinner, we retired for the night. It was very very cold. Although short of breath, and having to stop every few hundred feet and rest, and although it took me 6 hours to get up there, we made it. Practically it was a miracle. Although sore tonight, I am not at all sorry that I went there and I’d gladly go again in the future
Next day morning, we woke up at 430 AM and could see the sun rise at 5.30AM . It was calm and serene throughout. We checked out of the inn and continued our journey. It took about an hour for us to approach the village of Jarkot. Looking carefully we can see the dark red Buddhist monastery perched on a hilltop at the edge of this village. It is 500 years old. The Muktinath temple is about an hour’s walk beyond Jarkot. On the top of the mountain is the white lip of a glacier that feeds the Gandaki with its icy waters. Having left Jarkot behind, we are approaching the Dreamland Hotel, which is the first building visible as one enters the village clustered at the foot of the hill of Muktinath. The trek is really tough as the altitude is beginning to increase steadily. This is the last settlement enroute to Muktinath. The temperature was almost 3 degree and due to the numbness in our feet and hands, we could not walk further. (Usually, trekking shoes are worn by piligrims which was overseen by us as a part of our vow ). Jharkot has many lodges with staying facilities etc and usually pilgrims/trekkers who visit Muktinath stay in Jharkot. Though a room was booked in Hotel Muktinath at Jharkot, we could not make it the previous day as we could not proceed further. We could have a clear glimpse of Muktinath from Jharkot itself. After walking few yards, we started climbing few stone steps (may be 700 or so) laid in an improper way with no proper finishing etc. The pony drive, motor drive is only upto Jharkot. From Jharkot , everyone invariably has to climb these steps. It took about half an hour or so for us to reach the temple. Total trekking time taken by us is 9 hours. Usually, people who are used to regular walks, jogging, trekking etc can finish within 6 hours. The dark red structure behind is the entrance gate. As one ascends you reach plateau after plateau where you think that you have reached the summit, but it just keeps on going. Because of the altitude and our physical state you are forced to rest on the way up (sometimes after every 100 steps) The large stone stairs at the closing intervals (almost like a malicious test) takes you to the final test of patience in seeing GOD . Well! Soul stirring experiences at the cost of trimming the body ..and that is what is LIFE ….Realizations streaming ….This body ..mind and spirit in equilibrium is what is good quality of self realisation …The MIND understands and the body too ..as the soul is going to meet the supersoul ( PARAMATMAN)
Finally you do reach the town of Muktinath and above the town (another 45 minutes) is the temple built in a glacier (from where the mountain pan is taken).. En route we happened to see helipads. Helicopters from Pokhara/Jomsom upto Muktinath and back fly daily. During peak season, the copter flies many times . Also, we were told that the weather conditions do not affect the copters much. We happened to meet few South Indians who had come in package tours organized by travel agents in Chennai . It takes about 40 minutes to reach Muktinath from Pokara and half an hour’s stay at Muktinath. The package would cost 21000 INR . They however miss the thrill of trekking the holiest mountains. This is safe for physically unfit and aged people. We are entering the entrance of the temple now. A few Buddhist prayer wheels at the entrance to the Muktinath complex is visible These rotatable cylinders are a common sight in Nepal. They are inscribed with the Tibetan Buddhist mahamantra Om Mani Padme Hum–“Aum! The jewel in the lotus! Hail!” The jewel is the pure spirit soul and the lotus is the purified body of the true follower of Buddha’s way. Tibetan Buddhist turn these prayer wheels to earn merit. Simply pushing on them to get them revolving is supposed to be as good as chanting the mantra as many times as the wheel then revolves.
Having passed through the entrance gate, we proceed to the complex’s first shrine. Muktinath is sacred to both Vaisnavas and Buddhists. My dream comes true. Adiyen along with my family members are very much in the 106th Divyadesam This is the Muktinath Temple proper. Lord Muktinath is, for Vaisnavas, Sri Padmapani (the form of Lord Visnu from whose lotus feet sacred waters flow). Tibetan Buddhists worship Him as Adi-Buddha. Lord Muktinath’s form is manifest in brass. In bodily shape and posture He resembles the Yoga Narayana Deity Atop the hill behind the Muktinath Temple is a Buddhist shrine. Its 9 A.M. A huge bell is hung in front of the gate. There are 108 shower spouts coming from the glacier on the back wall of the shrine with the best water that makes the journey a complete success.
Since the water is ice cold and due to limited time allowed for darshan, most of them sprinkled water from the 108 gomukhis behind the temple .Thanking Lord profusely tears rolling I brave to take a bath under the gomukhs. My children run under the gomukhs reciting Dwayam. Atop the hill behind the Muktinath Temple is a Buddhist shrine. Incredibly, some Buddhist nuns who serve at Muktinath daily climb this hill to also perform worship up there Jutting from the stone wall that encloses Muktinath Temple on three sides are 108 gomukhs or cows’ mouths. From each mouth icy glacial water flows. The water is considered as pure as the Ganges, which flows from Gomukh in the Indian Himalayas. ! The tremendous Nilgiri peak overlooking Jomsom. The Water from Gandaki is routed through these man-made gomukhis which are closely built ,the distance between the gomukhis may be hardly a foot . WE felt as if a hammer had struck our heads after passing thru these gomukhis. Added to this, we were asked to have a dip in 2 small tanks situated in front of the temple. The temperature for the day was recorded at 3 degrees and the chilly water was almost in a frozen condition . Unlike in Vishaal Badri in Bhadrinath , where we are greeted with steaming hot water, here it was icy cold . After changing into dry clothes in separate rooms provided for ladies and gents, we went inside the temple. The garbagriham was closed and we were asked to wait for few mintues.
Meanwhile, we did pradakshinam around the temple chanting Harinaam . The temple is very small. In front of the garbagriham, towards our right, there is a deity of our Jagatha Acharyar, Swamy Ramanujar. . After taking acharyar’s blessings, we approached the Thiruma mani mantapam to have darshan of Perumal.
The moment we had darshan of the divya mangala swaroopam of the Lord, Sri Srimoorthi, we forgot the cold and the body pains. The enchanting beauty of the Lord cannot be described in words.
The deity at Muktinath has a large brass kavach ( armour) with a very transcendental smile. On His left and right are Bhu and Sri, two divine energies of the Lord manifested in their female forms Though in the divya desa naamavali, Perumal is known as “SRIDEVI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI SRIMOORTHI”, we found ubhaya naachiyaars, Sridevi and Bhoodevi Thayar on either sides of Perumal flanking Him. Perumal is seen in sitting posture while Ubhaya Naachiyars are in Nindra Thirukolam. As it is often mentioned that Adisesha always performs various kainkaryams to Perumal, here Adisesha is seen spreading hoods like an umbrella.
Garudazhwar and other saaligramams are also worshipped. Inside the garbagriham, near the entrance on the right side, there is a small deity of Buddha. Muktinath is holy place both for Hindus and Buddhists. Even foreigners enter the temple and have a darshan of the Lord even though they do not know the significance of the place, they offer their respects to the Lord. It must be only due to their poorva janma sukrutam. I could relate the darshan exactly with THIRUVENGADAMUDAIYANS darshanam.
A Buddhist lady accepted our offerings to Perumal- vastrams for Perumal and Thayar, dry fruits, honey, sandal paste, rose water etc. which we had carried with us for offering it to Lord. This lady gives theertha prasadam and offers neivedyam and is restrained from doing Thirumanjanam to the Lord. Unfortunately, the male priest was not available in the temple and hence we could not perform Thirumanjanam. However, the lady offered us to take one saaligramam outside the garbagriham and perform Thirumanjanam but Adiyen felt that Adiyen was incompetent, hence did not accept the offer. There was no rush and we were able to have darshan to our heart’s content.
Perumal’s smiling Thirumugam is very enchanting and we could not take our eyes off . We recited 108 divya desa naamavali in front of Perumal and recited Thirumangai Azhwar’s pasurams on this divya desam. In ecstasy, I remembered Thirumangai mannan’s pasurams on Naimisaaranyam which is full of repentance and started reciting the same in the temple. My children braved to sing Annamaya Kirtans amidst the few piligrims. Adiyen thought of everyone associated with me and prayed the Lord to bestow moksham and best devotional service on them . Adiyen prayed to the Lord to give me another chance to visit this shrine again and give another opportunity to visit all the divya desams . The Nepali security emphasized that the temple was 500 years old and it would be closed during severe winter (i.e. from October to February) every year. Due to time constraint, we left the temple reluctantly after taking few photographs. I had heard that Westerners aren’t allowed in the temple of Muktinath, but that’s not true. It is said that Badrinath sent Muktinath to this place, high up in the mountains. I overhear a foreigner saying that anyone who takes the trouble to visit that place will get liberation. Adiyen , however, did not pray for liberation. Rather, Adiyen prayed for pure devotional service. A five minute walk down the temple towards left led us to a place where we can see 2 wonders :- First, fire coming from water and fire coming from stone. This fire is emitted continuously and has to peep into a small opening to see the same.
A natural blue fire can be clearly seen from water which is unbelievable. This is a representation of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu as it was here Brahma and Shiva did penance to obtain Lord Vishnu’s grace. Lord Vishnu appeared before them and as per their desire, continued to reside in this place. This is also considered to be a Buddhist shrine because one Buddhist monk got enlightenment here. As a proof of this, we could find various stupas of Buddhist monks and their dwarapaalakas. After thanking Perumal, we left the place at 1100 hours. On the way back, we happened to visit a small thirumaligai run by a Srivaishnava, a disciple of Chinna Jeeyarswamy. He greeted us warmly and offered us some herbal drink which would act as an anecdote against the biting cold weather. Infact, despite our bath in icy cold water, none of us fell sick . When Adiyen was expressing my desire to collect saaligramams silas for worshipping , swamy was kind , he immediately gave me 5 saaligramams murthys worshipped by the mutt , out of which 2 were collected from Damodar Kund and one moorthi was receiving his upacharams daily reciting Acharyar dhaniyan and Thirupallandu. Was blessed indeed .LORD was very kind to come along with us to our home to be with us .Tears rolling chanting dwayam adiyen offered humble pranaams to all .Felt my purpose of birth was fulfilled.
After settling down , we started our return journey to Jomsom. We were told that it would take 4 hours for us to reach Jomsom as it is easier to walk down the mountains. My children had already left on the ponies with the horse man along with our luggage and PERUMAL ( Lordships ) . We were lagging behind. Added to this, we missed our route. Though we were doubtful about the route, we could not get clarification as there was no one around us. Guessing our way, we climbed down the hill and reached a cliff which was the dead end. Below the cliff, as we saw Gandaki river flowing, we guessed that it should be the route and while trying to get down, we nearly had almost a fall. Clinging to each other both of us were totally perplexed, frightened and chanted loudly Hanuman Chalisa. Luckily we spotted few farmers who were working in a far away field and waived a cloth towards them . Immediately a young lad of about 15 years came to our rescue. After saving us from this fall, he accompanied us for half an hour or so and led us to the correct path. He told that we had come near Kagbeni village and that particular place was the route to Domodar kund where the origin of saaligramam begins and that Eklabhatti was far off. Silently prayed LORD for a darshan at Daamodar kund soon. Added to this, due to heavy winds, we were finding it very difficult to put even a step further.. By straying on the wrong path, we had to walk for another 2 hours. Finally, we reached Eklabhatti at 1700 hours. Meanwhile, children were worried and were enquiring about our whereabouts. As we had gone on the wrong side, they only got negative reply which added to their worry. Meanwhile, they went to the banks of Kali Gandaki river and while reciting the sloka told by my father , they were able to collect some saaligramama moorthies right from the holy river. Out of these, one murthi was that of Lord Sri Rama, one Sri Srinivasar, Varahar, Matsya murthi and few Hiranya garbhams. They also collected 2 big saaligramams which we wanted to worship at our Kushaiguda Sri Venkateshwara temple. But maybe it was Perumal’s will to stay back in Jomsom itself as the airport authorities did not allow us to take the bigger silas. It was already dark when we reached Eklabhatti and as we had another 1 hour trekking, the pony rider advised my wife to ride on pony. My younger daughter trekked with me for more than one and half hour amidst chanting bhajans and maha mantra We reached Jomsom at 19 hours. We were pleased to hear about our ticket confirmation from the hotel owner. Our flight was scheduled to leave Jomsom at 9 A.M. the following morning. Thanked LORD for all His grace and retired for the night. We called home from the satellite telephone and informed Lords grace in giving us a darshan .After all any SriVaishnavaite desires he vist all the Divya desams and take to spirituality .Our Elders were very pleased for our children braving to reach the holy dhaam..It was a pleasant experience. Next day, the hotel manager approached us and informed that the flight to Pokhara was cancelled due to technical failure of the aircraft. On hearing this, we were totally shattered . He advised us to either take a helicopter (a private one) which he would be arranging for others by paying for the tickets in dollars (INR 30,000) or either go by jeep upto 20 kms, walk for about 15 hours to reach Thathopani, take a bus to Pokhra which would take about 20 hours. As the second option was impossible, we decided to opt for the first one and gave our consent.
Arrangements were made to get a helicopter from Katmandu . Though the scheduled departure was at 12 noon as promised by the hotel manager, the helicopter arrived at Jomsom at 1600 hours only. All of us boarded it and reached Pokhara at 1700 hours. The 20 minute journey by helicopter was very inconvenient and fearful. Worst with noise and full of congestion.
The very rare privelage of travelling in a helicopter was being fullfilled may be I felt. Adiyen was continuously chanting Maha mantra and the moment we left the copter, 2 devotees who hail from England approached me and offered Prasad saying that they had done Pournami pooja at Muktinath, a day before we reached the holy shrine. I was happy to learn that they have migrated to Kashi and having undertaken penance, they are simultaneously doing research on Vedas.
It is only due to the abundant grace of Perumal on this sinner that Adiyen could visit all the divya desams with my wife and children and attribute this to my previous janma wherein adiyen would have been associated with Srivaishnavas by touching the dust of their feet or must have done some petty kainkaryam which yielded this fruit of visiting the divya desams in this janma. May the divine forms of Perumal of all divya desams remain fresh in our memories and may our lips continuously chant the holy myriad names of the Lord. May our visit to the divya desams remain fresh in our minds so that when we leave this human body, we would be qualified to get moksha. The cab driver whom we got used to address as “kaka” was waiting for us at the airport. We rushed to the hotel where we had left our baggages and without losing any time, we left the place to go to Janakpur. We thanked the Hotel manager and his brother-in-law for all his intervention and help. But for him, it would have been impossible for us to go to Muktinath. We decided that we offer our prayers to Sita Piratti .Taking clue from the fellow Nepalis we dashed into the cab with the available 24 hrs left . We traveled whole night and at 01.00 hrs we alighted at a thickly populated area and rested. At 5AM we resumed our journey to Janakpur which is located near Bihar border in Nepal is one of the most attractive tourist spots. This is the place where Goddess Sita was born and the place where the famous “SITA RAAMA KALYANAM “ took place. So, we didn’t want to miss this. It takes about 8 hours to reach from Pokhara and we had to cross Chitwan jungle. We reached Janakpur at 0800 hours in the morning . The driver informed us that it would take another 10 hours for us to reach Gorakhpur provided there was no traffic jam. We had to hasten ourselves as we had to be in Gorakpur at any cost that night. We quickly went inside the palace –converted into temple. Prayers on Goddess sita was written in Hindi on display boards. Morning abhishekam was just over and we had to wait for few minutes to have darshan of Thayar.
In the sanctum sanctorum, Lord Rama, Sita Devi and King Janaka are seen. During aarthi, prayers on Sita Devi were sung. Apart from this, the palace houses other shrines too. In one of the shrines, we could find full family of Janaka – Lord Rama –Sita, Lakshmana-Urmila, Bharata, Shatruguna –Srutikeerthi, King Janaka, his brother, his queen . Apart from this, this shrine houses 3,000 saaligramama silas which were covered by a satin cloth. We proceeded to Sita Rama Kalyana Mantapam which is situated just outside the palace on the left side. Rs.5/- is charged as entrance fee . A big mantapam in the centre with life –size images . Lord Rama, and Sita in Kalyana Thirukolam in sitting posture,Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatruguna also in Kalyana Thirukolam, King Janaka and his brother in standing posture, Dasaratha,his queens, Sage Vasishta and other rishi in sitting postures, Brahma, Shiva and other devas blessing. The sight was a real feast to the eyes. Around the mantapam, on 4 sides, there are 4 sannidhis for all the 4 brothers with their wives.
We left Janakpur at 0930 hours and having visited all the places as per our schedule, we continued to reach our final destination, Gorakhpur. We crossed Nepal border at 1500 hours (that was the last day of our permit) in bihar. The highway roads in Bihar is the most horrible one with full of bumps and it took more than an hour to cross the border on the Indian side. There is absolutely no cleanliness, no hygiene, no traffic rule, no proper roads. Uttar Pradesh which we entered around 6 P.M. was more horrible with traffic jams. We were stuck in traffic jam for more than 5 hours. No police to regularize the traffic. We learnt that it was very common and most of the truck drivers had left their trucks on the road itself and were loitering. Once again , our sincere prayers to Lord Hanuman was answered. After hours of pleading the truck drivers, we somehow got way to move . But the way was not sufficient for a car to pass through. the the driver literally tilted the car because of muddy road on his left and drove only on 2 wheels carefully . With great difficulty, the impossible task was made possible by the grace of Lord. We reached Gorakhpur at 2300 hours in the night. We checked into one of the hotels near the station, and retired for the night. Thanked God profusely for the successful, though was seeming impossible adventurous trip to Nepal. We boarded Secunderabad-Gorakhpur Express at 0600 hours on the following morning and reached Secunderabad at 1830 hours the following day. Thus ended our trip to Saaligramam ( MUKTHINAATH KSHETRAM) After a short break of 2 days, we went to Tirumala with our parents and thanked God for His abundant Grace on us all over . As part of our VIMSATI DARSHANAM scheme, we participated in Suprabhata seva, Unjal seva, Archana Anantara seva for 2 days and also performed Thirukalyana utsavam to Malayappa swamy ( our parents performed the same). WE also visited Thiruvellikeni and thanked Sri Parthasarathy Perumal for successful completion of divya desa yaatrai as way back in 1998, we had prayed to this Perumal for visiting all the srivaishnava divya desams. Unfortunately, our desire to perform ( Abhishekam) Thirumanjanam to utsavar could not be fulfilled as the temple authorities do not permit outsiders for performing Thirumanjanam. However, one could offer milk during Brahmotsavam for Lord’s Thirumanjanam .
During this trip, Adiyen’s faith was put to test several times and Adiyen passed this only due to the grace of Lord and His devotees. Adiyen may be contacted for any guidance while planning for this yathirai. I can be contacted on 9849635903 any time
All Glories to Swami Mudaliandan Swamy the first disciple of Jagath Guru Swamy Ramanujar ( to whose Thirumaligai adiyongal belong to).
Elders reveal that LORD Rama incarnated HIMSELF as Dasarathi, nephew of Swamy Ramanujar at Purusha mangalam (presently known as Nazrath Pettai in Chennai). Lakshmana’s servitude was incomprehensible and to repay this gratitude, Lord Sri Rama appeared as as Dasarathi and served Swamy Ramanujar in Kaliyugam.
Swamy Ramanujar appointed 74 simhadipatis (disciples) to propagate Srivaishnavam and our Dasarathi was their leader. Hence Dasarathi came to be known as
“Mudali “”Andan”. ( The foremost)
Sri Mudaliandan Swamy was entrusted with the job of managing Srirangam temple affairs.
Swami Mudaliandan is also glorified as the “paaduka” and “Tridandi” of Swamy Ramanujar. When Swamy Ramanujar embraced Sanyasasramam, he did not leave Mudaliandan and Kooratazhwan whom he considered as his Tridandam and Pavitram respectively.
When Thirugoshtiyur nambi instructed Swamy Ramanujar to come alone to learn about Tirumantra rahasyam, Swamy Ramanujar took Mudaliandan along with him. When questioned, Swamy replied that a Sanyasi should always carry Tridandam with him .Such was the intimacy between Swamy Ramanujar and Mudaliandan.
Kooratazhwan says that he has only “Atma sambandham”with Swamy Ramanujar whereas Mudaliandan has both “deha sambandham” and “atma sambandham”.
Swamy Ramanujar established Vishistidadvaitam with Srirangam as his base and was becoming very popular.
It was Namperumal’s divine plan to make Swamy Ramanujar leave Srirangam for a short time , and purify other places by placing his holy feet in Melnadu and retrieve Thirunarayanan who was worshipped by Lord SriRamar and Sri Krishna during Tretha and Dwapara yugas .
Peria Perumal thus created a difficult situation by which Swamy Ramanujar had to leave Srirangam after taking Peria Perumal’s consent and thus proceeded towards north accompanied by Sri Mudaliandan Swamy.
After many days of travel and undergoing various hardships following the course of Kaveri, Swamy Ramanuja finally arrived in Karnataka where the local tribals served them. An interesting divine pastime is appended in the below post where Swamy Ramanuja meets Kongi Piratee his disciple
This place is near Srirangapatinam. The local people who were averse to Swamy Ramanujar conspired a plan to do away with him. Swamy Ramanujar learning their evil intentions ordered Mudaliandan Swamy to place his feet in the drinking water pond in that area now called saligrama near Thondanur , which he politely obeyed.
At salagrama ,by partaking this Sripada theertham, the minds of the evildoers changed and they fell at Swamy Ramanujar lotus feet seeking forgiveness. Such was the greatness of our Mudaliandan Swamy .
Ramanujar named this place as “Saligramam” which is near Melkote. Even today this pond is maintained by the archakar who ensures that no intruder pollutes the pond by locking the gate. There is a small temple opposite to this pond in which Swamy Ramanujar’s Thiruvadi chuvadugal are worshipped.
There is also a deity of Swamy Ramanujar in Sesharoopam near the garbagriham. At that time, Jainism was prominent in Mel nadu which was ruled by King Bittideva who was a staunch follower of Jainism.
The king’s daughter was possessed by an evil spirit and no one could cure her. Vaduga Nambi, a disciple of Swamy Ramanujar suggested to the queen that his spiritual master was capable of restoring the princess to normalcy.
The Jain king invited Ramanujar to his palace to cure the princess but Swamy was initially reluctant to enter a palace.
Vaduga nambi persuaded Swamy Ramanujar to resent to the king’s plea which could help in establishing faith in Srivaishanvism. .
Swamy Ramanujar consented and sanctified the place , and drove away the evil spirit by placing a dhastamam (stick) on her head uttering a mantra and splashed some water and immediately the princess became normal.(This divine stick is at Yoga Narasimhar sannidhi in Thondanur . The archakar places the dhastamam on the visitors head and sprinkles water on the face..)
King Bittideva, true to his word, became Swamy Ramanujar’s disciple and embraced Srivaishnavism and was named “Vishnu vardhana” and thus the entire kingdom became RAmanujar’s followers. It is told that about 1000 Jain pandits who could not bear this challenged Ramanujar for an argument .
To defeat them, Ramanujar advised a curtain to be drawn in between and taking his original form of Adisesha with 1000 hoods, he answered and defeated all the 1000 Jains at a time.
This incident happened at Narasimhar sannidhi in Bhakta nagari (presently known as Thondanur). Sri Mudaliandan Swamy rendered “Dhaati Panchakam”in praise of Ramanujar at this place.
This place is on the way to Melkote(about 16 kms) from Srirangapatinam . It is important to remember that our AchArya personages did not give room to wasting emotions when their protocol and place of worship suffered disturbance and, instead, concentrated on alternative positive programmes.
Thus, during his ‘exile’ to Tirunarayanapuram, Ramanuja got the ‘pancha nArAyaNa pratishThA’ executed by swamy mudali-ANDAn, with the support of the hoySaLa ruler vishNu-vardhana.
The wonderful opportunity given by Swamy Ramanuja to Mudaliandaan is remembered even today . “Dhati Panchakam” speaks of the victory of Swamy Ramanuja over other philosophies – both those that accept Vedas and those that don’t – and his establishing the Visishtadvaita philosohpy that was built by Azhvars and Purvacharyas.
As the name suggests, it comprises of five slokas The word “DHATI” means “attacking” – as this work shows the attack that Ramanuja carried over the other philosophies that were widespread at that time, it is an appropriate name for it.
Swamy out of his love composed a wonderful composition on Swamy Ramanuja called “DHATEE PANCHAKAM” which starts with the introductory sloka ..
The Varthamana swamy descendant of Swamy MudaliAndaan was kind to recite this sloka at our residence during his recent visit , a clip presented below
Swamy Ramanujar instructed Mudaliandan Swamy to establish Pancha Narayana kshetrams(5 temples dedicated to Narayana)with the help of King Vishnuvardhana who provided everything required.
All these five temples were consecrated at almost the same time. These pancha Narayana kshetrams are
:- PANCHANARAYANA KSHETRAM
Sri Keerthi Naryan Kshetra Talakad
Sri Nambi Narayana , Thondanur
Sri Thirunarayana ,Melkote
Sri Kesava Narayana Temple , Belur
Sri Sowmya Narayana , Nagamangala
Sri Veera Narayana Temple ,Gadag,
Srirangam and Salagrama
The below picture is of Swamy MudaliAndaan both Moolavar and Utsavar being worshipped at Belur…
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(Pl. Note: Some consider Melkote to be one of the Pancha Narayana kshetrams whereas some archakars with whom we interacted opined that as this temple was renovated by Swamy Ramanujar and not Mudaliandan and hence is not Pancha Naryana kshetram.
Gundulpet which is about 2 hours drive from Talakad is considered as Pancha Narayana kshetram.)
The places purified by Sri Mudaliandan Swamy’s thiruvadigal during his stay in Mel nadu are
Srirangapatinam(entry into Mel nadu),
Nagamangala(Vijaya sthambam erected here),
Saligramam(Sripada theertham-water pond sanctified by Mudaliandan Swamy),
Dodda mallur ,
Melkote and
Pancha Narayana temples.
Having assigned Swami Mudaliandan with the job of constructing temples, Swamy Ramanujar focused on the spread of Sri Vaishnavism.
During his stay, Perumal appeared in his dream and informed him 1) about the availability of Thiruman kaapu on the banks of Kalyani Pushkarini,
2) the place where HE lay hidden by sand dunes .
Swamy Ramanujar with the help of the king retrieved the Moolavar idol of Thirunarayanan and constructed a temple for him and arranged for all utsavams to be performed.
3) When Swamy Ramanujar wanted to have an utsavar deity , Perumal appeared in his dream and informed that HE was with Delhi Sultan.
At a ripe age of 90 plus , Swamy Ramanujar undertook this journey and brought back the Utsavar Chella pillai-the utsava murthy literally walked towards Swamy Ramunujar and sat on his lap along with the Delhi princess (Thuluka naachiyar)
Swamy Ramanujar stayed for 12 years in Melkote and laid down the system of worship and assigned jobs to specific persons which is being followed even today.
This yatra was done few years ago and the latest details have not been updated .
The Pancha Narayana kshetrams in Karnataka along with important places visited by Swami Mudaliandan can be covered in 4-5 days. Necessary arrangements for our trip like engaging a car for two days, accommodation and food arrangements at Melkote, prashad arrangement at ISKCON ,Mysore were already made.
The cab driver Ramu can be contacted on 09964387174 is aware of all these places.
Reaching Sri Keerthi Naryan Kshetra Talakad
From Mysore station, we drove to Talakad which is about 62 kms from Mysore(as per our car reading) and takes about 2 hours. The driver went to the archakar’s house and requested for the temple to be opened for which he consented. We then went to River Cauvery for a holy dip in the holy waters which is about 2 kms from the temple and then returned to the temple. On the way, we saw sign boards leading to Pancha Linga temples. Talakad is famous as one of the Pancha Narayana kshetrams and also as Pancha Linga kshetrams.
The archakar, Sri.Lakshmipathy can be contacted on
08227-273415
The kind bhattar opened the doors of the make shift temple. WE were amazed looking at the divya mangala Thirumeni of Perumal Keerthi Narayanan. The moolavar in Nindra Thirukolam clad in green dress is about 10 feet height with ubhaya nachiyars on either side whose height is about 3 feet.
The vigraham is carved in Hoysala style which is a wonder. Performed archanai and offered fruits to the Lord. The archakar informed that as the original temple built by Mudaliandan Swamy collapsed, the deities were kept in this place. This place is declared as a heritage site by Archaeological Department.
The ruins of the temple have been collected and numbered accordingly for which ASI needs appreciation. Hopefully, the temple would be renovated soon.In this place, the moolavar vigraham of Sri KeerthiNarayana Perumal with ubhaya nachiyars is in the centre, the moolavar vigraham of Sri Sundaravalli Thayar is kept on the left side and on the right side, we can have darshan of Swamy Ramanujar, Mudaliandan and Desikar.
Brahmotsavam is performed for 7 days during Chithirai culminating on Utharam (Perumal’s star). Thiru aadi pooram which is Thayar’s thirunakshitiram and acharyar’s thirunakshitrams are performed here.
The utsava vigrahams which are replica of the Moolavar are housed in a nearby temple. Perumal seen with chathur bhujam(4 hastams) holding Padmam and Gadam on the upper right and left Thirukaigal (hastams) respectively. The lower 2 hastams hold sankhu and Chakram on the left and right side respectively.
Sri Lakshmipathi archakar informed that Melkote is not a Pancha Narayana kshetram and Gundulpet which is about 2 hours drive from this place is considered as Pancha Narayana kshetram. He advised us drive to Gundulpet via Narsipur, Nanjangud. As it was already half past 1, we skipped visting gundulpet as it was not advised by our acharyar and we had to rush back to ISKCON ,Mysore where Sri.Jagjeevandasa, in-charge of ISKCON Mysore (09972096996) had arranged prashad for us. .
Proceeding to Sri Nambi Narayana Temple , Thondanur
We proceeded to Thondanur and reached Nambi Narayanan temple at 5.15 P.M.
This Pancha Narayana kshetram located amidst greenery was closed and the archakar who stays nearby refused to open the temple doors. We were dejected as it would not be possible to stay for a day and have darshan of Perumal. The watchman took pity on us and opened the temple door and took us inside which was pitch dark. We had to satisfy ourselves by standing in front of the locked garbagriham of Nambi Narayana Perumal. However, the watchman pointed a sculpture and said that it was the replica of the Lord inside.
Offered humble obeisances to Swamy Ramanujar and thanking the watchman came out of the temple. When we were about to get into the car, we met a Srivaishnava who is the archakar in the nearby Yoga Narasimhar sannidhi was driving towards Lord Narasimhar temple and instructed us to follow him.
A small board displaying Swamy Ramanujar’s temple and Yoga Narasimhar temple welcomed us. The temple is situated on a small hillock near Nambi Naryanan temple is a revered place. The archakar showed us the divya mangala thirumeni of Sri Yoga Narasimhar and placed the dhastamam used by Swami Ramanujar for driving off evil spirits on our heads. Then he splashed some holy water on us and gave us theertha prasadam and was narrating Swamy Ramanujar’s pastimes.
We were then taken to another sannidhi in the temple precincts towards right of Narasimhar sannidhi where Swamy Ramanujar is seen is Sesharoopam.
It was here Swamy Ramanujar defeated 1000 Jain pandits by assuming his original form of Adisesha with 1000 hoods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0le8xsh2Dg
The archakar showed us the Thirumeni of Udayavar which is made of swadhai (made from herbs- similar to Thirukurungudi, Thiruthankaal Perumals) pointing to the eyes which were similar to that of a snake, abdomen and the hoods. Another interesting feature is here Swamy Ramanujar seated in Padmasana shows Jnana mudhra and does not have Tridandam. This thirumeni of Sri Ramanujar is unique which must be seen by everyone.
The archakar informed that Swamy Ramanujar is in Sookshma roopam here.
Devotees whose wishes are fulfilled by praying here , offer white veshti to Lord Narasimhar and kaashayam vastram (orange robe) to Swamy Ramanujar. The archakar who preferred to remain anonymous informed that Perumal can be seen in 3 forms:-Nambi Narayanan,Yoga Narasimhar, Parthasarathy, Venugopalan out of which we were not fortunate to have Nambi Narayanan’s darshan. We visited Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple. The moolavar is Sri Parthasarathy in sitting posture with chathur bhujam holding sankhu, chakram in his upper arms, right lower hastam in abhaya hastam and left hastam placed on HIS lap. Sri, Bhudevi nachiyars are also in veetruirundha thirukolam.
Utsavar Krishnar is in dancing style. The uniqueness about this idol is Perumal’s right foot is in front and left foot behind. The archakar informed that this temple was about 5500 years old built by Yudhisitra. The vigrahams of Chakaratazhwar, Nammazhwar and Ramanujar are placed outside the garbagriham. Thanking the archakar profusely, we left the temple at about 7 P.M. and drove to Melkote.
MELKOTE
THE PLACE WHERE SWAMY RAMANUJAR STAYED FOR ABOUT 12 YEARS
After about an hour’s drive, we reached Melkote- the place close to Swamy Ramanujar’s heart. Archakar Sri Narsiraj Bhattar, whom we contacted earlier on 094487 54696 had arranged for our stay in Belur chathiram which is on the way to the temple. We dumped our baggages in the room and rushed to the temple which was about to close.
As Bhogam was being offered to Lord Thirunarayanan, the curtains were drawn and we were asked to wait for some time for participating in Sahasranama archana, the last seva of the day.Meantime, we went to obtain the grace of Kalyani Thayar and Swamy Ramanujar. The archakars in Thayar sannidhi who are related to Narsiraj Bhattar stated that Melkote is not Pancha Narayana kshetram and endorsed Talakad archakar’s views. They informed that from Talakad one can reach Melkote via Maddur and Srirangapatinam and need not pass thru Mysore.
Just as we reached Perumal sannidhi, the curtains were drawn out and mangala aarthi was being shown to Perumal. Had a wonderful darshanam of Moolavar amidst chanting of Prabhandam pasurams.
We then followed the archakar to utsavar sannidhi which is on the left side in the same precincts and had a wonderful darshan of Sampathkumaran /Chellapillai with ubhaya nachiyars. We were informed that only in this temple, there is a separate sannidhi for utsavar. We participated in Sahasranama archanai and relished Perumal’s soundhariyam.. We were recapitulating how this Perumal showered grace on our Udayavar who is our saviour.
After archanai and shodasa upachaarams, Perumal was singing lullaby for taking rest.. A priest came and gave about 6 dosas as prasadam in our hastams. The priest in Thayar sannidhi with whom we intereacted introduced himself as Sri Narsiraj Bhattar’s brother and took us to their Thirumaligai for honouring prasadam. The Lord was gracing us with huge quantities of prasadam that we didn’t have appetitive for another meal. At the same time, we could not refuse the archakar’s hospitality. Learning about our next day’s program to visit Nagamangala, Saligramam and Belur, they advised us to to have darshan at Belur first as it was very far off and then go to Saligrama via Valiya Narsipur, K.R.Nagar and proceed to Srirangapatinam via K.R.Pettai, Bogadhi, Nagamangala.
They called up Sri Krishnaraj Bhattar, their brother who is the chief priest in Belur and informed about our visit. The bhattar was glad to host us on the following day as it was Amavasya. . After taking their blessings and thanking them profusely for their guidance , we retired for the night. We were fortunate to visit our Thirumaligai ( MUDALIANDAAN) which is adjacent to the bhattar’s house .
KALYANAI PUSHKARINI DARSHANAM
We drove to Kalyani Pushkarini which is nearby. Sprinkled some water and after purchasing Thiruman kaapu etc., we started off on our journey to Nagamangala and reached at about 9.15 A.M. The temple doors were closed. By this time , we got accustomed to this closures. We tried to enquire from some passerby regarding the temple but unfortunately we just came across a single person with whom we could not communicate properly. We waited for about 15 minutes and decided to leave. Meantime, we peeped into the Hanuman shrine nearby which was deserted. Adiyongal tried to contact Sri Narayana Bhattar, the temple priest on his mobile no. 094487 50603 but there was no response.
Circumbulated the Vijaya sthambam erected in front of the temple by Swamy Ramanujar and left the place. After about an hour’s drive, to our utter dismay, we realized that the diary in which we were jotting out details and which contained imp. information was missing. WE were guessing that we would have left it at the temple entrance where we had kept our belongings and again contacted bhattar.
Luckily he responded informing that as he was in Bangalore and asked his son to take care of the temple in his absence. Knowing our plight, he helped us by giving their landline number and asked us to contact his family who would go to the temple and check whether the diary was available or not.
By Perumal’s grace, we got the reply in affirmative and informed the bhattar about the same. The bhattar opined that this leela was enacted by Perumal to ensure that we visit him again and take HIS blessings as the Perumal is Sowmya Kesavan (Kesavan who is Klesha naasaaya) and suggested us to go back to Nagamangala. The driver said that it would be impossible to travel so far as we had to board the night train to Bangalore. Hence we decided to visit this place from Bangalore.
REACHING BELUR TO HAVE
DARSHINAM OF LORD KESAVA NARAYANA TEMPLE
We reached Belur at about 11.30 A.M. The magnificent Belur Chenna Kesava temple also known as Vijaya Narayanan temple is one of the Pancha Narayana kshetrams and attracts many tourists and is a heritage site. WE proceeded to Chenna Kesava Perumal sannidhi and met Sri.Krishnaraj Bhattar and gave his brother’s reference. We were asked to come closer to Perumal’s sannidhi and had a good darshanam. The Lord ,true to HIS name, is very beautiful and enchanting.
The Lord is seen sporting a nose ring and anklets as HE had taken the form of Mohini. Since the Lord gives darshan as Mohini, the Thayar is Padithaanda pathini-she doesn’t compete with Perumal by coming outside due to HER surpassing beauty. We were wonderstruck at the beautiful sculptures. The big hall outside the garbagriham was crowded with tourists who were assisted by the local guides in explaining about the sculptures. Marvellous indeed. We then visited a nearby shrine which houses replica of Chenna Kesava Perumal.
This sannidhi was not crowded . the archakar informed that this replica of Perumal was engraved and shown to Mudaliandan Swamy and King Vishnuvardhana who gave their consent to go ahead with the original vigraham. This sannidhi and the expenses related to it were borne by Queen Shantala Devi, wife of King Vishnuvardhana. Pointing to a cenre place in front of the garbagriham, the priest said that the queen would dance in front of this Perumal. He took us to other shrines in the temple. When we expressed our desire to have darsanam of Swamy Ramanujar, he informed that it would not be possible as the temple authorities open the sannidhis only twice daily for offering food.
The rest of the day, the shrines remain closed. We were saddened to know this and decided to atleast stand in front of the sannidhis and pray for our upliftment. When two archakars came with the keys to open the sannidhi, our joy knew no bounds. It was like a thirsty man getting water to drink. We thanked Swamy Ramanujar for casting his glance on us. They offered the fruits and gave karpoora aarthi. We first had darshan of Swamy Ramanujar and then of Sri Mudaliandan whose sannidhi is on the left. Even the aged archakar who accompanied us was shocked. Thanked the Lord profusely. Now our return journey was to reach Mysore via Saligramam.
THE HOLY WATER THAT PURIFIED A KINGDOM
We reached Saligram at about 5 P.M. On reaching Saligramam, while we were enquiring route to temple, the local residents informed that the temple would be closed and directed us to archakar’s house. The archakar along with his little son accompanied us to the temple which is about 2 kms from his residence.
The small temple situated in serene surroundings has Swamy Ramanujar’s Thiruvadigal. Pooja and all upacharaams are done to the Thiruvadigal. The archakar removed the copper covering and we could have NIja Paada darsanam of Swamy Ramanujar.
Below RAmanujar’s Thiruvadigal, the figures of Mudaliandan Swamy, Embar and Vaduga Nambi are engraved. Near the entrance on the left side, we were captivated by a beautiful figure of Swamy Ramanujar as Sesharoopam (similar to the one in Thondanur). After circumbulating the temple, the priest took us to “Sripada Theertham”- a small pond sanctified by Sri Mudaliandan’s Thiruvadigal. The archakar ensures that this place is not polluted by locking the gate. The archakar collected some water and sprinkled the holy water on us . We felt blessed to be purified by the most sacred water. We were constantly remembering asmath acharyan glorifying the importance of Sripada Theertham. Only in our Thirumaligai, Sripada theertham is given to everyone..
The photos and videos can be viewed here:
It took about an hour for us to reach Srirangapatinam . As there was heavy rush in the evening, we paid our obeisances from outside and boarded Bangalore express from Srirangapatinam.
Worshipping Lord Sowmya Kesava at Nagamangala temple finally
After reaching Bangalore , we visited Dodda mallur, the place visited by Sri Mudaliandan Swamy. Had darsanam of the Lord Navaneetha Krishnan in “Vennai kaapu” and visited shrines of our acharyars. Proceeded to Nagamangala which took about 3 hours . Luckily the temple was open and we had darsanam of Sri Sowmya Kesava Perumal along with our ubhaya nachiyars and utsava murthis ,Narasimhar and Venugopalan. The priest pointed a sculpture on the ceiling explaining that a nagam has coiled itself in such a way that the head (considered to be Rahu) and tail(considered to be Keshu) meet. Hence this kshetram is famous as Raghu-Kethu kshetram and all malefic effects caused by these two planets get cured by visiting this place. The priest has returned our diary saying that the watchman had kept it safely. The Vijaya sthambam was inaugurated by Swami Ramanujar and later this temple was built.
On the way to Gadag , Hubli to have darshan of Lord Veera Narayana:
We reached Hubli from Bangalore and took a connecting train to Gadag which is about 60 kms from Hubli and reached the temple at 10A.M. Gadag known as Kruthapuram is one of the pancha Narayana kshetram. The presiding Perumal is Sri Veera Narayanan is adorned in yellow pithambaram holding chakram on the upper hastam and sankhu on the lower side. The lower right hastam is in abhaya mudra and the Lord holds blossomed Padmam in lower left hastam (like Guruvayurappan). A gadam is placed on the right side.
Ubhaya nachiyars-Sridevi and Bhudevi grace us on either sides. The utsava murthi is Krishnar . As the moolavar is Saligrama thirumeni, every day thirumanjanam is performed to Perumal. The dasa avataaras of Perumal are beautifully engraved on the arch covering Perumal.
He said that Perumal here is “Darshana Murthi”-we had Thiruvadi darsanam referring to Lord Srinivasar in Tirumala as Kanchana Murthi, Lord Panduranga as Bhajana murthi and Lord Jagannath in Puri as “Bhoga murthi”. As Kruthu muni did penance here, this place is known after him as Kruthapuram” . While circumbulating the sannidhi, we visited Narasimhar sannidhi which is behind Sri Veera Narayanan’s sannidhi.
Jai Jai Narasimha
Opposite to Narasimhar sannidhi, we can find a small brindavan (tulasi pot) with Raghavendra Swamy. We were told that saint Raghavendra Swamy visited this place and after he attained Samadhi, as per his instructions, little mud from his Brindavan at Mantralayam was brought and kept in this place.
During Sravan month (Aavani), 3days pooja is performed here. Navaratiri utsavam for 10 days and Gokulasthami are celebrated grandly. They celebrate Sri Krishna Janmashtami when Rohini is ascendant and decorate the Lord with floral garlands..
Sri Krishnachari gudi who is incharge of temple affairs can be contacted on 099019 15561 and the priest Sri Rameshachargudi on 099457 18229.
The temple timings are 5A.M.-12 and 5P.M. -8.30 P.M.
Thus by acharyar’s anugraham , adiyongal could visit all the sacred places. With a prayer to enhance our bhakti and enlighten us more about our Poorvacharyars and Ramanuja darsanam , adiyen humbly offers this write up at the feet of asmath acharyar and seeks forgiveness from the bhagavatas for this agnani’s mistakes and correct adiyen.
Adiyen offers humble obesiances to asmath present Acharya Swami MudaliAndaan swami for the mercy on this insignificant servant
NAMO NARAYANAYA SRIMAN NARAYANAYA CHARANAU SARANAM PRAPATHYE SRIMATHE NARAYANAYA NAMAH SRIMATHE RAMANUJAYA NAMAH SRI MUDALIAANDAN SWAMY THIRUVADIGALEY SARANAM SRI AMRITHAVALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI LAKSHMI NARASIMHA PARABRAHMANE NAMAH
Prostrating at LORD LAKSHMI NARASIMHARS LOTUS FEET , Adiyen feels honoured to share the divine experiences of our yaathirai to Ahobilam Divya desam. Every darshan is special .
Our first trip was 20 years back and later we had darshan every 2-3 years .
Ahobila Mutt authorities had taken the holy initiative to develop this kshetram on war footing and made it convenient for the piligrims to have darshanam of all the Nava Narasimhar temples over a period of time thus making it easier to approach compared to 20 years back.
We offer humble obeisances to his holiness Jeeyar and the Mutt followers as this holy initiative from HIS HOLINESS has really made pilgrims journey more simple .. Presently nine archakas ( priests ) have been appointed who perform Nityathiruvaaradhanai ( worship) to all the Nava Narasimhars .They travel by Cycles/ Mopeds /Walk to the temples and are very cooperative with the pilgrims explaining the importance of the temples .
Adiyens sincere acknowledgements to Ms.Ramesh , the author of “108 DIVYA DESAMS”and members of Sri Rangasri group ,who helped us to undertake this pilgrimage a decade back .
Adiyens recent visit five years ago was most memorable . Out of the 108 Sri Vaishnava divya desams, two are in Andhra Pradesh, Tirumala and Ahobilam. Both the divya desams are situated in the Nallamalai Hills in Chittoor districts respectively.
Ahobilam is about 68 KM from Nandyal Station . As per the Puranas, Nallamalai Hills is the personification of Adisesha, the great serpent bed of Perumal.
Srisailam, one of the famous ParamaShiva sthalams is the tail end, Ahobilam is the middle portion, Tirumala is the head and Srikalahasti, another Shiva kshetram is the mouth of Adisesha.
Thus, the sacred hills houses two Vishnu and two Shiva kshetrams.
Ahobilam, the great Narasimha kshetram is also known as
Ahobalam,
SingavelKundram,
Vedachalam,
Garudachalam,
Veera kshetram, and finally pancha kosa kshetram etc.for the following reasons.
AHOBALAM :- means “great strength”. Since Lord manifested Himself here for rescuing His devotee by killing the asura, Hiranyakasapu, the devas praised Him saying “AHO BALAM” (Oh! What a strength)
VEDACHALAM :-Perumal restored the Vedas to Brahma by killing Somuka, an asura.
GARUDACHALAM:-Perumal blessed Garuda who was doing penance here.
VEERA KSHETRAM :- Lord exercised one of His gunas “VEERYAM”
NAVA NARASIMHA KSHETRAM
There are nine temples dedicated to Lord Narasimhar at Ahobilam This Holy dhaam is called as PANCHA KROSA KSHETRAM
All the nine temples are situated within a radius of 5 krosas or 10 miles or 16 kilometres.
Ahobilam is situated 25 Km from Arlagadda a small town in Kurnool district and can also be approached via Cuddapah district. It is situated on hills amidst thick jungles. The local tribals are very kind .
Earlier , almost all the temples were scattered on the hills with no direct route , one was forced to walk back the way he came and then go to the next temple ,but now the scene is different .
Great care has to be taken while trekking especially when we trek the holy hills . Added to this, the place is inhabited by wild animals and monkeys. Due to monkey’s menace, even eatables have to be taken with utmost care. It is always advised to take help of local guide.
Thirumangai Azhwar’s mangalasaasanam comprising of 10 pasurams describes the divya desam beautifully.
Azhwar describes Perumal’s ugra swaroopam and the scenic beauty of this place. In the first 8 pasurams, Azhwar describes how difficult it is to reach this place which is inhabited by wild elephants, tigers, lions and the tribals .
Azhwar quotes that even tigers and lions offer their prey to Perumal before eating them. But in the 9th pasuram Azhwar says that these difficulties would be faced only by the enemies and demons and the bhaktas need not have any fear because here Perumal residing along with goddesss (Thayar) would always protect the devotees. This pasuram boosts our confidence level and take refuge in Him.
Every nucleus in Ahobilam reverberates with Lord Narasimha’s holy name.
As per sthalapurana , Jaya and Vijaya, the dwarapaalakas gate keepers of Sri Vaikuntam were puffed up with ego due to their proximity to Perumal. They were cursed by Sanathakumara brothers (who were the Manasaputras of Brahma ) to get separated from Lord (Perumal).
The repentant dwarapaalakas were given the option of either living a pious life for 100 births or become demons for 3 janmas ,develop enmity towards the Lord and finally get liberated by Perumal. They opted for the latter and hence were born thrice.
In their first janma, they were born as Hiranyaaksha and Hiranyakasipu,they took their second birth as Ravana and Kumbakarna and in their third birth, they were born as Kamsa and Sisupaala.
LORD declares in Bhagavad Gita that He will appear to protect His devotees and destroy the enemies. So whenever the earth becomes overburdened with sinners,the Lord manifests Himself to protect His devotees. Narasimha Avataaram is one such avataaram where the Lord appeared to protect the great child-devotee, Prahalada by killing his father, Hiranyakasipu.
The Narasimha avataaram is the only avataaram where the Lord appeared as “half beast half man “ a rare combination. It is only in this avataaram that Lord depicts contrasting feelings of “sowlabhyam”and “krodham” i.e. love and hatred with the same organ, “eyes” at the same time. The Lord was full of compassion and love to the child devotee , Prahalada and at the same time was fierce and angry with Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu with his severe austerities had wittingly acquired a boon from Brahma that he should not get killed by any of Brahma’s creation, he shouldn’t die either during day or night, he shouldn’t die either on earth or in the sky, he shouldn’t be killed by using any weapon or astram. Puffed up with the confidence that he couldn’t be killed as fulfilling as the above conditions would be impossible, he had become notorious and tortured pious people. He developed hatred towards Lord Vishnu.
But his son, Prahalada was a born Vishnu Bhakta. All his advises to realise the soul and seek Narayanan’s Holy feet became invain. The wicked rakshasa started torturing his son by throwing him from top of hill, administering poison, throwing him in sea, fire etc. All the efforts of the rakshasa became futile as his son was protected by Lord. He realised the purpose of birth and had absolute faith on the Ultimate. Sri Mukkur Swamy gives a wonderful explanation to the incident when Prahalada was thrown from top of the hill.
He says that when Prahalada was thrown by the asuras from top of the hill, he held his hands close to his heart to ensure that Perumal who was residing in his heart as ANTARYAAMI” shouldn’t get hurt. Seeing this act of Prahalada,Bhoomidevi overwhelmed with pity protected the child by taking him in her alms on a bed of flowers. When Prahalada was thrown in the fire, Agni deva protected the child and it was his aunt,Holika , who got burnt. This incident is celebrated even today as “Holi “ festival in India.
The asura could not accept the concept of “OMNIPRESENCE OF THE LORD” propagated by Prahalada and as a challenge, he kicked a nearby pillar in his palace and asked the boy to show him the Lord. The asura was fully confident that as he himself had constructed the palace, he was sure that the Lord could not be present. Even before he could complete his sentence, an extraordinary being emerged out of the pillar.
The being had a body like a human and a face like that of a lion’s. He had sharp nails like the paws of a lion.
This was the most prominent avataaram of the Lord “NARA-SIMHA “ . The Lord with His wonderful form of half-beast and half-man (he was neither a man nor a beast but at the same time, he was the combination of the two) and 10 hands placed the asura on His lap (it was neither earth nor sky), he was holding the asura with two of his hands; pierced the asura’s intestine with his nails, (thus not using any astram or weapon), it was evening when the incident occurred , (thus fulfilling the condition that he should neither be killed in the morning nor night).
Thus the Lord killed the asura and lessened the burden of the earth . Even after the samhaaram, the Lord was furious . Thayar and the demigods were afraid to go near him and pacify. It was Prahalada who sang the praise of the Lord known as “PRAHALADA STHUTHI” and pleased the Lord.
This sthuthi comprising of 43 slokas contains the essence of Vedanta philosophy difficult to grasp even by mature minds. Prahalada was able to recite this slokam only due to the grace and touch of the Lord. This incident is mentioned in the seventh chapter of Srimad Bhagavatham.
The Lord took him on His lap and blessed him to rule the kingdom and finally reach His abode. He also granted the boon that no one belonging to his dynasty would be killed by Him. (This was the reason why Perumal didn’t kill Bali Chakravarthy, the demon-king who was Prahalada’s grandson when Perumal assumed Vamana avataaram , Dhenukaasuran and Banaasuran during his Krishnaavataaram. With His touch, the sins of Hiranyakasipu got wiped off .
The Lord conceded the request of the devas to stay back in earth and protect His devotees. He later married Chenchulakshmi, a partial manifestation of Thayar and continues to reside in this holy place even today.
To this day, this tribe enjoys special privileges and they get offerings for Perumal’s Thirukalyaanam which is celebrated in a grand way. It was only after obtaining the grace of Narasimhar, Sri Ramar got the information that Ravana had kidnapped Sita Devi. It was after having darshan of Narasimhar,Lord Srinivasar met Padmavathi Thayar and married Her.
The presence of the Lord can be experienced even today. To quote few instances, itmay be mentioned that Perumal appeared as a sanyasi to Srinivasachariyar around 500 years ago to the first Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt and initiated him into Sanyasam and prompted him to propogate Srivaishnavism.
The Lord gave the Jeeyar the utsava vigraham of Malola Narasimhar and the deity is in the custody of the Ahobila Mutt Jeeyars for Nityathiruvaaradhanai. The Lord also protected the 33rdJeeyar of Ahobila Mutt from wayside dacoits. The Lord saved Annamacharyar , the great saint who attained the Lotus feet of the Lord by singing His praises, from the harassment of the local king and he got initiated into Srivaishnavism by the then Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar.
The Lord blessed King Pratapa rudra by enlightening him about true knowledge. This king contributed to a great extent for the welfare of this place.The present Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar has contributed to a great extent by spending few lakhs of rupees for the renovation of old temples and constructed new temples. The way to these temples has become accessible. As mentioned earlier, there are 9 shrines dedicated to nine forms of Narasimhar.
Out of this Prahalada varada Narasimhar is in Lower Ahobilam, Ugra Narasimhar,who is a swayambhu and is treated as the divya desa Perumal is seen in Upper Ahobilam. The other shrines are scattered all over the hills.
Apart from the navaNarasimha shrines, “Prahalada padi” where Prahalada studied and “Ugra Sthambam”from where Perumal emerged are usually visited by pilgrims. There are number of Theerthas in this shrine. A few like konneru near Bhargava Narasimhar , Ramatheertha near Lower Ahobilam and Raktha Kundam near Jwala Narasimhar ,Bhavanaasini near Ugra Narasimhar which flows through both the mountains are a few to name.
Adiyen wishes to briefly give the details of the nava narasimhars.
1) PRAHALADA VARADA NARASIMHA SWAMY:
Situated at the foot of the hills known as Lower Ahobilam, this temple can be visited by one and all. Usually all homams and yagams are performed here. Here Perumal is seen along with Thayar blessing Prahalada. Hence, Perumal is known as “Prahalada Varadar”.The utsava vigrahams of all the Narasimhars except Malola Narasimhar are offered nitya thiruvaadhanai here. To the left of Perumal, utsava vigraham of Pavana Narasimhar can be seen majestically .
In front of the Lord, the utsavaiodls of Prahalada varada Narasimhar along with Sridevi and Bhoodevi grace us . The processional deity of Jwala Narasimhar along with His consorts is also seen inthe garbagriham . The vigraham is superbly carved and on request , thearchakar removes the alankaranam and performs Aaarathi to the idol. This idol has 10 arms and Hiranya vadham (killing) is beautifully depicted. There is also a small vigraham of the first Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar facing south. The temple is a huge and many monkeys can be seen here. The walls of the temple depict the sthala puranam briefly. There is a Thayar Sannidhi to the right of the temple.
2) BHARGAVA NARASIMHA SWAMi:
This temple is situated two kilometres from Lower Ahobilam on a small hillock and can be approached by foot. As Bhargava(Parasurama) did penance here, the Lord is thus known. It is easily approachable.
3) YOGANANDA NARASIMHA SWAMI: Situated at a distance of 3 kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, this can be approached by foot. It was here that Prahalada mastered the art of yoga from Perumal Himself. The divya mangala swaroopam of the Lord is eye captivating. Perumal is seen alone in Yogaasanam. 4) CHATRAVATA NARASIMHA SWAMI:- This temple is situated at a distance of nearly 3 kms from Ahobilam on a different route also reachable on foot . As Perumal is seated alone under a peepul tree which protects Perumal like an umbrella, He is known as Chatravata Narasimhar. This Perumal is fond of music played by Gandharvas. It looks as if the Lord is deeply engrossed in music by clasping His hands. We were told that He is fond of Adi Thalam. Reptiles keep moving in this place but they don’t harm the devotees. One has to take care of these. 5) UGRA NARASIMHAR SANNIDHI:- This temple is in Upper Ahobilam. There is a narrow bus route and it takes about 40 minutes to reach this place from Lower Ahobilam. This is considered as the divya desa temple. Usually, pilgrims have bath in Bhavanaasini or Paavanaasini (a spring which flows from the top of the hill) and then have Perumal’s darsanam. A dip in Paavanaasini absolves all the sins committed. Though there are no proper bathing ghats, still we can see hundreds of devotees having holy dip unmindful of their surroundings.
The sannidhi is located inside a cave . Perumal along with Thayar is seen in Veetruirundha Thirukkolam . Opposite to Perumal, there is an idol of Prahalada. There is a dark room on the other side of the cave which is believed to be the place where Chenchulakshmi resides . Recently, under the supervision of Jeer, a bridge across Paavanasini river has been constructed which facilitates the pilgrims to go to Varahanarasimhar temple (Krodha Narasimhar) KRODHA NARASIMHAR: One kilometer further from Upper Ahobilam leads to the shrine of Krodha Narasimhar. He is also known as Varaha Narasimhar as His Thirumukam resembles a varaham (a boar). Any japam done here elevates one spirtually. Especially, Narayana Sadakshara Japam from Varaha Kanda bestows manifold benefits as told by Archakar Swamin. He is the Maha varahan , who lifted the Earth from the nether-world with His tusk and emerged as a great blue mountain . He is the One , who gave us the Maha Varaha Prapatthi slokam asuring that He will come to the rescue of his devotees
KARANJA NARASIMHAR SHRINE :
This temple is situated between Upper Ahobilam and Lower Ahobilam.. As the divya mangala moorthi is installed under Karanja vruksham, the deity has been named so. Perumal is seen in VeetruirundhaKolam and is holding Sarngam (bow), dhanus (arrow) and chakram . As usual,Adisesha acts as “Kudai”(refer Irundhal Kudaiyam…) and isprotecting. The theertham here is known as Bhairava kundam. Hanumar who visited this place was astaunch Rama bhakta . Lord Narasimhar appeared to Hanumar, who was a staunchRamabhakta, with bow and arrow thus showing that He is Rama Himself. This Lord is in Padmasaanam pose. One can have darshan of Hanumar also. We are reminded of Sholangur .
6) MALOLA NARASIMHAR:
This holy shrine is situated two kilometres away from Upper Ahobilam. Perumal came in search of Mahalakshmi Thayar who was doing penance here and placed Her on His lap. Hence, Perumal seen along with Thayarhas a somya (graceful) form. Due to Thayar’s presence, Perumal graces even the worst sinner . Azhwar refers to this Perumal in pasuram no. 1016 (Peria Thirumozhi) when he says that bhaktas are always protected by Perumal andonly the wicked have to fear . This Lord gives abhayam to His devotees and Thayar bestows Asthaaiswaryam and grants the wishes of the devotees. There is a vigraham of Thirumangai Azhwar in the sanctum . Outside the temple, there is a small pillar with murthis. Those who are not able to go to Ugra sthambamcan prostrate this pillar.
7) JWALA NARASIMHAR:-
This temple is located at a higher altitude called AchalAchaya Meru that is four kilometers from Ugra Narasimha Swamy and may bear around 2800 feet. And can be approached from Malola Narasimhar shrine. It takes about 2 hours to reach this temple from Upper Ahobilam. The path is slippery and as mentioned care has to be taken. It was here that Lord killed Hiranyakasipu by tearing his stomach with his spear like nails. The deity with 10 hands which is approximately 3 feet high and is scaring to look at.
This is the spot, where Lord NarasimhA’s anger grew to the highest level during and after the tearing apart of HiraNyan . There are three mUrthams at this sannidhi . At the center is the JwAlA Narasimhan with Garudan at His feet . He is holding HiraNyan’s head and ankles with one set of hands ; with the third and fourth hands , He is tearing apart the stomach of HiraNyan ; with the fifth and the sixth hands , He is holding Chakram and Sankham ; with the seventh and the eighth hands , he is pulling the two strands of HiraNyan”s intestines up and wearing them as a garland around His neck .The Uthsava mUrthy of JwAlA Narasimhan is at the Lower AhObilam temple with 10 hands.
Beside this shrine, there is a small pond known as “Raktha Kundam” where the Lord is believed to have washed His blood-stained hands . The water is reddish in colour and this was the explanation given by the guide to us. Recently, a temple has been constructed for this Lord and a archakar is appointed to perform Nitya Thiruvaaradhanai.
8) PAVANA NARASIMHAR: This temple is situated six kilometres away from Upper Ahobilam towards north east on the banks of River Pavana. It is difficult to approach this temple as wild animals keep roaming earlier If one wishes to visit this temple, he must do so during daytime with the help of a guide.
The path is too narrow, the trek amidst cluster of rocks is strenuous . It takes about 45 minutes for trekking.One can view Malola Narasimhar shrine and few water falls on the way on the other side of the mountain. Forest fire is very common in this place and this helps in one way to ward off wild animals. It is believed that devas offer worship to this Lord.
The Lord is seen along with Thayar . The local tribals usually observe fast on Saturdays and offer flowers, honey, fruits, rice, jaggery etc. to the Lord.The general notion that “bali” (sacrifice) is done here was rebuked by the priest. He said that the sacrifice would be done elsewhere in the jungles . He also added that wild animals do not roam near the temple and only during severe summer,they come to the river bank to quench their thirst.
They usually do not hurt anyone.Besides the above shrines, other places of interest are Prahalada Padi or PrahaladaMettu (Mettu in Telugu and Padi in Tamil means “step”) and Ukku sthambam.
PRAHALADA PADI is the place where Prahalada had his vidyabhyaasam from Sukracharya’s sons. The way to Prahalada padi though tough is breathtakingly beautiful with river flowing on one side and with various water falls amidst a huge valley. This reminds me of the route to Badrinath.
The temple is in a small cave and one has to crawl to enter inside the cave. Only 4 persons can be accomodated insideat a time. Mountain lizards and bats move freely here.It was here that the child started propogating Lord’s qualities.
Prahalada used to resort to this place for meditating upon the Lord. There is a vigraham of Narasimhar in centre . to its right, there is an idol of Chakaratazhwar and to the left , there is a vigraham of Lord Vishnu.
UKKU STHAMBAM
More brief details can be had from this link http://wp.me/pbiwb-2x which is situated at a distance of 8 kms from Upper Ahobilam isthe pillar from which the Lord emerged . The pillar which is situated at the edge of the cliff is split into two as a proof that Lord appeared from this pillar. Ahobilam usually give their offerings here.
It is very difficult to reach this place which is at a highest altitude .Doing pradakshinam around this pillar is even more difficult as it isin the cliff. Near the ukku sthambham (iron pillar) as the Telugus call, there is Perumal’s Thiruvadi. The climb is very difficult . Only with His grace can one visit this place.
One has to have a sharp vision and a flexible body to bend, crawl etc.This can be approached from Prahalada padi on the way to Jwala Narasimhar shrine.While describing this pillar, Sri Mukkur Swamy says that the entire world is still pregnant with Narasimhar inside except this because Perumal has come out of it.The symbols of Vishnu, namely, Sankhu, Chakram, Naamam are carved on the face of the hill.
One can have a bird’s eye view of the entire Ahobilam from this place. Theatmosphere is calm and serene . Various waterfalls all around looking like thin streams makes us wonder and appreciate the nature and Lord’s creation. It’s a best place to meditate.
SRI YATHIRAJA VALLI NAYIKA SAMETHA SRI ADIKESAVAYA NAMAH
SRI SEETHA RAMAR THIRUVADIGALEY SARANAM
SRIMAN NARAYANAYA CHARANAU SARANAM PRAPATHEY!!
SRIMATHEY NARAYANAYA NAMAH!!
SRI RAMBHAKTH ANJANEYAR DIVYA THIRUVADIGALEY SARANAM
SRIMATHEY RAMANUJAYA NAMAH!!
SRI MUDALIAANDAN SWAMI DIVYA THIRUVADIGALEY SARANAM
ACHARYAR DIVYA THIRUVADIGALEY SHARANAM
Prostrating at the holy feet of acharyars, azhwars and Divya Dampadhigal, Adiyen makes an attempt in penning down my recent “SRI RAMA ANU YAATIRAI” experiences to share the same with the SriRama devotees and bhagavatas and earnestly requesting to forgive my shortcomings and enlighten me with more facts and information.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:-
Adiyen offers sincere obeisance’s and prostrate at the feet of Sri Velukudi Swamin and all the devotees who were sniors who had inspired in taking this pilgrimage to the holy places where Lord spent HIS pastimes . It is well known that Swami had conducted the first Sri Rama Anu Yaatirai in mid-September 2006, mostly traveling by bus, in which around 350 bhagavatas had participated and their travelogues and experiences boosted my spirits. Adiyen did not have the bhaagyam to participate in Swami’s yaatirai as I visited Salagramam(Muktinath) during that time. (I wish and pray that I get an opportunity to participate in Swami’s yaatirai along with my family in the near future because getting associated with such an exalted bhagavata like Sri Velukudi Swami is considered as the greatest punyam by me. With my Acharyans kripa, Adiyen made attempts in gathering information about the holy places scattered all around Northern India . the Internet was of a very good use in the form of Antaryami .Browsing with minute search words of the places related to Srimad Ramyana many great devotees of Lord Rama have already made their contributions in making fallen soul like me to get information . Though Adiyen could get a fair idea about the location of these holy places by going thru their travelogues , but was apprehensive whether I would be able to visit the places . As the bhagavatas had gone in a conducted tour, their knowledge about how to reach the place was limited and was not sure whether local people would be able to identify these places .
Adiyen surrendered to the feet of Sri Rama Bhaktha Hanuman and booked tickets 3 months in advance but was apprehensive about the holy places and the present names. On SriRama Navami Adiyen brought silver idol of SriSeeta Rama Lakshamana and hanuman vigraha after purificatory rites at temple and started worshipping Lord daily chanting Taraka mantra daily after performing Thirumanjanam to the deities along with NityaThiruvaraadhanai . The prayers were simple .LORD we wish to have darsanam at all the holy places with satsang association and leave the phalam ti you .
Lord had HIS own plans. During a darsanam at SriHanuman temple in Skandagiri , Adiyen happened to meet a devotee in Hyderabad , Sri Raghunathan Swamy, who participated in the Sri Rama Anu yaatirai conducted by Sri Velukudi Krishnan swami . He shared his experiences and showed the photographs he had taken. These photographs helped us in identifying some temples. I profusely thank him and other devotees who made this possible and shall remain deeply indebted to them forever
OUR LORD SRI RAMA
(in a nutshell)
Avathara Details:
• Moola Roopa: Sri ManNarayana (Sri Maha Vishnu)
• Avathara: Sri Ramaavathara (Paripoorna Manushya Avathara)
• Number in Dasavathara: 7th among Dasavatharas of Lord Vishnu
• Purpose of Avathara: Dharma Samsthapana, Dusta Sikshana, Sista Rakshana
• Yuga period: 24th Thretha Yuga in Vaivasvatha Manvanthara (approx, 20 millions years back)
• Contemporary Avathara: Lord Parashurama
• Longevity of Sri Ramaavathara: 11000 years(approx)
Birth Details:
• Date of Birth (Lunar calendar): Chaitra Masa, Sukla Paksha, Navami thithi
• Birth Star: Punarvasu (4th charanam), Karkataka Raasi
• Place of birth: Ayodhya (on the banks of Sarayu River)
Lineage in Ramaavathara:
• Varna: Kshatriya
• Dynasty: Surya Vamsam – Ikshvaku Dynasty
• Moola Purusha: Manuvu
• Key persons in the Lineage: King Harischandra, Sagara Chakravarthi, Bhagiratha (responsible for the descent of River Ganges)
• Grand Parents (Paternal):
• Great Grand Father: Raghu (Raghu Vamsa)
• Grand father: King Ajha
• Parents: King Dasaratha & Kausalya Devi
• Step Mothers: Kaikeyi and Sumithra
• Name of the Yagna performed
by King Dasaratha for progeny: Sri Puthra Kaameshti Yagam
• Brothers: Bharatha (born to Kaikeyi)
Lakshmana & Sathrughna (twins born to Sumithra)
• Avatharas of Brothers: Lakshmana (Aadi Sesha Avathara)
Bharatha (Sudarshana Chakra)
Sathrughna (Panchajanya Shanku)
• Vidya Guru: Sage Vasista and Sage Viswamithra
• Number of wives: Only one (Eka Pathni Vratha)
• Name of his consort: Goddess Sita Devi (foster daughter of Janaka Maharaja) – Avathara of Goddess Sri Maha Lakshmi also known as Janaki, Vaidehi. Found in the earth while ploughing.
• Mode of marriage: Swayamvara, by breaking theShiva Dhanus
• Consorts of his brothers: Lakshmana (Urmila), Bharatha (Mandavi) and Sathrughna (Sruthakeerthi)
• Progeny of Sri Rama: Two sons (born in Sri Valmiki Ashram)
• Names of sons: Lava and Kusha (Twins)
• Capital of his Kingdom: Ayodhya (currently in Uttar Pradesh)
• Name of the Kingdom: Koshala Desam
• Key weapon (Aayudha): Bow and Arrow(Dhanurbhana)
• Sri Rama’s exile: 14 years spent in exile to fulfill his father’s boon given to his step Mother. During which period moved in Dandakaranya, Kishkindha etc… met Lord Hanuman, went to Lanka crossing the Ocean to kill Ravanasura and to bring back Goddess Sita Devi.
• Person responsible for his exile: Kaikeyi (Step Mother) provoked by the preachings of her maid servant Manthara
• Enemies (important): Ravanasura, Kumbhakarna
• Sri Rama met Hanuman: For the first time on Rishyamooka Hills in Kishkindha (currently said to be Pampa Kshetra near Hampi)
• Name of the bridge constructed by Sri Rama to cross the ocean: Rama Sethu (constructed with the help of of Vanaras led by Nala) near Rameswaram
• Close friends of Sri Rama: Sugreeva, Vibheeshana, & Lord Hanuman
• Other key names associated with: Vedavathi, Vibheeshana, Jambavantha, Vali, Angada, Jatayu, (Sages): Gautama, Bharadwaja, Agasthya and Valmiki to name a few
• Prominent devotees of Sri Rama: Lord Shiva, Lord Hanuman,
Bhadra, Sabari, Saint Tulsidas, Bhakta Sri Ramadas to name a few
• Ending of Avathara: After a long rule of 11000 (approx) years, Lord Sri Rama ended his Avatara in Ayodhya and returned to his abode Vaikunta on a request by Brahmaadi Devathas
• Pouranic references to Sri Rama:
Lord Sri Rama’s story we find in an Epic called Ramayana (Rama + Ayana). Aayana means journey. Ramayana means the journey of Lord Sri Rama. Originally the story of Sri Rama is said to have been a composition of 100 crores of slokas.Charitam Raghunathasysa Sathakoti Pravistharam(Sri Rama Raksha Sthothram by Sage Budha Kousika). We also find reference to the story of Lord Sri Rama in Vishnu Purana and Srimad Bhagavatham. Popularly we find Sri Rama’s story from the works of Sage Valmiki which was a Sanskrit version comprising of Six Kaandas.
• Primary source: Sri Valmiki Ramayana (24000 slokas)
• Other Literary sources: Ananda Ramayana, Aadhyatma Ramayana,
Sri Tulsi Ramayana also known as Sri Rama Charita Manas (Hindi), Kamba Ramayana (Tamil), Sri Ramayana Darshanam (Kannada) Molla Ramayana and Sri Ramayana Kalpa Vruksham (Telugu)
• Sri Rama known by other names: Sri Ramachandra, Kausalya Nandana, Daasarathi, Maryada Purushottama, Raghu Rama, Raghava, Kodanda Rama to name a few
• Festivals related to Sri Rama: Sri Rama Navarathri starting from Ugadi and ending with Sri Rama Navami (Nine day festival)
• Famous Temples & places associated with Sri Rama: Ayodhya, Nasik, Bhadrachalam, Rameswaram, Sri Rangam, Hampi, Kasi, Gaya, Prayaga, Srisailam, Naimisharanya, Tirupathi, Lanka
• Popular Prayers of Sri Rama:
• Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama
• Sri Rama Raksha Sthothram
Rama Nama = Taraka Manthram
Due to the abundant mercy of Sriyapathi ,Adiyen desire to visit the places connected with Srirama during HIS avatar in this punya bhoomi , SRI RAMA ANU YAATIRAI was fulfilled this year 2010 . Adiyen undertook this yaatirai of having “ Sri Rama anubhavam” and sharing the bliss with many advanced devotees. In this yatra, adiyen had the bhagyam to be associated with many saints and devotees who shared their spiritual knowledge thus enhancing my desire to submit to LORD for whatever is there and will be there . Sri Rama is “Maryadha Purushothaman” full of virtuous qualities. Adiyen made an attempt in visiting the various places sanctified by Sri Rama by association of which Adiyen attempts to follow Sri Rama atleast to some extent in this materialistic world.
Keeping in view children’s academic coaching and due to time constraint, we decided to split Sri Rama Anu Yaatirai into two phases- first phase covering North and Central India(Bala kandam, Ayodhya kandam, Aranya kandam, Uttara kandam) during summer and second phase covering South India (Kishkinda kandam, part of Yudha kandam) during Dasera holidays.
Adiyen planned our journey by booking circular ticket with maximum 8 break journeys three months in advance. Our long distance journeys were by train. We stayed at the nearest town and hired car for visiting the surrounding holy places.
A route map is furnished below for ready reference .This was downloaded from Saagar web site for which I am thankful to the owners of the site as being SriRama devotees the abundant information will be of immense help from the map .
OUR TRAVELOGUE
Compared to our Sri Krishna Anu Yaatirai covering Mathura,Vrindavan and Nava Dwarakas, done during 2009 , this one was more challenging because the holy places are scattered all over India and Nepal. Repeated enquiries about these places which though have old names have got corrupted due to the civilization around
We surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord and HIS foremost devotee, Sri Hanuman to make this trip successful. Undertook to recite 41st and 67th sargams from Sundarakandam daily and recited Valmiki Ramayanam starting on Sri Rama Navami and finishing it off with Sri Rama Pattabhishekam before we took up the yathirai . Sri Seetha ,Lakshmana, Hanumath sametha Sri Ramar graced us by entering our altar on the most auspicious day, SRI RAMA NAVAMI. We carried this Perumal to all the temples during our yaatirai, adorned them in all the sannidhis, offered dry fruits as prasadam to the presiding dieties and shared with devotees back home. All of us were regularly chanting Taraka mantra and there was always a surprise in this trip with association of LORDs devotees …
After taking the blessings of our Thirumaligai Perumal and elders, we started our journey on 7th May,2010. Boarded Secunderabad-Gorakhpur Express at 0720 A.M. and the whole day was spent in the train listening to kirtans/ Sri Velukudi Swamin’s discourse on “Kamba Ramayanam/ reading Ramayanam and other spiritual books. The train was scheduled to reach Kanpur located in UP at 0815 hrs the next day but was late by 90 minutes . We could reach Kanpur at 1030 A.M only In the train, we happened to meet some devotees from Hyderabad who were going to Muktinath . On enquiry about the train s delay etc we conversed about the holy dhams . It was suprising to see them reading our Travelogue to Salagram . On noticing that we were right in front of them describing our another trip to Sri Rama Yathirai , they were overjoyed and discussed in detail .When they shared their experience of reading our travelogue, and appreciated our kainkaryam , with tears I submitted to LORD who was kind enough to use this fallen soul for some bhagavatha service .
Our experience to these holy places marked in bold letters is followed by the details of the place and sthalavaralaaru(significance of the places)
DAY 1
Reached Kanpur Central at 1030 hours . Fortunately the status of our onward journey ticket from Kanpur to Ayodhya which was waitlisted since 3 months. had got confirmed.
We quickly refreshed in the AC waiting room and hired a cab Wagon R for Rs.800/- (including petrol charges) to visit Bittoor and return to Kanpur.
We wanted to start our yatra by purifying ourselves in the sacred Tamasa River where Valmiki rishi cursed the hunter which became the introductory sloka of Ramayana and hence proceeded to Bittoor. Due to geographical changes, presently River Tamasa has dried up .
River Ganges sanctifies this place, Brahmavrat theerth being the most holy bathing spot in Bittoor. Brahma started creation starting from Swayambhu Manu at this place which is mentioned on a board. This place is supposed to be the centre of the earth.
Brahmavrat theerth
After parking the car, we went past small shops selling various items like water cans, bangles, pooja items and reached the archway entrance to the theerth. Pilgrims were offering special puja amidst recitation of some mantras by the local pundas (priests) . As the banks of Ganges was crowded, we decided to take a boat for Rs.20/- to cross over and go to the other bank which was less crowded. Ganges was in full flow at Brahmavrat theerth.
Returned to Brahma mandir to offer prayers to the Creator who emerged from the Lotus navel of Perumal which is located on the main bank. Brahma’s footprints covered with copper plate are worshipped here . Brahma placed his foot on earth for the first time at this place. There are only 2 temples for Brahma-one is at Pushkar where the four faced Brahma seated in meditative posture is worshipped, the other temple is at Bittoor where his footprints are worshipped.
The priest made us do sankalpam by touching Brahma’s toe and performed a small puja offering incense and flowers to the feet. Like in Pushkar, bees were buzzing around distracting us from the ritual. It was informed that this place is the centre of the world where Brahma started creation
DHRUVA TEELA.
On enquiry we were told to visit Dhruva teela . Driving past narrow and steep road for about 2 kms, we reached Dhruva Teela –the birthplace of the child-devotee Dhruva. The place where he mediated is at Mathura). He did intense tapas controlling all his senses and attained Perumal’s grace within six months. He glorified Perumal with hymns known as “Dhruva Sthuthi” which enhances bhakti. There is a small sannidhi for Dhruva and few saalagramams. We visited the Jeeva Samadhi of a North Indian saint who chanted Taraka Mantram for 30 years continuously at this place.
Lava-Kusha Mandir
Later we visited Lava-Kusha Janmasthal- Lava-Kusha Mandir. The temple houses 3 shrines- In the centre is the sannidhi for” Vandevi Sita devi with her sons Lava and Kusha”(Sitadevi was known as Vana devata to the residents of Valmiki ashram at this place),; to its right is the actual place of birth of Lava and Kusha. Here the idols of Sita, Ramar,Lakshmana and Hanuman along with Lava and Kusha are worshipped. Opposite to this sannidhi, is Bandhey Hanuman’s sannidi. As Hanuman was “tied” by Lava and Kusha, he is thus known.
Recited the introductory chapter in Ramayanam describing the origin of Valmiki Ramayanam and did kirtan of 108 Nama Ramayanam. The Hanuman temple priest gave us kankanams which we tied around our wrists praying for successful completion of the yaatirai. With the support of other devotees we performed bhajan chanting Taraka mantra well received by the crowd .
Visited Valmiki ashram which is on the right side. The priest narrated Valmiki rishi’s story.- his life as a hunter and dacoit , how his life was transformed due to saptarishi’s grace, how he meditated on the Lord, how he composed Ramayanam and taught Lava and Kusha who spread its fame throughout.
With a prayer to make us understand the deeper meanings of the great epic as expounded by our Azhwars and Purvacharyars, we left the place. Opposite to this sannidhi is Sita Rasoi (sita devi’s kitchen) and nearby is Sita Paatal Pravesh(from where Goddess Sita disappeared into the bowels of the earth). A hollow place laid by 1 X 1 stone with Kusha grass grown near it is the spot from where Sitadevi disappeared . Sri Rama tried to stop this act by pulling her hair which has now grown as Kusha grass. Ram Stupa( a pillar in which important slokas from Valmiki Ramayanam are inscribed in Hindi) is beside Paatal Pravesh sthal. Took a photograph of the aswamedha horse and Hanuman bound by Lava and Kusha in the nearby garden. To recapitulate Lava-Kusha’ prowess who tied the Aswamedha horse which was let loose freely and defeating Rama’s army including Hanuman, Bharata ,Shatruguna and Lakshmana , the temple authorities have built a mural with fountain in the middle in the garden adjacent to the temple.
Having visited all the important places in Bittoor, we left the place around 1400 hours. On the way, the driver took us to Sai Baba Temple which is very famous in Bittoor. Considering SaiBaba as one of the Lord’s messengers in Kaliyuga, we visited the temple though we were not very keen in visiting the temple
While proceeding to Kanpur, a signboard “ISKCON KANPUR” attracted us. This Ashram is located on Bittoor road and is exactly in the midway from Kanpur to Bittoor.. The temple authorities wer kind to offered us “Raj Bhog” prasadam –the one that is offered to the Lord-a variety of dishes and sweets. After partaking the prashad, the chief priest took us to “GOSHAALA”(cow shed). We were surprised to find the priest addressing each cow by its name and enquiring affectionately. He demonstrated that only Krishna Conscious people can extend the same affection towards humans and animals. Remarkable indeed
Meantime, H.H.Sarvabhauma Swami entered the temple and was about to start his discourse on Srimad Bhagavatam. We used to watch him on Star TV delivering discourses few years back and today we got the opportunity to see him directly. We felt ourselves blessed . Offering our pranaams , we introduced ourselves. He was glad to know about our yatra and blessed us.
When the temple curtains were drawn open ,we had darshan of the enchanting form of the presiding diety RADHA-MADHAV . We were delighted to see the utsava murthis of Sri Rama,Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman along with other regular utsava murthis of Radha-Krishna. We felt that Lord was giving darshan in both the forms as Rama and Krishna. This aarthi and kirtan was followed by Sarvabhauma Prabhu’s lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam. After having darshan of the Lordships to our heart’s content, we left the place resolving to revisit Bittoor and stay at ISKCON guest house.
We reached Kanpur by 1800 hours and awaiting for our connecting train to Ayodhya. Boarded Sabarmati Exprss at 0015 hours (the train was late by 45 minutes. Reached Ayodhya at 0500 hours on 09/05/10.
DAY 2
We reached Ayodhya from Kanpur by Sabarmati express at 0500 hours on 09th May,2010. We were greeted by hordes of monkeys which kept us on check and vigilant. The little monkeys are mischievous and snatch away eatables from us.
Checked in one of the AC rooms at Hotel Saket run by U.P.Tourism for Rs.650/-which is very near to station.(Tariff –for AC rooms-Rs.650/-; For air cooled rooms –Rs.350/-; for ordinary triple bed rooms-Rs.300/– As only AC rooms have inverter provision, it is preferable to go for the same as during power cuts which is very common, the fan works. With the help of the local receptionist, finalised a seven seater auto to visit all the holy places in and around Ayodhya for Rs.1,200/- .
Carrying a set of clothes, we proceeded to Gupthar Ghat at 0630 for a holy dip. Adiyen wanted to start the yatra from Ram Janma bhoomi, the birth place of Sri Rama . But the auto driver opined that it would be crowded during morning hours and would take minimum 2 hours to have darshan. As we had to cover distant places within our planned time frame and as we wanted to purify ourselves in River Sarayu, he suggested us to visit Guptar Ghat, Nandigram, Purva Chakiya so that the remaining local temples can be visited in the evening till late in the night. Adiyen had to compromise on this. Instead of visiting the birth place, Adiyen started with the place of Sri Rama’s disappearance .
Driving past the military areas in Faizabad roads , we reached Gupthar Ghat in half an hour’s time. River Saruyu also known as River Gargha and Vaasishti (As she is considered as Sage Vasishta’s daughter) was in full flow and calm. The bathing ghats at River Saruyu are meaningfully constructed and are well maintained. After purifying ourselves in the sacred waters and offering morning oblations, Adiyen was engaged in routine morning rituals when a group of devotees headed by Sri Gomadam Swami of Sri Rangam reached the banks of Sarayu . Looking at us near the ghat, they chose to have bath in the same place. Sri Gomadam Swami , a descendant of Manavala maamunigal, was heading a group of about 100 devotees on a pilgrimage to Muktinath halted at Ayodhya for a day. Swami conducts package tours to divya desams and can be contacted on 09047090590. Swami was addressing the assembled devotees mentioning the importance of Gupthar Ghat in which Adiyen had the bhagyam to listen.
SARAYU RIVER AT GUPTHAR GHAT
When we approached Swami to pay our respects, he was delighted to know about our trip and blessed us. He said that it was due to the divine will of the Lord that we drove all the way from Ayodhya to have holy bath in Saruyu at this place because usually devotees have bath in Ayodhya itself . Citing Nammazhwar’s pasuram,”Karpaar Ramapiraaan…..”(Thiruvaimozhi 7-5-1). , the Swami mentioned about the greatness of Gupthar Ghat and appreciated us for having chosen this place for purifying ourselves.Gupt means secret.. As Srirama ascended to Vaikuntam from this place, this place is known as Gupthar Ghat. Srirama walked into Sarayu river with his physical form and disappeared. Sri rama took along with him the entire animate and inanimate things to Vaikuntam. That is why , Srirama is considered as the Lord who bestows Moksha which every entity aspires to achieve.
The Sarayu flowed beside the ancient city of Ayodhya, It was a tributary of the Gogra. According to a sub-story within the Ramayana, the banks of the River Sarayu is also the place where King Dashratha accidentally killed Shravan Kumar.It is also called the only river flowing beneath the earth.
LISTENING TO SWAMIS ADDRESS AT BANKS OF SARAYU
Nearby there is a Ramar temple where we kept our dieties and offered dry fruits as neivedyam. We recited our daily parayanam of Sundara kaandam. Many devotees from the group joined us in singing ‘”108 Nama Ramayanam” and it was a memorable experience. We were invited to listen to Swami’s discourse on Srimad Ramayana in the evening. As we had to visit far off places, we skipped Gupt Harji and Chakra Harji temples near the ghat.
On the way, had breakfast and proceeded to Nandigram, the place from where Bharata ruled the kingdom on Sri Rama’s behalf. Nandigram is situated 20 kms south east of Ayodhya and 16 kms from Guptar Ghat.
Visited old Bharatha temple and new temple. In the old temple, there are separate shrines for Bharata, Hanuman, Bharat Gufa , Bharat-Hanuman milap mandir, , When we visited the old temple, Bharata was being glorified by recitation of verses from Ram Charitra Manas. The priest placed our Perumal in the altar and offered prashad to the deities . We then entered a small cave , known as “Bharat Gufa” in the old temple premises. we stepped down about 5 steps and found a small vigraham of Bharata beside which Rama’s padukas were placed.
Bharat mandir
From there we went to the new Bharat mandir located nearby. Abhishekam (Thirumanjanam-holy bath) was being performed for Bharata. This idol is bigger than the one in the old temple. An old priest , who is a disciple of Sri HathiRam Bhabha(the devotee who played dice with Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala) was performing abhishekam while adiyen had the opportunity to recite Pancha Sukthams. The priest showed us Sri Rama paduka, rare salagrama murthis and Rama bhaktha Hanuman. Switching off the lights, he asked us to observe Sri Bharatar’s thiru mukham. We can see crescent on his forehead (calm and poised Bharata resembles Shiva in meditation). Likewise , Hanuman looks ferocious when the lights are off and looks very calm and poised when there is light. Also, there is a mark on Hanuman’s knee caused by Bharata’s arrow when he wounded Hanuman. The priest showed us rare salagramams. At Nandigram, Hanuman is known as “Lagey Hanuman”(one who was hurt).
After having theertha prasadam, the priest took us to the ground floor in which “Bharat Milap mandir” is constructed. The vigrahams of Bharata and Hanuman hugging each other was a feast to the eyes. After having thirumanjana theertham (5 types) of all the deities, we took few photographs with the priest who looks ever jubilant and is in bliss. We wondered at the dedication of the old priest in performing elaborate thirumanjanam to all the deities daily. He requested us to print some pamphlets in Telugu to be given to the visiting devotees . ( Adiyen took it as an opportunity to do SriRama kainkaryam and got around 2000 pamphlets printed and sent the same to Nandigram). We then visited Purva Chakiya.
Adiyen was interested to know about Lords Sri Rama’s first night stay during exile at a place known as “Purva Chakiya” about 20 kms south of Ayodhya ( as per Srimad Ramayana ) but the exact location could not be known. Adiyen could not gather any other info because this place was not visited by Rama anu yathirai Bhagavatas earlier. Even the local residents were not aware about the place.
Luckily, to our surprsie, outside the temple, a person whom he introduced himself as watch-man said that he knew the location and agreed to take us there. From Nandigram, there is a short cut to this place. Walking through the paddy fields through a narrow pathway for about 7 minutes, we reached the spot. A stone is laid in remembrance of Sri Rama’s stay on the banks of Tamasa. There is no temple. River Tamasa has almost dried up . it is only like a small stream. Vehicles cannot go to that place. Anyway, the adventure was worth it. The auto driver was surprised to know about this place as he was not aware of it.
We thanked the guide profusely, bought 2 Vyjayanthi maalas which he was selling and paying some money for his help and left the place with the contentment that it was Sri Anjaneyar who guided us. We visited Bharat Kund, the place where Bharata used to have bath during his stay at Nandigram. Bharata felt so ashamed of himself to face the citizens as he felt responsible for Sri Rama’s troubles and used to have bath in Saruyu even before sunrise to avoid contact with the citizens. The pond was full of innumerable fully blossomed lotus flowers
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We visited the nearby Bharat Ram milap mandir. The temple was closed. Here, Sri Rama, Lakshmana,Bharata and Shatruguna shaved off their jada-mudi after 14 years, changed their ascetic costumes and dressed in royal costumes reached Ayodhya along with their mothers and friends. Sri Rama seated in the royal chariot along with Sita Devi and flanked by Lakshmana and Shatruguna while Bharata along with Sumantara drove the chariot reached Ayodhya. The countless vanaras assumed human forms and headed by Sugriva and Hanuman along with Vibhishana reached Ayodhya for Sri Rama’s coronation.
The driver took us to Bharata’s garden nearby saying that Bharata used to do meditate at this place. Nearby there is a well where 27 kinds of theerthas from holy rivers are present. The priest who was present there, drew some water and asked us to drink it citing its significance (it removes malefic effects). Collected the water in a bottle to share it with everyone.
After relaxing for about 2 hours, we resumed our journey at 4 P.M. The driver took us to Sri Ram Janma bhoomi. Due to security reasons, the auto stopped near Birla Dharmashaala , about 2 kms to Ram Janma bhoomi. The entire area of 2 kms is surrounded by six check posts with security and fencing all around. On the way, we visited Dasaratha bhavan . As we had visited this place during our previous trip, we gave a skip .
Ram Janma Bhoomi area is still in ruins and is highly protected by army, security and monkeys. Compared to our last visit, we found that security has been tightened manifold due to increase in terrosits activities . We were informed that 3 years ago, few anti-social elements entered the city with grenades but the monkeys who are ever alert in Ayodhya spoiled their attempts. We were frisked at 6 places. We cannot carry anything except money purse which is also checked. Mobiles and camera are strictly prohibited. Not even offerings!!! The only offering that we can take along is “OUR HEART”. Adiyen was stopped by security for carrying my japa maala bag with me. After convincing the security, I entered with the bag but the kumkum packet which was in the bag, was removed. I prayed to Lord that I wanted to have HIS darshan with the bead bag as I had placed the worshipping deities also in the bag along with my chanting beads Seeing my attire and continuous chanting, I was let in. Lord was kind to see this fallen soul enter with my own dictums .( I just said LORD the chanting beads have been a part of my journey with YOU and do you want them to be away .In fact I still presume that it was the deities and the japa malai made me enter to HIS place . The monkeys were staring at my bead bag ,probably they mistook it to be some eatable. Passing through the strong fencing, we finally reached the place. We could have darshan of the small vigrahams of Sita , Rama along with Lakshmana and Hanuman from about 100 metres and not even supposed to stand for long. After having theertha prasadam, we left the place immediately. It was pathetic to see the birth place of the Supreme Lord in that condition.
On our way to darshan, we saw a holy cow doing pradakshinam (going about in circular path), near the fencing lifting its head facing the temple and continuing to do the rounds. One of the security persons pointed towards the cow and informed that every day the cow does 108 parikramas , lifts its head when it faces the shrine of the Lord and continues with the rounds. It has been doing this daily thrice for the past 8 years. This person keeps track of the parikramas and how the cow stops after 108 is amazing. All were attracted to this miracle and many devotees were staring at the holy cow . (While referring to this incident in Chitrakoot, our guide informed that in Chitrakut too, there is a cow which does parikrama round Kamadgiri hill continuously for 22 hours daily for the past 10 years).
It took more than one hour for us to return. We drove to Ram Ghat , Sri Rama’s bathing spot in River Saruyu which is about 1 km from RamJanma bhoomi. After completing prokshanam and sandhya vandanam , offered lamp and flowers to Saruyu as evening aarthi was going on and left the place. As it was getting late for attending kalakshepam, we didn’t visit Lakshman Ghat, the bathing spot of Lakshmana which is near Ram Ghat.
We proceeded to Kanak Bhavan, the palace of Sita-Ramar. There are 3 murthis of Sita-Ramar. As the sanctum is decorated with gold, it is known as “Kanak” bhavan. The place from where Sri Rama left for forest is marked by marble footprints. Circumbulated it and went to Hanuman Gaddi, a famous temple for Hanuman in Ayodhya. This temple is situated on a hillock . There are about 79 steps to reach the temple. Evening aarthi was going on.
The driver dropped us at Manas Bhavan where Sri Gomadam Swami( whom we met in the morning at Gupthar Ghat was giving kalakshepam on Ramayanam. The discourse lasted for about 2 hours after which we left at 10 P.M. Returned to Hotel Saket and retired for the night.
DAY 3:
We checked out at 08.30 A.M. to board Mathura-Patna Express to reach Buxar. The scheduled arrival of the train was 0912 hours but as usual was late by more than one hour. Reached Buxar finally at 1800 hours.
The entire day was wasted waiting for the train and then in journey. We visited Rama Rekha Ghat -Sri Rama’s footprints are imbibed and a temple is constructed on the banks of Ganges. Srirama had crossed Ganges at this place to go to Siddhasram along with Lakshmana and Sage Viswamitra. Did evening aarthi along with other devotees to Ganges .
DAY 4
Buxar is a typical small under developed town in Bihar . The moment “Buxar” is mentioned, we remember “Battle of Buxar” but even prior to this , it had historical importance as this was known as “Tataka Vanam”. Staying in Bihar and visiting the temples was the challenging part of our journey as we didn’t have any information about these places. We were not even sure whether the locals would be able to help us out. As we had to spend nearly three days in Bihar, was totally perplexed about the stay facilities. Tensed because of the wayside robberies, and worst roads which was common Adiyen was worried . We remembered traveling through worst roads in 2006.
While working on my program, I gathered information that Hajipur is near Patna and thought it safe to stay in the State capital and access the holy places. So, Adiyen contacted ISKCON Patna for booking an accommodation for us for 12th May and during my conversation, I informed him about our tour requesting him to provide me some info about Buxar. That Prabhu referred a devotee’s name in Buxar who contacted me immediately. I was taken aback when I got a call from Buxar. The person introduced himself as Anil Kumar, an ISKCON devotee and was referring to his close association with our Hyderabad DGP and some politicians. He assured that he would take care of all arrangements like accommodation and arranging vehicle and asked us to contact him as soon as we reach Buxar. Thanked him profusely . This incident renewed our tremendous faith in the Lord who is ever protective. Elders say that if we put one foot towards Lord, HE puts forth 100 steps to rescue us. This has been proved in our case many times. Also, our experience at Sitamarhi is the most memorable one which Adiyen would like to share later
We reached Buxar around 1800 hours- the train was about 2 hours late which is very common. Mr.Anil Kumar had booked an accommodation at Hotel Gitanjali which is located behind Platform no. 1 in a narrow lane. There is a way out from the place where we got down. But as we didn’t know, we came out of the station and went walking thru the narrow lane to the hotel. The hotel owner greeted us warmly when we referred Sri.Anil kumar’s name and provided us with a double bedded non-AC room for Rs.200/-. Strangely we have not seen Mr Anil kumar but the hospitality in a unknown place among strangers infused tremendous faith in LORD for coming days . This was supposed to be the best room in the hotel. On enquiry, we learnt that none of the hotels have either AC or air cooler as there is no power for atleast 20 hours a day. Luckily, the hotel had generator and inverter which didn’t make much of a difference. It was the worst part of our journey with mosquitoes biting, no power, fan running at the lowest speed , sweltering heat and added to this was the noise from railway station. The day’s temperature was recorded at 48˚ c . As this was the best hotel in the city we had no option . On enquiring about Kamasram, no one knew about this place. Hence , Adiyen had to mention Balliya (I learnt that Kamasram is in Balliya district). They informed me that share autos would be available to go to Balliya and it would take about an hour to reach. As there are no street lights and as it was getting dark, they suggested me to avoid going there in the evening and I was thankful for not adventuring at that time.
Adiyen and family took 2 rickshaws to go to the banks of Ganges and spend the evening leisurely. We paid Rs.20/- for each rickshaw . Ganges is about 1.5 kms from station. When we went there, evening aarthi was going on. The place was not clean enough to have bath. So we just sprinkled some water and participated in the aarthi. I learnt that Tataka Vanam , locally known as “TADKA” is about a kilometer from this place. As it was dark, we decided to go in the morning. Returned to the hotel and had rotis with some veggies for supper . Meanwhile, we tried to contact Sri.Anil Kumar for arranging AC vehicle for the next day to visit places in Buxar-Kamasram- Chapra- Sonepur-Hajipur-Patna as we wanted to leave early in the morning but could not get network.
We waited upto 8 A.M. the next morning and as there was no response from Mr.Anil, we requested the hotel owner to help us out. He immediately arranged a Cab , Bolero for Rs.3,000/- to visit the above places and drop us at ISKCON, Patna. Adiyen was trying to gather info about the route to visit the places connected to Sri Rama from the hotel owner. He too didn’t know much about it. While waiting at the reception, a gentleman named Shri.Punit Kumar Singh passed by the hotel. The hotel owner immediately called him and spoke to him in Bihari about the places which we wanted to visit. He immediately started telling the location of the places and when requested , he gladly consented to accompany us.. Once again thanked LORD for this timely intervention by a devotee. During my interatction with him, I learnt that this devotee is the distributor for Bisleri water in Buxar. He can be contacted on 09939816488 for any help. First, he took us to Vedashira Ashram.
Had darshan of a mural of Maharishi Vedashira and prayed him to make us visit all the places connected to Sri Rama. The inmates were very cordial and informed how Sri Rama protected the seven days yagnam conducted by Sage Viswamitra. We took theertha prasadam . They offered us to have lunch in their ashram. They were referring to a particular dish which Sri Rama had and wanted us to taste the same. The ashram also provides accommodation to devotees who visit Buxar. They have around 2-3 rooms where the devotees can stay. Adiyen felt that this is a better option rather than staying in a hotel because we can have satsang of these humble devotees. The love for Sri Rama bound us together. Their hospitality was indescribable. Their address is:-
Shri Shyam Narayan Patak
Vedashira Ashram, Buxar
Mobile no. 09006461415
VEDASHIRA ASHRAM
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Later he accompanied us to Siddhasramam which is located about 3 kms from railway station. This is inside central jail, the only one of its kind in Bihar. We didn’t have any problem in getting inside. Siddhasramam is the place where Lord took avatar as “Vamana murthy” . We expected to see the Lord as Vamanamurthy(We had in my mind the gigantic Trivikrama Perumal and Vamanamurthy as seen in Seerkazhi )and imagined to see one such idol but found a small Shiva linga . The priest endorsed the sthalapuranam that it was the birth place of Vamana murthy . Amidst the beautiful surroundings , prayed LORD for more satsangh .
INSIDE BAUXAR JAIL VAMANA TEMPLE
Later we proceeded to VAIKUNTANATHAR KOVIL .This South Indian temple , popularly known as “Nuv Lakh mandir”was constructed some 30 years ago by a Marwadi family who presently reside in Mumbai. There are shrines for Perumal, Thayar, Andal,Azhwars and Acharyars. A young preist placed our Perumal in the sannidhi and after archanai and neivedyam returned to us with some Tulasi leaves. While we were enquiring about the temple, an elderly person who is the incharge of the temple met us. He was kind enough to offer pongal and nellikaay thogaiyal(amla thogaiyal) on this auspicious Dwadasi . During our conversation, we learnt that he hails from Srirangam and is related to my second brother –in-law . This temple can be approached for accommodation and food arrangements .
VAIKUNTANATHAR KOVIL
Later , Tridandi Jeeyar Temple which is at a walkable distance from Vaikuntanathar temple. A Vaishnavite who was a great Rama bhakta, took jeeva Samadhi at this place. We had darshan of the saint through grilled doors.
LAKSHMI NARAYANAN MANDIR:- this temple is beside Jeeyar Samadhi. Ram Charitra Manas was being recited by a priest. We requested him to place our Ramar vigraham and offer neivedyam to our Lordships. He glorified Sri Rama’s pastimes and was happy to hear about our trip. After taking his blessings, we left for Ram Rekha ghat.
Leaving Kamasram, Sri Rama reached Tataka vanam after crossing Ganges at this place. Hence it is known as “Ram Rekha ghat”- the most important ghat in Buxar. On the way to Ghat, he took us to 2 temples situated opposite to each other. In one temple , there are many forms of Shiva linga and akanda Rama japam is being chanted here. Opposite to this is Rameswar Mandir- Sri Rama offering puja to Shiva and Sri Rama’s paadukas carved in marble are worshipped. Water cans and puja materials are sold on the way to the ghat.
Thanking him profusely who spent more than three hours showing us all the temples, we proceeded to Kamasram. Mr.Punit gave the necessary instructions to the driver and left . The driver somehow forgot to take us to Tadka which is about one kilometer from Ram Rekha Ghat and proceeded to Kamashram. Later when we questioned him for not taking us to Tadka, he reasoned that some maintenance work was going on there which we simply had to believe. Offered obesiances to the holy dham we proceeded .
No one in the town at Buxar could exactly tell us the location of this place. Zeroing that the place has to be in Baliya district attempted to mine the info further speaking in delicate hindi ,asked the driver to take us to Balliya which is about 35-40 kms from Buxar. He stopped at BRIGHU MUNI ASHRAM which is situated near the police chowk claiming this to be Kamashram. Luckily, Adiyen’s wife remembered the photo taken by Sri Raghunathan at Kamashram and was sure that this was not the place. The arch was clear in her memory and the place seemed to be big.. Arguing with the driver that this was not the place, Adiyen decided to go inside the temple and find out the details. The important sannidhi is that of Bhrigu muni’s. A priest extolled the greatness of Brhigu rishi-how he tested the Trinities, etc . adding that Sri Rama visited this place while he was guarding Viswamitra’s yagnam(Rama guarded 5 yojanas on all sides ) in Siddhasram. This is mentioned in Valmiki Ramayanam too. Thanking Sri Brigu Muni for gracing us we moved to locate Kamasram though the head priest was not able to help us out in locating Kamasram We were disappointed and confused and decided to leave the place convincing that we could atleast place ourselves in the place visited by Rama. But Adiyen’s wife was determined to find out the location . We were worn out , dejected, verge on losing our patience due to hunger and the peak summer . Luckily we came across an elderly pundit who knew about the place. We were excited when he mentioned about the arch and were convinced that this was the place which we saw in the photograph adding that we had come far about 20 kms. We requested him to give driving directions to the driver. Initially, the driver was reluctant to go back as it would cost him extra 40 kms but finally consented to take us to the temple. The priest informed that we should ask for “KARON village near “CHITPADA GAON” and take the immediate right turn after crossing the bridge if we come from Buxar. It is about 36 kms from Buxar. Finally we reached the temple around 1 P,M. Yes, it was indeed worth driving. A big arch displaying “Kameshwar dham ” welcomed us.
“Kameshwar dham
Near the arch, is a small Hanuman temple. After about 3 minutes drive, we reached this temple . There were many devotees in the temple premises but the main shrine of Shiva was closed. A devotee pointed out to a tree in front of the sannidhi with dark marks on the trunk. He referred to the incident of Siva burning Manmatha and said that these were the marks which fell on the tree as Manmatha stood at that place. We had to satisfy ourselves with the lovely photographs displayed on the outer walls of the temple-photo showing Sri Rama and Lakshmana pressing Viswamitra’s feet is still vivid in our memory.
Rama and Lakshmana pressing Viswamitra’s feet
From Kamasram, we drove for about two hours and reached Ahroli. A very small sannidhi houses the marble sculpture of Ahalya offering obeisances to Sri Rama while Lakshmana and Sage Viswamitra look upon. Drove to Gautamasthan located in Chapra district near Rewalkunj . This is easily identifiable. The temple was closed but we could have darshan of Sita-Ramar in the main sannidhi through the grill gate. Opposite to this sannidi is the sannidhi for Hanumar near which there is Ram Paduka. On the right side, we had darshan of Gautama rishi, Ahalya, Sadanandar, Anjana Devi. The confluence of Saruyu with Ganges is located nearby. As it was summer, the river had dried up and now it was about 2 kms from this temple. Due to time constraint, we didn’t visit the place and looking at the direction , offered our obeisances from the temple itself .
Gautamasthan located in Chapra
Driving past Chapra, we reached Sonepur in the evening . Compared to other places we visited, Sonepur seemed to be a bigger town . On reaching, we enquired the location of Harharnath temple. Our driver didn’t know the location. We followed the directions and reached the temple at 7 P.M. This temple is dedicated to Shiva. Had darshan of the deities. In the temple premises, in a mantapam, we found Gajendra Moksham beautifully depicted. There are many shops on either side of the lane leading to the temple. As it was dark, we did not see the confluence of River Sona with Ganges which is about half a kilometer from the temple. The famous Sonepur Mela where cattle is traded takes place at this place.
Ahalya offering obeisances to Sri Rama while Lakshmana
WE reached Hajipur at 8 P.M. As it was not possible to go to Ram Chauda at that time, we proceeded to Patna. As it was late, we decided to visit Ram Chauda at Hajipur the next morning. Hajipur is about 6 kms from Sonepur. Patna is about 15 kms from Hajipur. Some trains which do not touch Patna pass through Hajipur. Hajipur and Patna are on either sides of Ganges. Mahatma Gandhi Sethu, one of the longest bridges is about 11 kms connects these two places. Ganga can be seen in full flow at this place. Our car rolled slowly due to the heavy traffic near Hajipur station upto Mahatma Gandhi Sethu. After paying the toll tax at the entrance of the bridge, we continued our drive It is common for a chain of vehicles to wait for clearance at the check post.
ISKCON is located about 3 kms from Patna railway station on the main road. Situated on a vast area of land, a new temple for Krishna is under construction. Presently there are about 25 rooms in the guest house. The rent for AC room is Rs,500/- per day. It was 10.30 P.M. when we reached the guest house . So, prashad was not available. After settling the driver’s bill, we checked into one of the AC rooms. (We expected the driver to charge us for the extra mileage we traveled for going to Kamasram but looked like he adjusted it for Hajipur visit) We were totally exhausted and doubtful about stay facilities in Sitamarhi. We came to a stage where we wanted to cancel our Sitamarhi trip and proceed straight to Allahabad but Lord had other plans. Surrending to the Lord to help us accomplish our trip, we retired for the night.
Today 10-06-2014 is Swamy Tirumala Nambes Thirunakshatram ( Appearance day ) One thousand years ago Tirumala was not the salubrious and convenient place we know it is today. Tirumala was a rough and rocky terrain and the upkeep of the temple in those days must have been a terribly daunting and unwelcome task. During those hard days there lived a great devotee Tirumala Nambi in Tirumala Hills at Tirupathi . Sri Tirumala Nambi was a great religious scholar in his own right but out of deliberate choice decided to devote his life to “theertha-kainkarya” ( service of bringing water from Papanasanam for worship of Lord of Seven Hills) at the Tirumala . He dedicated his entire life to the services of the Lord and in His aradhana. His entire lifetime was spent living in a small hut on the hills and worked out of it while tending to, maintaining and administering the temple of his beloved ‘tiruvengadamudaiyAn’ ( Lord Venkateshwara ) . Tirumala Nambi used to bring water from Papanasam situated at a distance of 8 kilometers from Tirumala for the daily puja. He was old but never allowed his age to interfere in his services . Lord out of his abundant compassion , wanted to grace his devotee for the great kainkaryam taken up by him. One day when Tirumalai Nambee was walking towards the temple sanctorium from Papanashanam with a pot of water ,Lord appeared before Tirumalai Nambi in the attire of a fowler addressed Nambi as Thatha ( Grandpa) . Nambee was surprised with the address . On turning he found an attractive and handsome fowler who demanded him for water to quench his thirst .Nambee was taken aback and refused to give water intended for the Holy bath (Abhishekum) of the Lord and politely marched ahead . The mischievous fowler he was followed Tirumala Nambi , slowly pierced the pot with a stone , and drank the water which oozed out of the pot. Tirumala Nambee was very sad that he could not fulfill the daily service to LORD .He said to the fowler about his old age and hardship in once again bringing the water that would make HIS LORD wait and as such delay in the service .The fowler said Grandpa , Don’t worry ! I will show a place nearby for you to collect water for the services .Saying this ,he discharged an arrow at the hillock near by in the sky , and lo torrents of water came gushing from the place hit by the arrow.. The fowler commanded that the water for the Lord’s puja should thenceforth be brought from Akasaganga and disappeared. The new fountain is now called Akasaganga . Thirumala Nambee was convinced that the fowler was none other than Lord Srinivasa. He performed various kainkaryams such as Akasaganga Theertha Kainkaryam, Thomalaseva, Mantrapushpa Kainkaryam, Saathumurai, Thirumanjanam and Vedaparayanam. Hence he was called as “Acharya Purusha” of Tirumala Temple. In honour of this humble but most noble ‘teertha-kainkaryam’ that Nambi institutionalized in his times, his heirs and progeny until this very day have been allowed to perform the same service in the temple as matter of heriditary right. The descendants of Swamy Tirumalai Nambi are known today as “Tirumala kumara-s” or “thOzhappachAri-s”. There is a historical evidence that Tirumala Nambi lived in Tirumaaliga, South Mada Street, Tirumala. The temple shrine of Sri Tirumala Nambi that stands today in the south-eastern corner just below the overhead pedestrian walkaway that leads from the Q-complex to the main temple . Now the descendents of Tirumala Nambi are managing the temple at this place where the Utsavar and Moolavar deities of Acharya Tirumala Nambi is housed. The unique Kainkaryams are performed by descendants of Tirumala Nambi even today. Tirumala Nambi, was one of the five gurus of Bhagavad Ramanuja. He was his maternal Uncle who taught the essence of Srimad Ramayanam.
Swamy Parasara Bhattars Thirunakshatram ( Appearance day ) is celebrated on ( Vaikasi Anusham ) in a grand way all over the world. Parasara bhattar and Vedavysa appeared as divine twins in the month of Vaikasi in the star of Anusham to Swamy Kurathazhwan and Andal as a blessing token of Aravani Prasadam of Namperumal.
The Divya Dampathis themselves acted as parents for Swamy parasara bhattar, as he was born after his mother, Sri Andal, partook “Prasadam” from the Sri Rangam temple .
Swamy parasara bhattar was the disciple of the genius Acharyar Swamy Embar and was graced by JagathAcharyar swamy Ramanujar from his childhood.
The whole srivaishnava community glorifies Swamy Parasara Bhattar for his unstinting devotion to Namperumal. ( Lord Sri Ranganathar of Srirangam ) .
Bhattar could never move away from Namperumal’s radiance , and Lord Namperumal could also not bear separation from Bhattar. He was so attached to Namperumal and Srirangam that he breathed the air of Srirangam and lived in the thoughts of Namperumal alone. Because of his profound unparallel Bakthi, Namperumal and Thayar adopted him as their darling child.
He was then called as Sri Rengesa Purohitha.
Swamy was excellent in rendering discourses on Sri vaishnava literature .
Many devotees flock to listen to swami with apt attention . One day, as usual, Bhattar’s discourse was being conducted . The local king named Tribuvana-devarAyan was also listening to Bhattar’s nectarine words mixed with intelligent thoughts.
The king was simply moved, and wanted to listen more from Swamy Parasara Bhattar. As he was a king and had to look after the welfare of his people, he could not devote time to attend the same .
So, he went with some pride to Bhattar and said
“Swami – Do come to my Palace one day and give your discourses to me there.
I shall give you a lot of priceless jewels and wealth”.
Swami Bhattar simply looked at the King, smiled at him and said –
“Have you ever worshiped Namperumal ?
The King was puzzled …
Bhattar continued ..
.Oh King did you have the grace to look at his right hand.
Do you know what it says?”
The king replied to Bhattar –
“Yes, I have heard that it proclaims
‘ abhayam sarvabhoothEebyo dadaami’
(I shall safeguard you from all beings that may pose danger).”
Bhattar interpreted that quote and said
“Yes, it is giving protection to all.
Hence, it is facing towards us.
But, one day, even though this will never happen, if it would turn backwards pretending that it could not protect us –
even on that day I have no refuge other than Namperumal’s lotus feet ”.
The king was astonished at Bhattar swami’s strong faith with Lord Namperumal, and at the same time was ashamed of his attitude and ego.
He left, but surely had learned a lesson.
Sri Parasara bhattar Thiruvadigale sharanam!!!!
Bhattar wrote as many as 18 literary works which are gems for our spiritual upliftment
Lord Lakshmi Narasimha temple is located at a distance of 60 kms from Kakinada, 20 kms from Rajahmundry and 110 kms Korukonda Temple, an ancient and historical temple, and an important Vaishnava Divya Kshetram,The temple is called as Korukonda `where koru means wish and konda means hill in telugu’. Thus, it is a wishing hill or God who immediately heeds to the wishes of the devotees. The presiding deity here is Lord Sri Narasimha Swamy. Lord is known as “Satvika Narasimhar”, because he is accompanied here by his consort, Maha Lakshmi Devi. There two temples of Lord Sri Narasimha Swamy in this village. One is at the top of a steep and narrow hill adjacent to the village, and the other temple at the foot of the hill Of the two temples, one is a Swayambhu (self originating) and the other one which has been installed. The swayambhuvu is situated at the top of the hill which a pilgrim can access only through a long flight of 650 steps that are very steep and narrow. Because of this steepness, this temple has been called Korukonda.. The Swayambhu deity is situated at about 120 mts height atop the hill. The temple of the deity which was installed is at the foot of the hill and has much sculpted beauty around it. There are number of shila shasanams (scripted stones) which have appeared at the temple as well as on the top of the hill. The temple was constructed about 700-800 years ago by the family of Swamy Parasara Bhattar, as told by the local priests , whose descendants continue to oversee the affairs of the temple as the trustees of this temple to this day.
Thirumangai Azhwar another name was Kaliyan who was the valiant army chief of the then Chola King . The king gifted him with a small territory to rule over. Hence, he was known as Thirumangai Mannan . He was attracted to an apsara Kumudavalli , daughter of a physician and expressed his desire to marry her. Kumudavalli who appeared on this earth to transform this valiant king to a bhakta, laid the condition that he should feed 1000 Srivaishnavas every day for one year . Thirumangai Mannan fulfilled her condition and continued to do so even after his marriage as he got habituated in this wonderful kainkaryam of feeding Srivaishnavas. In due course, his wealth diminished and as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, when HE decides to bless HIS devotee, HE takes away wealth and enacted a divya leela. Due to his love for vaishnavas , our Azhwar resorted to stealing and plundering wealth from the rich and the egoistic and used the wealth for feeding Vaishnavas and renovating temples. Tirumangai Mannan comes to know through his friends that a newly wedded couple bedecked with costly jewellery are passing through a forest in a palanquin and if they could plunder their wealth, they could continue with their cause of serving Srivaishnavas forever. So, Thirumangai Mannan along with his four friends leaves his place in the midnight , rides fast on his horse,who he calls as Aadalmaa, waylays the divine couple who are resting in a mandapam at “Thirumanankollai” and plunders their wealth and ties them in a cloth. Not being satisfied with the loot, he tries to remove the Thirumetti of Thayar with all his might and is unsuccessful. By coming in contact with Thayar’s thiruvadi, realisation dawns on him. When he tries to lift the loot, he is unable to do so and suspecting the bridegroom for having put some charm , he threatens Perumal who is disguised as the bridegroom with a sword to disclose the secret.that does not allow him to carry the loot Perumal advises him to purify himself and return so that he can impart the secret to him. Thirumangai mannan returns and Perumal gives him the most sacred mantram,Thirumantram . The moment Perumal whispers the sacred Ashtakshari Thirumantram , wisdom dawns on Kaliyan and he surrenders at the Lotus feet of the Divya Dampadhigal. He repents for all his earlier deeds and outbursts his pourings starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi….” and decides to glorify Perumal by visiting holy places in India.. He is transformed as Thirumangai Azhwar and riding on his Aadalma horse glorified Perumal in about 86 divya desams. Every year, this incident in recollected on Panguni-Makham (Mar-april) at thirunangoor as Thiruvedupari utsavam and this year the incident is enacted on 2nd midnight April 2015 . The pics were taken during our last visit . We participated in the Thirukalyanam of Perumal with Nachiyar the previous afternoon . Later , in the night after saatrumarai, the newly wed Perumal and Thayar bedecked fully with jewellery set out on a decorated palanquin. WE were told that they would halt in a mandapam at Thirumanankollai. We drove to Thiruvali-Thirunagari temple to have darsanam of Thirumangai Azhwar also known as Kaliyan/Neelan/Thirumangai Mannan and were among the crowd awaiting the temple doors to open….Now the most beautiful THIRUVEDUPARI UTSAVAM begins ..
At midnight almost 2 AM , a group of people who were playing the role of Kaliyan’s friends entered the temple to inform Kaliyan about the newly wed couple. Within minutes, the temple doors were wide open. The beautifully dressed Thirumangai mannan in blue velvette dress wearing innumerable intrinsic jewellery holding gem studded sword , precious gems studded dagger and all other weapons required by a king galloped on his favourite horse”Aadalma”, rushed outside the temple and set forth on his journey to loot the wealth .The night is pitch dark . The sevarthees bearing torches literally run along with Kaliyan. It is a sight never to be missed. The zeal with which Kaliyan rides on the horse is inexplicable. One has to be physically present to witness this . The neophyte devotees who gather for this function usually engage autos/cars to keep pace with Azhwar and we followed suit. Kaliyan swifts through the narrow muddy roads to reach the place while we took another route to reach the mandapam. Perumal and Thayar in Kalyana Thirukolam were giving darshan to the assembled devotees. Adiyongal also had darshanam from close quarters.
Thousands of devotees had gathered at that place and a village mela was going on. The whole place was vibrant with devotional music and few Vaishnavas were singing Peria Thirumozhi in a small mantapam . Some locals were dressed up like Thirumangai Mannan. As if to compete with the beauty of Full Moon in the sky, many others were bursting crackers which were decorating the sky. The entire place was in a festive joyous mood awaiting Kaliyan’s arrival. Kaliyan reached the place along with his attendants and circumbulated the mandapam thrice swiftly amidst chores and went inside the mandapam. The act of Thirumangai Mannan looting the wealth is enacted inside the closed curtain. Later, the thirumeni of Thirumangai Mannan is taken to a nearby mandapam where he rests for more than an hour. We were told that during Azhwar’s days, there was a small stream flowing by in which Azhwar as per the instructions of Perumal had holy bath. Today, the stream is dried and so we could walk across to the mandapam where Thirumangai Mannan was resting. All the devotees are allowed to have darshan of Azhwar from very close quarters. We recollected Manavala Maamunigal ‘s beautiful description about Thirumangai Mannan’s vadivazhagu. Later, Thirumangai Mannan alights out from the mandapam amidst fanfare and circumbalate around the Dhivya Dampadhigal who were now giving darsanam on Garuda Vaahanam. WE were told that Perumal gives Mantropadesam to Thirumangai Mannan. Wisdom dawns on Thirumangai Mannan and he seeks forgiveness and repents for his acts . The first ten songs from Peria Thirumozhi starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi” was recited by all the assembled bhagavathaas and then neivedyam was offered to Perumal. The divya dampadhigal honoured Thirumangai Azhwar with parivattam, prasadam,garland, theertha prasadam and sataari. Karpoora aarthi was given to both Perumal and Azhwar. The entire procession started towards Thiruvaali temple reciting the remaining pasurams from Peria thirumozhi. The transformed Azhwar was now seen moving slowly as he had submitted his valour, strength ,speed , ego at the Lotus feet of Perumal and as a pure devotee he was now contemplating on the divine qualities of Perumal.
Please do plan to have this darshinam at Thiruvali Thirunagari on 02 of April 2015 , have darshanam and plan to have one more darshan at Srirangam to have the memorable darshanam of Peria Perumal.
Nathdwara is a small town in Mavli-Udiapur route. Situated in the heart of the town, SHRINATHJI temple is the main attraction with hundreds of devotees thronging to the temple daily. This is the second richest temple in India, first being Tirumala temple Nath Dwaraka and Kankroli Dwarka are two of the Nava Dwarkas – situated near ,Udaipur , Rajasthan – These two holy dhams are situated near Udaipur (one hour drive)- Here in this temple vendors sell vegetables,fruits, milk etc to be offered to the Lord at the entrance. The presiding diety is Goverdhanagiri dhaari popularly known as “SHRINATHJI” Nathdwara- temple is known as “Haveli”, a palatial building. Lord Krishna as Goverdhan dhaari is the child is well protected inside and one has to cross many halls to have HIS darshanam The darshan also would be for a very short period – about 10 to 15 minutes in time intervals of 2-3 hours. Its the devotees fortune to have darshans . Different types of bhog would be offered to the Lord when the curtains are drawn. In this Nathdwara- Temple there are separate entrances for gents and ladies. Hundreds of devotees assemble in front of the sanctum when the curtains are drawn. The devotees sing melodiously while the priest offers shodasa upachaaram(16 types of upachaarams) to the Lord. For them, the Lord is their child. Here Lord gives darshan in bluish form with HIS left hand raised upwards with little finger pointing upwards, HIS right hand closed in a fist rests on HIS hip. HIS lotus eyes glance downward affectionately at HIS devotees. Lord Shrinathji is very special and beautiful diety. There is a diamond on the chin of the Lord. This idol is swayambhu (self manifested and not carved by anyone). As the Lord is the combined form of Radharani and Gopala, HE is known as “SHRI SHRINATHJI”.( “SHRI” indicates Thayar ). The Lord is also known as “Banke Bihari”. This deity was earlier in Vrindavan near Goverdhana giri and is related to one of Lord Sri Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan lifting Goverdhana hill.To mark this incident, Vajranabha great grandson constructed a temple at the foot of the hill and affered prayers . Due to passage of time, this deity disappeared and the whereabouts remained unknown for many years. After many years, appeared as Gopala in Madhavendra Puri’s dream, informed him about HIS whereabouts and a temple was constructed . When Aurangzeb invaded Mathura and Vrindavan, the deity disappeared into the hill and could not be traced out. Even today, in Mathura, Vrindavan, we can find many old temples in ruins and the sculptures disfigured by Aurangzeb. After many years, appeared to Sri Vallabhacharyar in his dream and informed HIS whereabouts. When Sri Vallabacharyar reached Goverdhanagiri, the deity emerged out by itself and was glorified by Vallabhacharyar. Perumal advised Vallabhacharyar, who was a very great devotee to carry Him to Mewar in Rajasthan. Vallabacharyar arranged a cart for Perumal and left for Mewar. Rana Raja Singh of Mewar helped Vallabhacharyar . After 2 months, the cart reached the present Nathdwara enroute to Mewar in the 17thcentury. But on the way to Mewar, the cart stopped suddenly at this place and did not move an inch. Vallabacharyar heard a divine voice say that Perumal wished to stay in this place itself as it was the place where HIS dear devotee, Meera bhai stayed.
( The story of Meera bhai is well known to all of us.)The Vallabhacharyar with the help of Mewar king constructed a beautiful temple for the Lord here .
As mentioned earlier, Perumal instructed him to take Him away to Mewar and the later developments have already been mentioned above. Vallabhacharyar used to please the Lord with his kirtans which was later followed by his disciples. In a corner of the temple, the photographs of Sri Vallabhacharyar along with his descendants are displayed. Even today, bhog is offered to Perumal on behalf of Sri Vallabhacharyar.
6 sevas are performed daily.There is a big photograph of Perumal “SHRI SHRINATHJI” hung on a wall and pointed out to the nose ring worn by Perumal and a diamond stone studded on Perumal’s chin. It was for taking this diamond that Aurangzeb invaded Mathura but his attempts became futile because Lord disappeared from that place. In the garbagriham, Perumal gives darshan as Krishna-Radharani together and hence is known as “SHRI SHRINATHJI. The cart which carried the Lord is preserved in a separate room. Even today, this event is celebrated every year. A new cart is made and is rested on the cart. In the adjacent room, there are 2 mortars- one made of gold and the other made of silver. Once in eight days, chandan(sandal paste ) for LORD is made using these mortars.
Thirukoshtiyur Nambikal one of the Guru of Swamy Ramanuja was very much pleased with Ramanuja and so he wanted to impart to him the meaning of Charama sloka from the eighteenth chapter of Bhagavat Gita. So he sent word to Ramanuja to come alone again. Swami Ramanuja went alone and Nambikal taught him the meaning of Charama sloka and told him not to reveal it to anyone. But Ramanuja beseeched with Nambikal that he should be allowed to teach it to Kurathazwar. Then Nambikal told him that Kurathazwar should be taught only after doing service to Swamy Ramanuja one full year. When Ramanuja returned to Srirangam, he told Kurathazwar about his Guru’s order. Kurathazwar was disappointed to hear this. He thought when it was not sure whether we would be alive for the next moment, how he could wait for a year to learn this secret meaning of the Charama Sloka. He remembered that it was depicted in Sastras, if a person observe upavasam for one month it was equal to serving for one year. So he observed fasting for one month in front of Ramanuja’s Thirumalikai ( Ashramam) Thus he got his wish fulfilled. Mudaliyandan another foremost disciple of Swamy Ramanuja came to know about this and he went and prostrated before Ramanuja and begged him to teach him also the Charama Sloka manthrartham. But Ramanuja told him that his Guru Nambikal gave him permission to give the upadesam only to Kurathazwar and he could go to Nambikal and get it directly from him. Though Mudaliyandan waited for six months, he did not get any positive signal from Nambikal. Hence one day he went and prostrated before Nambikal and begged him. Nambikal told him, “you were proud of your wealth, your learning and your high caste As you have not yet attained the paripakkuvam (controlling mamakaram.) Ramanuja had sent you here. But now you are fit to have the Upadesam. You go back and your guru and he would be pleased to teach you now.”Then the sincere disciple of Swamy Ramanuja , Mudaliyandan returned to Srirangam and narrated to Swamy Ramanuja all that had happened. At that time Swamy Ramanujas another Guru ,Periya Nambikal’s daughter Athuzaay also had come to see Ramanuja. She told that her mother in law had sent her home, telling her to bring a cook from her house and her father had told her that she should go to Ramanuja and he would do the needful. When Ramanuja heard this, he told Mudaliyandan to accompany Athuzaay. Mudaliyandan at once obeyed his guru and went along with Athuzaay. At that place , he was doing service to her mother in law for six months. One day he happened to hear a Srivaishnava explaining the meaning of a Sanskrit sloka wrongly. MudaliAndaan went into the gathering and explained the proper meaning of the sloka. The Brahmin got angry and told, “You are only a cook and Its beyond your capacity to understand the shastras He chided him to just go and simply cook what was ordered .” Yet Mudaliyandan did not get angry and spoke sweetly and also explained again. The Brahmin got ashamed and begged for pardon. MudaliAndaan told that he was the disciple of Swamy Ramanuja and he was sent by him to do service at Athuzaay’s house. Whatsover explanation was given now was the mercy of his Acharyar Swami Ramanuja . When Ramanuja came to know this, he went in person and brought him back with him. He was happy that Mudaliyandan now had attained the paripakkuvam to be taught the Charama sloka Rahasyartham. He taught him the same and also conferred him the title” Vaishnava Dasar.”
In Srirangam , the capital of Srivaishnavas , Once there lived an old lady with her grandson who was also named as Ranga. The old woman and her grandson were great devotees of Lord Ranganatha. As usual ,one day the grandson went to have a dip in the river Kaveri. However , the river took him away and left him on the banks near Amma Mandapam at Srirangam. The boy Rangan had Lord’s darshan there and He also prayed for his grandmother. In the meantime, the old women was searching for her grandson and Lord Ranganatha appeared before her in the form of her grandson. She took LORD home and fed Him with thayir sadham (curd rice) and vadu manga (tender mango pickle). The Lord ate happily and disappeared when her real grandson arrived. Now on conversation the old lady realized that it was not her grandson who arrived and that had food from her hands but the Lord Himself.
The old women felt sad that had she known that the Lord would come to eat, she would have made akkarai vadisal ( sweet pudding with dry fruits ) and fed the Lord . Out of abundant mercy , Lord appeared before her and told her that He always eats akkarai vadisal at His palace of Srirangam but was longing for the simple food that His devotees have been eating. To enact this incident , every year the Lord sets off to Jeeyarpuram and blesses His devotees there. The Lord accepts offerings on the way towards Jeeyarpuram and reaches Jeeyarpuram Astana Mamandapam around 11 AM the next day. This festival is enacted on the second day, NamPerumal starts on a procession around the Chithra streets at 7:30 AM and arrives at the Garuda Mandapam through Ranga Vilas. He remains at the Garuda Mandapam till the evening blessing all his devotees with His darshan. At 5:15 PM, NamPerumal starts His procession graciously marching towards JeeyaPuram, which is located west of Srirangam across the Vada Thiru Cauveri along the Melur Road. This day signifies His graciousness to go to His devotees who are unable to come to Him and provide His blessings to all. The main purpose of Him to go to Jeeyar Puram is to provide His blessings to his beloved devotees outside of Srirangam as well.
There was an ardent devotee from Dakore near Ahmedabad who used to visit Dwaraka every year on his bullock cart carrying pots of tulasi plants with him to offer the same to the Lord . He used to take 6 months to reach Dwaraka
He followed this practice even in his advanced age. Like Thirukacchinambigal, this devotee could converse with the Lord. During one such visit, he prayed to Dwarakadeesh that in future he may not be able to visit Dwarka as he was very old. The Lord replied that henceforth he preferred to stay with this pure devotee rather than being in Dwarka where people had turned materialistic and there was no pure bhakti..
The Lord ordered him to be ready with the cart in the night. The devotee accordingly obeyed and waited with the cart for the Lord. As promised, Lord left the temple, got into the cart and HE HIMSELF drove the cart. The Lord who acted as “PARTHASARATHY- (Charioteer to Arjuna in the Mahabharata war once again took the reins and drove the chariot).The Supreme Lord who by His mere glance, controls the entire Cosmic manifestation, made the devotee relax and Himself drove the cart for the sake of His devotee. Overnight they reached Dakore. ( A place near Ahmedabad ).
The devotee used to take 6 months to drive the cart but the Lord reached the place within 6 hours. From the following morning the devotee along with his wife started worship in their hut itself . Meantime, when the temple doors were opened, the priests were shocked to see the idol missing. They guessed that the old devotee who was in the temple for a very long time the previous night must be responsible for this .
All the residents of Dwarka set out for Dakore. When they saw the Lord in the devotees house, they started abusing the old devotee and tried to forcibly take the idol. They did not listen to the devotees pleas .However hard they tried to grab the deity , the deity did not even move an inch. At that time they heard an asareeri say that Lord would be with whoever gives offering equal to the Lord’s weight . Immediately, a balance was brought and the idol was placed on one side of the balance. The residents of Dwarka offered all their possessions which was kept on the other side of the balance. The balance remained as it is. They rushed back to Dwarka and brought back all they had but this also was of no match to the Lord’s weight. Having accepted defeat, they asked the Brahmin to try his turn. The devotees wife a very great devotee, prayed to Lord and placed her nose ring along with little Tulasi on the other side of the balance and immediately both the balances became EQUAL.
Thus demonstrated that He is bound by His devotees pure affection and love. To the dejected residents of Dwaraka, Lord informed that very soon a sculptor would approach them who would sculpt a similar vigraham which could be placed in the altar and would continue to bless the devotees by bestowing His powers on the idol. Hence, the original deity of the is present in DAKORE DWARAKA now.At Dwarka, as advised by the Lord , a sculptor approached the priests and offered to make an idol with the condition that no one should disturb him while he was performing his work. The residents agreed and the sculptor locked himself in a room. This went on for 18 days but when no sound was heard, the curious devotees broke open the door and to their astonishment, the sculptor had vanished and the Lord’s vigraham was near completion but for the eyes. As they went back on their words, they were crying pitifully realizing that the sculptor was none other than the Himself. An aakashvaani declared that henceforth, they could consider this vigraham as the Lord Himself and offer pooja to the and whatever happened was as per HIS divine WILL. To this day, this mangala moorthy is being worshipped at Dwaraka which is situated on the western coast near Arabian Sea.
For more information about our piligrimage , please check adiyens travelogue here
THE DAY LORD GAVE THIRUMANTRA UPADESAM TO THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR
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Near Seerkazhee there lived a patriotic Army General (ThaLapathi) ofChozhA king who earned the king’s goodwill and respect with his devoted work.He and his wife, vallitthiru were blessed with a beautiful male child, whomthey named neelan (due to his dark (neela mEga) colour. He was born in the
year nala during karthiigai mAsam, kritigai nakshathram, full moon day and wasan incarnation of the Lord’s SArngam (Divine bow). Neelan grew up as a shrewdsmart boy, learning Tamizh and Sanskrit and mastered them; became wellversed in sword fight(vAL payiRchi), vil viddhai with, Horse riding, elephant riding, etc. He grew up a young, intelligent, smart, healthy,strong, handsome lad (and yet simple and modest with a religious mind likehis parents) and not surprisingly, people liked him very much. When Neelan’s father got old, the chOzhA king, having heard about Neelan,appointed Neelan as the Army General(ThaLapathi). He was agile, dynamic,young and was good at battle fields; and hence captured the neighboringstates; The king was immensely pleased and presented him a small portion of his kingdom, a place called Thirumangai, as a tribute and made him a KING! (He was thereafter called “Thirumangai mannan”.)That was his first success. And that became the cause for his slipping from all bhakti, devotion, religion etc., etc., and the success of reaching the SimhAsanam at such a young age, (with no chance of becoming a king, otherwise) went to his head. He took to all vices; He was deeply caught in seeking sensual pleasures. The parents were helpless and could do nothingbut pray to the Lord to correct their son. All compassionate Lord Sriman nArAyaNA did listen to them. He had organised such a situation that made a dEvamAdhu by name sumangalai(who was performing the kainkaryam of fanning(sAmaram)the Lord) to appear as the most beautiful daughter of a local doctor in Tirumangai, in the name “kumudhavalli” (based on a “sApam” given by kapila muni for her laughing at an ugly face and coarse voice of his disciple). Being an incarnate of dEvamAdhu, she wasexquisitely pretty and could attract even a recluse.Our “new” king, Thirumangai mannan heard of her alluringly feminine beauty and wished to see her immediately. When he saw her, he was so much captivated by her darting glance at him, he fell head over heels for her and proposed to marry her. Kumudhavalli, through her father, stipulated two prerequisites for him to qualify for marrying her. They were one . Her husband should be a (or become a) Sri vaishNavA, wear ThirunaNkAppu on his forehead, and be a true bhaktA of Sriman NarayaNan. (Sriman Narayanan Himself spoke through her) and 2. Her husband should feed daily 1000 (ONE THOUSAND!) sri vaishNava bhakthALs with Prasadam Our mannan, being intoxicated by her looks, agreed after listening to her conditions immediately. They got married. So there he was. With a bright ThirumaNkAppu, thuLasi mAlai, he paid obeisance to LORD Sriman NarayaNa. He started the annadhAnam for 1000 Sri vaishNava bhaktALs. Slowly day by day, our mannan was transfering into a
true, sincere devotee of the Lord and was getting tremendous satisfaction from feeding Sri vaishNavas daily. The enjoyment of Bhakti and BhagavatOttamAL sEvai were really experienced by Thirumangai mannan. While this was going on, the entire treasury was spent on the AnnadhAnam kainkaryam. He could not even send the “tax” which he was supposed to send to the chOzhA king every year. So, chOzhA King sent a message to him asking him pay the taxes that was collected ; but since our mannan could not pay and sent back a reply saying that he will not be able to pay. ChOzhA king got wild and sent soldiers to bring him. Our hero sent them back effortlessly with his fighting skills. ChOzhA king himself came with a heavy army and attacked Thirumangai mannan. Even though Thirumangai mannan’s army was small, he fought and won the battle. His horse went near the chOzhA king and he got down from the horse. He said: “Oh pErarasE (Big king!), I did not send the tax- I don’t deny. But did I spend the money on trivial matters? It was spent for Sri VaishNavALs. How can I stop when your soldiers came to imprison me?”. Our chOzhA king was hurt due to his defeat and did not listen to all this. He said,”I made you a king. I gave you all these luxuries. Now you are not even grateful. and you fought with me, too”
Our mannan got hurt very badly by that “ungrateful” statement. He was very much grateful to chOzhA king for all that he had done. So Thirumangai mannan threw away his sword and bowed down before the king and said ”
Chozha mannA! Am I ungrateful? was not these kingdoms which I captured for you. Now I am standing in front of you as the same neelan . Go ahead and do what you wish to do with me”. The chOzhA king melted and was moved. He hugged thirumangaimannan and said “Don’t worry. I know you. But we should pay respects to pErarasar-chitRarsar relation and hence, you are to send your tax within 3
days. Till then, you will be imprisoned in the perumAL temple.” There wasno way he could get any money and hence, he begged the Lord to help him.The Lord appeared in his dream and suggested him to go to the banks ofriver vEdhavathi near kanchi where he could find a big treasure of Gold coins and jewels. He narrated the dream to the chOzhA king andthirumangaimannan and few ministers went to kanchi, vEdhavathi river banksand did find a BIG TREASURE. Having heard this news, chOzhA king got upfrom the throne and whole heartedly bowed down to Thirumangai mannan forhis bhakti and thee Lord’s mercy on him. He said” I have done a greatmistake of taxing a great bhakthA for a small tax issue and caused ahindrance to BhagavathALs’ anna dhAna kankaryam. Please take all thistreasure and let me send you back with full Royal honours. You need notinsult me by paying the tax any more!”. The mannan came back with morewealth and with great honours. The citizens of Thirumangai were greatly
thrilled by their king and kumudhavalli was proud of her husband. They revived their kainkaryam for 1000 Sri VaishNanvALs more aggressively and attained their happiness and satisfaction as usual. Again, they found themselves left with no wealth for the kainkaryam.
With a view to keeping the promise to his beloved wife, he had to resort to highway robbery from rich people. With the booty, he continued the kainkaryam. One day The Lord Sriya: patih Sriman NarayaNan and Vishnu pathni Sri MahAlakshmi appeared on the highway as a”just married” couple with lots and lots of jewels adorned them. Our mannan turned robber heard of a new rich young couple’s coming on
the Highway and immediately rushed with his adiyALs. He was very happy tosee Them with so many jewels and thanked God(!) for that. They also had abag containing more ornaments. Our Neelan demanded Them to surrender allthey had. They did precisely what was instructed to Them; all with TheirkatAksham on our hero. They put all their ornaments on a piece of cloth.When Thirumangai mannan tried to lift the bundle of ornaments he just couldnot even move it a bit! He was shocked and perplexed as to why it was so difficult to move it! He went near the bridegroom ,Lord Sri mahAvishNu and with a fierce look into His eyes, asked Him ” What is the manthram you have for lifting this bundle?. Tell me, else, I will kill you both.” He threatened Them with a sword. The Lord and the PirAtti smiled with a gentle mandhahAsam. He asked Thirumangai mannan to come near Him AND WHISPERED IN
HIS RIGHT EAR ” THE ASHTAAKSHARI “. Having heard those EIGHT SYALLABLES (AshtAksharam) right from none other than SRIYA: PATHI HIMSELF, his mind, his heart became PURE!. All his dirt had disappeared! He was simply electrified by the AshtAksharam. He got goose pimples all over his body; He got indescribable blissful happiness! He prostrated fully at Their Lotus feet with eyes full of tears at Their mercy to bless him despite his shortcomings and negative qualities. They blessed him with Their KARUNAI KATAAKSHAM.. He realised His ThiruviLaiyAdal and the purpose of his birth and poured out tamizh pAsurams on the Lordas if it comes from just opened dam (“madai thirandha veLLam pOl”). He looked at the sky and kept on crying ceaselessly for Their dayA on his lowly self. His hands and the legs were shivering with tremendous amount of Bhakti and love for the Lord.
He came back galloping on his horse named ADALMAA to narrate the ENTIRE EXCITING INCIDENT to the beloved kumudhavalli. Kumudhavalli, before he started even, asked him as to why his face looked so bright, serene, divine and beaming that day. He said “kumudhA, I have reached the purpose of my manushya janmam kumudhA. I have seen NARAYANA, kumudhA. (nAn kaNdu koNdEn NARAYANAnai). He was too excited to even complete his statements in a coherent manner. (After all, he has been initited by SarvEswaran Himself!). Kumudhavalli said, “Then, I have also reached the purpose of my deputation (by Lord
through kapila muni)” and she narrated her story. Our AzhwAr became all the more blissful and happier to know that The Lord Sriya: pathih sent Kumudhavalli only to set him right from his wrong path and corrected him. He could not control his tears and sobbed heavily at the Lord’s mercy on him repeatedly . His outburst of HIS BLISS was shared through HIS pasurams and visited almost about 86 temples . He also took efforts to construct Temple walls of Srirangam without affecting ThoNdaradippodiAzhwAr’s nandhavanam. (“pAdi pAdi paraparappAi thirinthAr”) His compositions were : 1. Periya thirumozhi 2. Periya thirumadal 3. SiRiya thirumadal 4. Thiru nedunthANdakam (TNT) 5. Thiru KurunthANdakam(TKT) 6. Thiru vezhuk kurrirukkai. His pAsurams are marvellous; excellent and have unsurpassed beauty in them. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar made use of his TNT to winover his counter part, a advaitin scholar in his arguments and later the advaitin became his disciple ‘nam jeeyar’. Sri RanganAtha himself heard and
was greatly pleased with that argument reenacted from Bhattar quoting from
Here is one of his periya thirumozhi pasurams:
vAdinEn vAdi varundhinEn manatthaal/
perun thuyaridum idumbaiyil piRanNdhu/
koodinEn koodi iLaiyavar thammOdu/
avar tharum kalaviyE karudhi/
OdinEn Odi uyvadhOr poruLaal/
uNarvenum perumpadhan therindhu/
naadinEn nAdi nadi nAn kaNdukoNdEn/
nArAyaNA vennum nAmam.
Being born into this body, a reservoir of profound sorrow, I am repenting,
melting and crying, I am filled with pathos and self-pity;I have let myself
run after beautiful women, seeking the sensual pleasures from their union;
Through the grace of our Lord I have now realized that there is a greater
goal and That will deliver me into eternal happiness; I have been searching
for this state and have now found it IN THE SWEET NAME NARAYANA. This pASsuram will bring tears to the eyes of any Vaishnava for AzhwAr’sBhakti and love and his heart longing for the lotus feet of our Lord Narayana.
The clip was taken 2 years back during adiyens piligrimage
All glories to the devotees who will be attending the Thiruvedipuri Utsavam today night .
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
THE DAY LORD GAVE THIRUMANTRA UPADESAM TO THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR
—————————————————————————————
Near Seerkazhee there lived a patriotic Army General (ThaLapathi) ofChozhA king who earned the king’s goodwill and respect with his devoted work.He and his wife, vallitthiru were blessed with a beautiful male child, whomthey named neelan (due to his dark (neela mEga) colour. He was born in the
year nala during karthiigai mAsam, kritigai nakshathram, full moon day and wasan incarnation of the Lord’s SArngam (Divine bow). Neelan grew up as a shrewdsmart boy, learning Tamizh and Sanskrit and mastered them; became wellversed in sword fight(vAL payiRchi), vil viddhai with, Horse riding, elephant riding, etc. He grew up a young, intelligent, smart, healthy,strong, handsome lad (and yet simple and modest with a religious mind likehis parents) and not surprisingly, people liked him very much. When Neelan’s father got old, the chOzhA king, having heard about Neelan,appointed Neelan as the Army General(ThaLapathi). He was agile, dynamic,young and was good at battle fields; and hence captured the neighboringstates; The king was immensely pleased and presented him a small portion of his kingdom, a place called Thirumangai, as a tribute and made him a KING! (He was thereafter called “Thirumangai mannan”.)That was his first success. And that became the cause for his slipping from all bhakti, devotion, religion etc., etc., and the success of reaching the SimhAsanam at such a young age, (with no chance of becoming a king, otherwise) went to his head. He took to all vices; He was deeply caught in seeking sensual pleasures. The parents were helpless and could do nothingbut pray to the Lord to correct their son. All compassionate Lord Sriman nArAyaNA did listen to them. He had organised such a situation that made a dEvamAdhu by name sumangalai(who was performing the kainkaryam of fanning(sAmaram)the Lord) to appear as the most beautiful daughter of a local doctor in Tirumangai, in the name “kumudhavalli” (based on a “sApam” given by kapila muni for her laughing at an ugly face and coarse voice of his disciple). Being an incarnate of dEvamAdhu, she wasexquisitely pretty and could attract even a recluse.Our “new” king, Thirumangai mannan heard of her alluringly feminine beauty and wished to see her immediately. When he saw her, he was so much captivated by her darting glance at him, he fell head over heels for her and proposed to marry her. Kumudhavalli, through her father, stipulated two prerequisites for him to qualify for marrying her. They were one . Her husband should be a (or become a) Sri vaishNavA, wear ThirunaNkAppu on his forehead, and be a true bhaktA of Sriman NarayaNan. (Sriman Narayanan Himself spoke through her) and 2. Her husband should feed daily 1000 (ONE THOUSAND!) sri vaishNava bhakthALs with Prasadam Our mannan, being intoxicated by her looks, agreed after listening to her conditions immediately. They got married. So there he was. With a bright ThirumaNkAppu, thuLasi mAlai, he paid obeisance to LORD Sriman NarayaNa. He started the annadhAnam for 1000 Sri vaishNava bhaktALs. Slowly day by day, our mannan was transfering into a
true, sincere devotee of the Lord and was getting tremendous satisfaction from feeding Sri vaishNavas daily. The enjoyment of Bhakti and BhagavatOttamAL sEvai were really experienced by Thirumangai mannan. While this was going on, the entire treasury was spent on the AnnadhAnam kainkaryam. He could not even send the “tax” which he was supposed to send to the chOzhA king every year. So, chOzhA King sent a message to him asking him pay the taxes that was collected ; but since our mannan could not pay and sent back a reply saying that he will not be able to pay. ChOzhA king got wild and sent soldiers to bring him. Our hero sent them back effortlessly with his fighting skills. ChOzhA king himself came with a heavy army and attacked Thirumangai mannan. Even though Thirumangai mannan’s army was small, he fought and won the battle. His horse went near the chOzhA king and he got down from the horse. He said: “Oh pErarasE (Big king!), I did not send the tax- I don’t deny. But did I spend the money on trivial matters? It was spent for Sri VaishNavALs. How can I stop when your soldiers came to imprison me?”. Our chOzhA king was hurt due to his defeat and did not listen to all this. He said,”I made you a king. I gave you all these luxuries. Now you are not even grateful. and you fought with me, too”
Our mannan got hurt very badly by that “ungrateful” statement. He was very much grateful to chOzhA king for all that he had done. So Thirumangai mannan threw away his sword and bowed down before the king and said ”
Chozha mannA! Am I ungrateful? was not these kingdoms which I captured for you. Now I am standing in front of you as the same neelan . Go ahead and do what you wish to do with me”. The chOzhA king melted and was moved. He hugged thirumangaimannan and said “Don’t worry. I know you. But we should pay respects to pErarasar-chitRarsar relation and hence, you are to send your tax within 3
days. Till then, you will be imprisoned in the perumAL temple.” There wasno way he could get any money and hence, he begged the Lord to help him.The Lord appeared in his dream and suggested him to go to the banks ofriver vEdhavathi near kanchi where he could find a big treasure of Gold coins and jewels. He narrated the dream to the chOzhA king andthirumangaimannan and few ministers went to kanchi, vEdhavathi river banksand did find a BIG TREASURE. Having heard this news, chOzhA king got upfrom the throne and whole heartedly bowed down to Thirumangai mannan forhis bhakti and thee Lord’s mercy on him. He said” I have done a greatmistake of taxing a great bhakthA for a small tax issue and caused ahindrance to BhagavathALs’ anna dhAna kankaryam. Please take all thistreasure and let me send you back with full Royal honours. You need notinsult me by paying the tax any more!”. The mannan came back with morewealth and with great honours. The citizens of Thirumangai were greatly
thrilled by their king and kumudhavalli was proud of her husband. They revived their kainkaryam for 1000 Sri VaishNanvALs more aggressively and attained their happiness and satisfaction as usual. Again, they found themselves left with no wealth for the kainkaryam.
With a view to keeping the promise to his beloved wife, he had to resort to highway robbery from rich people. With the booty, he continued the kainkaryam. One day The Lord Sriya: patih Sriman NarayaNan and Vishnu pathni Sri MahAlakshmi appeared on the highway as a”just married” couple with lots and lots of jewels adorned them. Our mannan turned robber heard of a new rich young couple’s coming on
the Highway and immediately rushed with his adiyALs. He was very happy tosee Them with so many jewels and thanked God(!) for that. They also had abag containing more ornaments. Our Neelan demanded Them to surrender allthey had. They did precisely what was instructed to Them; all with TheirkatAksham on our hero. They put all their ornaments on a piece of cloth.When Thirumangai mannan tried to lift the bundle of ornaments he just couldnot even move it a bit! He was shocked and perplexed as to why it was so difficult to move it! He went near the bridegroom ,Lord Sri mahAvishNu and with a fierce look into His eyes, asked Him ” What is the manthram you have for lifting this bundle?. Tell me, else, I will kill you both.” He threatened Them with a sword. The Lord and the PirAtti smiled with a gentle mandhahAsam. He asked Thirumangai mannan to come near Him AND WHISPERED IN
HIS RIGHT EAR ” THE ASHTAAKSHARI “. Having heard those EIGHT SYALLABLES (AshtAksharam) right from none other than SRIYA: PATHI HIMSELF, his mind, his heart became PURE!. All his dirt had disappeared! He was simply electrified by the AshtAksharam. He got goose pimples all over his body; He got indescribable blissful happiness! He prostrated fully at Their Lotus feet with eyes full of tears at Their mercy to bless him despite his shortcomings and negative qualities. They blessed him with Their KARUNAI KATAAKSHAM.. He realised His ThiruviLaiyAdal and the purpose of his birth and poured out tamizh pAsurams on the Lordas if it comes from just opened dam (“madai thirandha veLLam pOl”). He looked at the sky and kept on crying ceaselessly for Their dayA on his lowly self. His hands and the legs were shivering with tremendous amount of Bhakti and love for the Lord.
He came back galloping on his horse named ADALMAA to narrate the ENTIRE EXCITING INCIDENT to the beloved kumudhavalli. Kumudhavalli, before he started even, asked him as to why his face looked so bright, serene, divine and beaming that day. He said “kumudhA, I have reached the purpose of my manushya janmam kumudhA. I have seen NARAYANA, kumudhA. (nAn kaNdu koNdEn NARAYANAnai). He was too excited to even complete his statements in a coherent manner. (After all, he has been initited by SarvEswaran Himself!). Kumudhavalli said, “Then, I have also reached the purpose of my deputation (by Lord
through kapila muni)” and she narrated her story. Our AzhwAr became all the more blissful and happier to know that The Lord Sriya: pathih sent Kumudhavalli only to set him right from his wrong path and corrected him. He could not control his tears and sobbed heavily at the Lord’s mercy on him repeatedly . His outburst of HIS BLISS was shared through HIS pasurams and visited almost about 86 temples . He also took efforts to construct Temple walls of Srirangam without affecting ThoNdaradippodiAzhwAr’s nandhavanam. (“pAdi pAdi paraparappAi thirinthAr”) His compositions were : 1. Periya thirumozhi 2. Periya thirumadal 3. SiRiya thirumadal 4. Thiru nedunthANdakam (TNT) 5. Thiru KurunthANdakam(TKT) 6. Thiru vezhuk kurrirukkai. His pAsurams are marvellous; excellent and have unsurpassed beauty in them. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar made use of his TNT to winover his counter part, a advaitin scholar in his arguments and later the advaitin became his disciple ‘nam jeeyar’. Sri RanganAtha himself heard and
was greatly pleased with that argument reenacted from Bhattar quoting from
Here is one of his periya thirumozhi pasurams:
vAdinEn vAdi varundhinEn manatthaal/
perun thuyaridum idumbaiyil piRanNdhu/
koodinEn koodi iLaiyavar thammOdu/
avar tharum kalaviyE karudhi/
OdinEn Odi uyvadhOr poruLaal/
uNarvenum perumpadhan therindhu/
naadinEn nAdi nadi nAn kaNdukoNdEn/
nArAyaNA vennum nAmam.
Being born into this body, a reservoir of profound sorrow, I am repenting,
melting and crying, I am filled with pathos and self-pity;I have let myself
run after beautiful women, seeking the sensual pleasures from their union;
Through the grace of our Lord I have now realized that there is a greater
goal and That will deliver me into eternal happiness; I have been searching
for this state and have now found it IN THE SWEET NAME NARAYANA. This pASsuram will bring tears to the eyes of any Vaishnava for AzhwAr’sBhakti and love and his heart longing for the lotus feet of our Lord Narayana.
The clip was taken 2 years back during adiyens piligrimage
All glories to the devotees who will be attending the Thiruvedipuri Utsavam today night .
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Today , Panguni uthiram is the most important day of srivaishnavas . Swamy Ramanuja’s prays to Lord Ranganathar and Peria pirattlar (Sriranga nachiar at Srirangam . Lord Namperumal (Sri Ranganathar) and Peria pirattlar (Sriranga nachiar) are seated together. Lord (naMperumAL) is standing majestically as usual and more beautiful and graceful today due to the compassionate looking pirAtti and is enjoying the beauty of Her Lord without taking Her eyes off Him even for a second This was the right opportunity for LokaAcharyar Swami Ramanuja to ask for favors from our DIVINE PARENTS. He submits to the LOTUS FEET through his divine outpourings Gadyatrayam. Swamy Ramanuja worshipping them, submits his deep fear of samsara (association with the body in a cycle of births) and begs the Lord to save him. Swamy Ramanuja surrendered his all to the Lord and begged Him to be his sole savior. In the Three Gadyaas, Swamy Ramanuja’s prayed swamies innermost feelings of deep devotion to the Lord break all restrictions and flow freely towards the Lord and His consort. These are prima facie a spontaneous outburst of devotional experience and not coldly labored compositions. The inner voice of the devotee addresses Sri and the Lord and they do reply clearly through the same inner voice. In the Saranagati gadya, Swamy Ramanuja first addresses Sri as the mother of the Universe, as his own mother, and as the loving consort of his Lord, and seeks her intercession on his behalf. This is itself a saranagati addressed to the mother. Happy at being addressed this, Sri replies ‘So be it’; “let your prapathi bear the proper fruit of being accepted as a devoted servant” The commentators have it that this assurance is not only for the Acharya but for all his spiritual progeny. The boon that Lord granted to Swamy Ramanuja applies to his spiritual heirs. It is worth noting that once he gets the assurance from Sri of her sure mediation, he addresses himself directly to the Lord seeking Him as the sole savior. The LokAcharya then addresses the Lord speaking of His incomparable glory, “His immense wealth, His power, His retinue, His divine weapons, His beautiful ornaments, His loving consorts, of His infinite compassion and other admirable qualities words which are a rhapsody of devout fervor which can come only from the very depth of a realized soul. Swamy Ramanuja holds out prapathi as the highest message he had for his followers.The Sriranga gadyam is a shorter piece and is essentially the same as the Saranagati gadyam. It is addressed directly to Sriranganatha. ” Sriranganatha! mama natha! namostu te” are the words of the acharya. To the seeker of salvation who has taken to the path of Prapathi, it is essential that he should spend his time in devoted service of the lord; in serving his devotees; by meditating on Him and singing His praise; by repeatedly uttering the Dvaya mantra (this is an enjoyable and sweet pastime). The acharya gives expression to all these, briefly, in confidence to the lord at Srirangam. His intention is that this short text may be repeated easily in the presence of the Lord by devotees intent on the fruit prayed for. Check this clip which takes to LORDS LOTUS FEET ..
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
During the year 2012 we were fortunate to have darshan of SAPTHA BHADRI . Among the Seven Bhadris , Bhavishya bhadri darshan was most memorable . We drove by a hired cab upto Saldhar which is about 19 kms from Joshirmutt. The weather was pleasant and chilly and we were reminded of Tirumala ghat road.. An arc mentioned as Tapovan made our spirits engulf the serene atmosphere . This is a serene place for meditation. Driving ahead, we reached the starting point of our trekking. Bhavishya Badri is located in Subhain village and one has to trek the hill for 6 kms in a lonely path . We just found a small arch mentioning Bhavishya Badri. We were five and Adiyen was only male member trekking in in a lonely place. Initially there were few steep steps laid as a pathway for about a kilometer. Singing Annamacharyar keerthanas and chanting the mahamantram Thirumantram, we prayed LORD for HIS darshan in this lonely place and started trekking. There are no sign boards, no indication about the route . The Lord seated as Antharyaami was guiding us.. We didn’t even know whether the route taken by us was right or not. We were enthralled to see a villager from whom we inquired about the route. Felt delighted to note that we were on the correct path and as per his directions, we continued our way. Beyond the first settlement, there is no pathway at all. There was greenery everywhere and the different varieties of wild flowers which had blossomed were so colorful and pleasing to our eyes impelling the children to burst into some song. WE could see chameleons, colorful butterflies, squirrels , forest ants and humming sound of bees from far. However, we realized that the forest shrubs and plants which were growing on either sides of this so called tiny footpath was hostile. The leaves were sharp and accidentally if our hands touched the leaves, that part in our hand which came in contact with the leaf would get swollen immediately. WE had to be cautious while trod ding the path so as to avoid stamping on some forest snail/snake/ant etc. The path is slippery and my daughter who made a wrong choice of wearing heels had to remove her slippers and walk bare footed all through the way. Of course all these didn’t matter because we were focused on our destination. Once in a while, when we came across some passerby , we used to take directions from him and proceed on our adventurous trip. As we are not used to altitudes, we trekked slowly taking occasional rests . Somehow we were all energetic singing the glories of the Lord and enjoying nature’s beauty. In lighter moments, cracking jokes on each other once in a while to ease out the stress, we kept on ascending the hill. While trekking so, we suddenly got confused as the so called footpath was leading to two ways and we didn’t know which one to take. My niece found a Lays wrapper and suggested that the path would be inhabited. Children were enjoying the adventure guessing the route,pulling each other….It was a real holiday for them. We were imagining as to how Thirumangai Azhwar would have reached Badri Vishal which would have been unexplored like this at that time. There was no one to inquire and we were getting nervous as to whether the path taken by us was right or not. After walking for about half an hour, we met a lady who said that the route taken by us was wrong and she volunteered to take us to the correct path. We felt that it was God in disguise who appeared to help us out. We were once again left to ourselves and continued with our journey. After trekking for about 2 hours, we were exhausted and were searching for a place to relax. Luckily, we found a shop on the way . As we wished to remain light while trekking, we didn’t have breakfast and now the children badly needed something to re-energise themselves. The shop provided all sorts of snacks, cool drinks , medicines, water etc. After replenishing ourselves, we continued onwards our 2 kms trek journey. This particular settlement was much better compared to other isolated places. We continued trekking and once again left with no one around. WE could not locate any path way and didn’t know which side to take-left or right!! WE took the wrong path and after some time, we saw a person down the hill and screamed for help. He informed that he is the temple priest and he was also going to Bhavishya Badri. Our joy knew no bounds. He accompanied us for some time, and as we couldn’t cope up with his lightning speed, he gave us directions and left. He said that the temple was only one km away .WE were now on a bigger plain surface. Surrounded by snow clad high mountain peaks on all sides, sun rays falling through the tall eucalyptus trees and gentle breeze full of medicinal properties accompanied by Dhauli Ganga flowing as a small stream , green vegetation in the surrounding places and the sound of cuckoos as if welcoming us , we were in ecstasy looking at the marvelous creation of the Lord. We have seen this in movies but now we are here experiencing them with our own eyes but for deers and peacocks. Even after trekking for hours, we were still energetic and bubbling with joy as we were near to our destination. Two local women farmers were passing by us suggested us to taste the crystal clear cold water from the Dhauli Ganga stream. Pure un adultered tasty water was like nectar. They accompanied us to the temple. We reached the temple past noon. AS the pujari met us on the way, he was waiting for us. All of us had very good darshan of the Lord. The pujari explained to us that 10 years ago, there was only a sketch mark on the rock but now we can see the Lord’s figure emerging out of the cave. The Lord is in the form of Narasimha bhagavan. The pujari pointed us to the various features in the half emerged idol attributing its form to that of Lord Narasimha. How fortunate and blessed we are to have Lord Narasimhar as Bhavishya Badri Narayanan. In the present Badri Vishal, the Lord is in the form of Narayanan whereas here HE is going to assume the form of Bhakthavatsalan, Lord Narasimhar whose avataram is for the sake of devotee. JAI NARASING DEV!!
WE offered our dry fruits to the deities and did kirtan for about half an hour. A mahamantra sticker is at the entrance which was pasted by ISKCON PAADAYATRA troup who visited this temple some time ago. WE were imagining that when Thirumangai Azhwar visited Badri Vishal few thousands of years ago, that place would have been similar to this one now.After trekking almost 6 KM for 4 hours reaching at an altitude of 3200 metres we are delighted to have darshan of Bhavishya Bhadrinathji.. We chanted Mahamantra . At 3200 m height we could see the local people also joining us to chant the HOLY NAME .It was a great feeling . Was immensely pleased to note from a sticker that ISKCON PADAYATRA devotees also visited this dhaam.
All glories to Vishaal Bhadrinath
Thirukachi Nambhigal too is relieved and happy that he has had an opportunity to serve a great acharya. One rainy day Thirukostiyur Nambhigal finds his cows missing and asks his shishyas to find the cows. But the shishyas are reluctant to go in the heavy rains & winds. So Thirukostiyur Nambhi decides to look for the cows by himslef and calls for Thirukachi Nambhigal for help. Thirukachi Nambhigal instantly replies “Adiyen” and Thirukostiyur Nambhi looks in the direction of the voice.
Swami thiru-k-kachchi nambi took leave from the Lord, and went outside the covered Mantapam. It was raining very heavily, and hence he could not go. 
He was but just a trustee. (This tradition of the Maharaja of Travancore visiting Lord Ananta-Padmanabha Swami goes on to the present day.) Such was the pious and saintly quality of the ancient line of Vedic kings among whom Maharaja Kulasekhara appeared.
The King out of curiosity , woke him up and asked him who he was and why he was sleeping there in the open. The man answered that he was a temple priest and was supposed to leave in the early hours of the day to Sethu to complete his Thirtha yathra . Being new to the place , he took shelter near to the temple .
The King asked him to enlighten him on 
The Lord was supremely happy and told him”
The Varthamana swamy descendant of Swamy MudaliAndaan was kind to recite this sloka at our residence during his recent visit , a clip presented below
Having assigned Swami Mudaliandan with the job of constructing temples, Swamy Ramanujar focused on the spread of Sri Vaishnavism. 
Earlier , almost all the temples were scattered on the hills with no direct route , one was forced to walk back the way he came and then go to the next temple ,but now the scene is different .
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