Sri Ranga Pancharathnam :Part 13.1 of Sri Ranganatha Temple project

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ranganatha BhakthAs :

 

Sriranga KshEthram is the puNya BhUmi .

Like in VaraNAsi , anyone who breathes their

last here reaches Parama Padham . The great Vedantin,

Appayaa Dikshithar , who wrote the commentary

for Swami Desikan's YadhavAbhudhayam pointed out

the significance of this Mukthi KshEthram this way:

 

idham cha Rangam tyajathAmihAngam

na vidhyathEangam yadhi jAthuchAngam I

pANou rathAngam sayanE bhujangam

yaanE vihangam charaNEambhu Gaangam II

 

(Meaning ) : This is Sriranga KshEthram .There is

no rebirth for those , who shake off their mortal

coils here . If they perchance take up a body again ,

it will return to this earth as the ONE with Sudarsanam

in its hand , resting on Adhi SEshA , riding on Garudan

and having the sacred feet from which the holy Ganga river

flows . That body will return with Bhagavadh SaarUpyam .

 

Saint ThyagarAjA , the reluctant traveller

******************************************

 

To this Moksha KshEthram of Srirangam came the pilgrim

from ThiruvayyAru . He wanted to offer his worship to

the IshvAku Kula Dhaivam worshipped by His Ishta

Dhaivam, Sri RamachandrA at His ancestral home in

AyOddhi . As a rule , this pilgrim , Saint ThyagarAjA

was not keen on leaving the side of his AarAdhana

mUrthy at ThiruvayyAru . He said through one of

his Thodi raaga krithis ( Kotinadhulu DhanushkotilO):

 

" Oh Mind ! Listen to the counsel of ThyagarAjA , the great

devotee of RaghunAthA . For those fortunate souls , who

constantly and directly see the beautiful form of RaamA ,

crores of holy rivers are present at Dhanushkoti ( the tip

of Sri RaamA's bow ) itself , rivers like GangA with its

source at the Lord's feet and the KaavEri deriving its

glory from Sri RanganAthA ; WHY SHOULD THEN ONE WANDER FROM

PLACE TO PLACE ON THEERTHA YAATHRAA AND PILGRIMAGE ? ".

 

In his other well known MukhAri Raaga Krtithi , "KsheeNamai ",

Saint ThyagarAjA talked about the real road to travel :

 

" Oh Mind ! Give up the siddhis ( Yogic achievements),

which are perishable and bring you rebirth . Perishable

are the fruits of the study of Sanskrit , Drama , poetics ,

VedAs , PurANAs and the performance of sacrifices , Japa ,

Tapa and KshEhtrAdanam .The ( real) road to travel is

the worship of RaamA ; (then ) all that one ( the devotee)

does , the Lord will accept with approbation and

vouchsafe to him the highest state that is everlasting .

 

With this discriminating knowledge (Vivekam), Saint

ThyagarAjA did not want to spend his time traveling

anywhere and was happy to stay at ThiruvayyAru deeply

immersed in Sri Raama Naama Japam and the AarAdhanam of

HIS Ishta Dhaivam . He declared that it was not possible

for him to describe the joy that he derived from

the chanting of the Raama Naamam ( Kaapi Raaga krithi

vaakhyams : Intha Souhkhyamani nE jEppajAla ;

yenthO yEmO yevariki dhelusunO ? ) .

 

Saint ThyagarAja , the reluctant pilgrim did not want

to leave the side of Ishta dhaivam .He did not also want

his Ishta Dhaivam, Sri RaamA to leave him and go on any travel

away from him .Hence , He asked in another of his MukhAri krithis

( MuripEmu GaligEgadhA ? RaamA !) : " Oh My dear One !

Sri RaamA ! Are you not happy staying here at ThiruvayyAru

(Panchanadha KshEthram ) on the banks of KaavEri river

at my home , where I have built a rathna mantapam for

Your residence with SitA dEvi and Soumithri ? Why

do You want to go away from Your lovely home right here ?

 

Inspite of this reluctance to leave the side of

his AarAdhana mUrthy , he was persuaded by his

sishyAs to undertake a trip to Tiruppathi , Kaancheepuram

and Srirangam . He included additional visits to

ThiruvallikkEni and other KshEthrams in that one and only

pilgrimage that he took in his life time spanning

eighty years before he reached the Lord's holy feet .

 

We will cover the Srirangam portion of this pilgrimage ,

where many auspicious events took place including

the birth of the Sriranga Pancharathna Krithis

devoted to Sri RanganAthA .

 

The Five Gems of Krithis on Sri RanganAthA

*******************************************

 

Saint ThyagarAjA arived at Srirangam during ChaithrOthsavam .

He stayed at a house of a friend in South Chittra veedhi .This

was near the corner of South and West Chittra streets . It was

the day , when Sri RanganAthA came around the rAja veedhis

of Srirangam on the golden horse ( Kuthirai Vaahanam ) .

Saint Thyagaraja was standing in fornt of 86, South Chittra

street as the Lord's procession arrived . The great NaadhOpAsakA

was moved by the beauty of the Lord on Kuthirai vAhanam and

burst forth extempore into the Thodi Raaga Krithi , " Raaju

Vedale JutAmu rAre " . As the Bhagavan approached , the Saint

wanted to get closer to receive the SatAri and TulasI prasAdam

from the Archakar . The density of the crowd thwarted his plans

to come closer to the VaibhOga Rangan .The saint was disappointed

and stayed put in his original place . Some thing miraculous

happened then . The moving procession of the Lord suddenly

came to a standstill . The trained bearers of the Vaahanam of

the Lord were benumbed and could not take another step . During

such occasions , it is generally assumed that some apachAram

has been committed and Saanthi ceremony is performed to overcome

this inauspiciousness. The ArchakAs felt that there was some

dhrushti dhOsham and suggested that the Deva daasis and Raaja daasis

should perform the assigned dance for that corner as per aaagama

sAsthrAs to propitiate the Lord .The dancers performed . Nothing

happened . The vaahanam bearers did not regain their mobility .

At that time , an archakar went into an aavEsam ( inspired )

mode pointed to saint ThyagarAjA and said :

 

" A great BhakthA of Sri RanganAthA is standing

there at the corner of South and West Chittra Veedhi pining over his

inability to approah the Lord closely and have the Lord's darsanam .

Please bring him near the Lord for a hearty darsanam and then

the procession will move " .

 

The Koil KaimkaryabharAs brought the saint near

the Lord and honored him with Sataari and TulasI

prasAdham .The Saint was visibly moved by the DayA of

the Lord and he sang in all humility the famous DevaghAndAri

raaga krithi " VinarAdA nA manavi " . In that song , the saint

begged the Lord to listen to his appeal to continue

His procession and bless the BhakthAs and BhaagavathAs

waiting for His darsanam in the other raaja veedhis .

When the saint completed his DevagaandhAri raaga krithi

and concluded his appeal to comply with his request ,

deepArAdahnam was conducted and immediately , the bearers

of the Lord's Vaahanam regained their strength and the Lord's

procession resumed to the joy of all . Sri RanganAthA

thus let all those assembled at His raaja Veethi know

about the greatness of His special Bhakthan from THiruvaiyAru .

 

TheArchakAs and Koil adhikAris invited the saint for a specail

darsanam of the Moolavar offering Mutthangi Sevai during that

eventful evening . Saint ThyagarAja rushed to the Garbagraham

and was so moved by the sight of the reclining Lord celebrated

by so many AzhwArs and AchAryAs that he broke out spontaneously

into the famous KaambhOji raaga Krithi , " Oh RangasAyee "

with its many moving pallavi sangathis . He also sang two more

krithis in praise of Lord RanganAthA in Aarabhi (chuthAmu rArE )

and in SaarangA raagam ( KaruNa jUdumayya ! kaavEdi Rangayya ! ).

These five krithis on Sri RanganAthan came to be known collectively

as Sriranga Pancharathnams .

 

I will discuss the meanings of these five beautiful and

moving krithis in the second an final part of this posting .

 

Sri RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

P.S : Please have the darsanam of the Lord of Srirangam

in the specail home page created by Sriman Dilepean for

the Temple for the Lord at Pomona , New York .