thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 18 - vAnam vaLainthathO vaNakkamum sollavE !

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Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 18 - vAnam vaLainthathO vaNakkamum

sollavE !

 

Dear bAgawathAs,

 

koLLai nilavu kuLircchiyil kooda

ellai ilavupOL thaLircchiyil eRiya

vAnam vaLainthathO vaNakkamum sollavE

Onam valarnthathO vikkaramum vellavE !

 

meaning:

On the auspicious day of pournami thiru kArthigaiday, many good

things happen. The nilA is so full and beautiful such that it

becomes a target for koLLai or robbery. ("koLLai azhagu"). But

the nilA is also feeling very "cold" due to its own nature of

cooling others. So, to warm itself up, the nilA was already

present in Srirangam skies. ie. nilA knew about "sokkappAnai" and

it was waiting to heat it up from the bonfire in Sri rangam. The

bonfire is so huge and profuse that it was burning like a "ilavu"

or cotton tree cotton trees heaped up and are burning. The bon

fire was so tall and was reaching even taller. The skies thought

that they feel cold as well. They asked to themselves "why we may

wait till sunny morning to warm up?" So, they bend as well to

warm up in that bonfire. However while they were bending so, they

were also reminded of how they were at the holy feet of Lord

Sri thiru vikkraman. With that thought in mind they once again

bowed their head to Lord Sri thiru vikkraman or Sri Arangan. All

these reminded on that day of holy sravanam or thiru Onam when

the Lord grew up to become Sri thiru vikkaraman to conquer Sri

mahA bali.

 

kArthigai:

The kaisika thiru nAL:

On the night of EkAdasai after deepavali Lord is adorned with 360

garments. The idheekam is that Lord is protected against the

chill weather prevalent in the season. 4 bags containing 360 silk

cloth are brought. The priest calls out the names of "thiruvadi

valarvadEl". One priest takes out the silk and places it on the

silver plate held by the other. They say "nAyandE nAyandE" and

brings it. Another takes it from the plate and covers Sri nam

perumAL with that. Then they call for "adaikkAyamudu nittudavEl"

ie the veRRilai pAkku or thAmboolam or betal leaves and nut. The

barchAraga receives it from the custodian through a servant and

passes it on to a priest saying nAyandE nayandE. Then the priest

in turn takes it near the thiru vAy or the holy mouth of the Lord

and keeps it aside. Then the dipAm is called for by calling

nAyandE nAyandE and is placed on the silver plate. Then the dipa

Aradhanam is shown to the lord. This process is repeated 360

times. After this the Sri kaisika purAnA is recited by the

descendants of Sri Bhattar.

 

SokkappAnai:

On the pournami day thirumanchanam is performed for the Lord.

Agni prathistA is performed in madappalli. 9 holy lamps are lit

from the agni prathista in madappalli, of which one is a silver

lamp and other are earthern. Led by a member of Sri Utthamanambi

family these are brought to the garba gruham and offerred to the

perumALs and kept there. The utthama nambi family member is sent

back to his house with full honour from the temple. During the

night Lord Sri namperumAL arrives near Sri chakkrathAzhwAr

sannithi. HE witnesses the bonfire from there. Over a 35 feet

tall scaffolding is erected in between Sri AnjanEya shrine and

the kArthigai gOpuram. Several cart loads of dry palm leaves are

stacked and will be set to fire by a person who has the

hereditary right to this event using one of the lamps that is

brought out the madappali and kept in the garba gruham. The

bonfire flame rises to more than 300 feet and really scorches

around within a few feet. This bonfire is supposed to enact the

thiru vikrama avathAram in HIS huge form. After this Lord goes

in pradakshinam to thAyAr sannithi and offerred with thiruvandik

kAppu. Then HE comes back to HIS abode through the third circuit

and AryabhattAL vAsaL.

 

Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiruk kudanthai Rengarajan

 

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