shOdashOpachAram : Part I

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Raama BhakthAs:

 

I had an excellent exchange of information

with my fellow co-editor of SangItham , the Jouranl

of the Carnatic Music Assoication of North America (CMANA)

on the topic of Saint ThyagarAjA in general and

ShOdasOpachAram in particular. I would like to

share with you his note because of its posisble

value to many of you .

 

The Sri VaishNavite AarAdhana Kramam and the various

Aasanmas and preliminaries are covered extensively

in the recently released CD ROM on AchArya RaamAnujA

(http://www.geocities.com/irscd). Please refer

to that CD ROM for additional information on

the details of the UpachArams to the Lord

offered in our daily AarAdhanam to Him

as per our Ahnika Granthams .

 

I will continue with the dhivya Naama and

the Uthsava sampradhAya Krithis of Saint ThyagarAjA

soon from where I left it off.

 

Raama , Raama , Raama,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

Here is Sri Aravind Krishnan's input:

 

" QUOTE: " The main sixteen upachArams are:

 

Avahanam

Asanam

pAdyam

argyam

AchamanIyam

 

snAnam

vastrAlaN^kAram

upavItam

gandham

puShpAxadAni

 

dUpam

dIpam

naivedyam

tAmbUlam

nIrAjanam

pradakshiNa namaskAram (mantra puShpam)

 

Sri AnnamAcharya has composed a beautiful song in rAga LalitA

incorporating all of these upachArams:

 

shODaSha kaLAnidhiki shODaShOpacAramulujADa

tODa niccalunu samarpayAmi

 

alaru viShvAtmukuna kAvAhanamitE sarva nilayuna

kAsanamu nemminidE alagangA janakuna karkkiya pAdyaAcamanAlu

 

varapItAmbarunaku vastrAlangkAra midEsari

ShRI mantunaku bhUshaNamulivE

dharaNI dharunaku gandha pushpa

dhUpamulutitamidE kOTi sUrya tEjUnaku dinamu

 

amruta mathanunaku nidivO

naivEdyamugamicandra nEtrunaku gapra viDemu

amarina ShRI vengkaTAdri mIdi dEvunikitamitO

pradakshiNAlu daNDamulu nuvigO

 

In have given the puruShasUkta vidhAna

shodashopachAra pujA below :

 

{1 Avahanam}

AUM sahasrashiirshhaa purushhaH sahasraaxaH sahasrapaat.h .

sa bhuumiM vishvato vR^itvaa atyatishhThad.hdashaaN^gulam.h ||

 

{2 aasanaM }

purushha evedagaM sarvam.h yad.hbhuutaM yachchha bhavyam.h .

utaamR^itatvasyeshaanaH yadannenaatirohati ||

 

{3 paadyaM }

etaavaanasya mahimaa ato jyaayaaga.nshcha puurushhaH .

paado.asya vishvaa bhuutaani tripaadasyaamR^itaM divi ||

 

{4 arghyaM }

tripaaduurdhva udaitpurushhaH paado.asyehaabhavaatpunaH .

tato vishvaN^vyakraamat.h saashanaanashane abhi ||

 

{ 5 aachamaniiyaM }

tasmaadviraaDajaayata viraajo adhi puurushhaH .

sa jaato atyatichyata pashchaad.hbhuumitatho puraH ||

 

{6 snaanaM }

yatpurushheNa havishhaa devaa yaGYamatanvata .

vasanto asyaasiidaajyam.h griishhma idhmashsharaddhaviH ||

 

{7 vastram}

saptaasyaasan.h paridhayaH trissapta samidhaH kR^itaaH .

devaa yadyaGYaM tanvaanaaH abadhnanpurushhaM pashum.h .

taM yaGYaM barhishhi prauxan.h purushhaM jaatamagrataH .

tena devaa ayajanta saadhyaa R^ishhayashcha ye

 

{8 yaGYopavItam }

tasmaadyaGYaatsarvahutaH saMbhR^itaM pR^ishhadaajyam.h .

pashuuga.Nstaaga.nshchakre vaayavyaan.h aaraNyaan.h graamyaashchaye

 

{9 dhivyaparimaLa gandham}

tasmaadyaGYaatsarvahutaH R^ichaH saamaani jaGYire .

chhandaa.Ngasi jaGYire tasmaat.h yajustasmaadajaayata ..

 

{10 axatAni}

tasmaadashvaa ajaayanta ye ke chobhayaadataH .

gaavo ha jaGYire tasmaat.h tasmaajjaataa ajaavayaH

 

{11 dhUpam}

yatpurushhaM vyadadhuH katidhaa vyakalpayan.h .

mukhaM kimasya kau baahuu kaavuuruu paadaavuchyete || 11||

 

{12 dIpam}

braahmaNosya mukhamaasiit.h baahuu raajanyaH kR^itaH .

uruu tadasya yadvaishyaH pad.hbhyaaM shuudro ajaayata || 12||

 

{13 naivedyam}

cha.ndramaa manaso jaataH chaxoH suuryo ajaayata .

mukhaadindrashchaagnishcha praaNaadvaayurajaayata || 13||

 

{14 tAmbUlam}

naabhyaa aasiidantarixam.h shiirshhNo dyauH samavartata .

padabhyaaM bhuumirdishaH shrotraat.h tathaa lokaa.nga akalpayan.h || 14||

 

{15 nIrAjanam}

vedaahametaM purushhaM mahaantam.h aadityavarNaM tamasastu paare .

sarvaaNi ruupaaNi vichitya dhiiraH naamaani kR^itvaa.abhivadan.h yadaaste ||

15|

 

{16 pradakshiNa namaskAram}

dhaataa purastaadyamudaajahaara shakraH pravidvaanpradishashchatastraH.

tamevaM vidyaanamR^ita iha bhavati naanyaH panthaa ayanaaya vidyate ||16||

 

{mantra puShpam}

yaGYena yaGYamayajanta devaaH taani dharmaaNi prathamaanyaasan.h .te ha

naakaM mahimaanaH sachante yatra puurve saadhyaaH santi devaaH || 17||

 

SrisUkta 16 rigs can be used for Mahaa Lakshmi .

 

I don't think ThyAgarAja swAmigal has composed on these

shodasOpachArams as such . He is said to have used

puruSha sUkta for his pUjA. He has some pushpArchana

krithis like 'tuLasI bhilva mallikArjuna',

'tuLasI daLa mulache sandOShamugA'..

 

Normally in bhajanOtsava sampradAyam to which

thyAgarAja swami belongs to, follow only this vaidIka

pUjA. That is one reason why thyAgarAja swamigal

reinstalled rAmA in the vigraham using hOmam

and other vaidIka karmA-s after he got him back

from kAvErI.

 

BhajanOtsava sanpradAjam uses songs for events

after these 16 upachArams.

 

Chatra chAmar vyagana sevas are performed with:

upachAra mula - bhairavi krithi.

kapaTa nATa .. - chatram

merugu tIkala .. - chAmaram

jAjulu .. - vyajanagam

 

and shyanOtsava kramam follows this " UNQUOTE ".