tiru-k-kuRaL-appan (2 of 2).

[Guest guest]

(tiru-k-kuRaL-appan : 2 of 2).

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VIBHEESHANA AND VAMANA:

 

It happened that SrirAma paid a visit to

Sri vibheeshaNa in Srilanka just to renew memories

of a dear comraderie, and the latter was delighted

and was in a flutter to select appropriate gifts to

SrirAma as return of honours. At that moment,

vAyu manifested and reported an interesting fact

to SrirAma. Ever since mahAbali had been visited

by Sri vAmana, an image of the Lord had been made,

consecrated and been in the worship of the lankA's

rulers, down to the time of Sri vibheeshaNa. (It is

to be assumed that SrirAmAyaNam does not report

this, as rAvaNa was given to degenerate ways and

was not aware of the vAmana-vigraham, or would not

have cared.)

 

vAyu urged the Lord to take with him the vaishNava

'vigraham' for installation in the kingdom of

kAnyA-kubjam where Satrughna ruled from its capital

mathurA.

 

"ih/Asti vaishNavee-mUrti:

pUrvam baddhO balir-yayA

tAm nayasva mahA-bhAga,

kAnyA-kubjE pratishThaya."

 

SrirAma gladly accepted the precious 'archA' image

of SrivAmana, offered a 'tirumanjanam' (bath) and,

placing it in the 'pushpakam', reached mathurA and

installed SrivAmana with proper sacraments at the

place called 'mahOdayam' on the banks of river

gangA. (The Uttar Pradesh government museum at

Mathura has a buff sandstone image of SrivAmana,

bearing Sankham, chakram, gadA, and padmam

in His four hands. This was discovered in March

1978 in a parcel of agricultural land in Meerut city

irrigated by gangA, and included in what was once

known as kAnyA-kubjam.

 

One may say that with this, SrirAma and

Sri vibheeshaNa, broke even by echanging the gifts

of Sriranganatha and of SrivAmana. If it is noted

that Lord Sriranganatha casts His tranquil glance of grace southward in the

direction of SrivibheeshaNa's kingdom of SrilankA, it could well be more than

fanciful to suggest that it was on the Lord's divine decree (divyAjnA) that the

shrine of SrivAmana (tiru-k-kuRaL-appan) was got up at the southern portals of

Srirangam city. This would simply make for the profound cumulative ambience of

SriranganAtha and SrirAma on the one hand, and of mahAbali-SrivibheeshaNa and

SrivAmana on the other. Alternatively, it is likely that SrivAmana

(tiru-k-kuRaL-appan) was consecrated here by SrivibheeshaNa on one of his loving

visits, as establishing his own heirloom in Srirangam which was the sacred site

where he himself had reached

Sriranganatha.

 

In the Srirangam tiru-k-kuRaL-appan-sannidhi,

SrivAmana (in his tranquil monolith 'archA')

stands facing the east. He wears the tuft on his

crown, an umbrella in his upheld left hand and the

water-bottle (kamaNDalu) held down in the right.

 

MAHABALI'S PRIZED STATUS:

 

mahAbali is in the core of two precious thoughts,

the river gangA and the festival of deepAvali.

It was when Lord SrivAmana received mahAbali's

gift of three measures that the Lord shot into his

cosmic form of tri-vikrama, and strode up and down

the cosmos measuring just two feet. It is well known

that brahma-dEva washed the Lord's feet and the

washing cascaded down as river gangA, known as

vishNu-padI.

 

MAHABALI AND DEEPAVALI:

 

As the Lord touched with His foot in blessing the

bowed crown of mahAbali, he also granted that

the great festival of lights (deepAvali) would begin

as mahAbali's commemoration.

 

"deepa-pradAna-nAm/Asau

tava bhAvee mahOtsava:"

 

[The deepAvali is also the celebration of

SrirAma's return in glory to Sri ayOdhyA,

after his victory over (and annihilation of) rAvaNa

on the vijaya-daSamee day.

 

The third signficance of deepAvali attaches to

SrikrishNa's grant of naraka's request to be

remembered for dying in battle with the Lord.]

 

VAMANA AS WE FIND HIM:

 

svAmi-dESika addresses tiru-k-kuRaL-appan

as the protector ("rakshA-vAmana"), and

SrijayadEva, author of geeta-gOvindam, as

the Wonder ("adbhuta-vAmana"). The author

of the Tamil classic, tiru-k-kuRaL, marvels at

the vastness of tri-vikrama's strides.

 

The kaThOpanishad points out that of the

vitalisms sustaining life in the body, the 'prANa'

flows upwards and 'apAna' netherwards. The

greater, if subtler, fact is that the vitalisms are

themselves dependent on vAmana pulsating

in the centre ~ "madhyE vAmanam Aseenam

nitya-yuktA upAsatE".

 

SrivAmana's glory is beautifully instanced in

Sri-rAmAyaNam and in periyAzhvAr tirumozhi.

When the hulky warrior of rAvaNa's army

taunts Lakshmana as a weakling, the latter

rebukes him and reminds him of how it was the

diminutive lad SrivAmana who grew to take

the entirety of the three worlds in his cosmic

stride.

 

"bAlO/yam iti vijnAya

na cha avajnAtum arhasi,

bAlEna vishNunA lOkA:

traya: krAntA: trivikramai:"

 

The inimitable periyAzhvAr gets into

the spirit of yaSOdA demanding of the

moon in the sky to come down to divert her

infant Krishna while she gives him feed.

The moon, of course, stays in his orbit and

the fond mother is not too much pleased.

 

"SiRuvan enRu enn iLam-Singattai

ikazhEl kaNDAi !

SiRumaiyin vArttaiyai mAvali-yiDai-c-

chenRu kEL !"

 

("Dare you slight my darling as a mewling no-man!

You would certainly want to talk to mahAbali what this no-man did unto him !")

 

SrivAmana (tiru-k-kuRaL-appan) is twin with trivikrama among the 'avatAram'

(incarnations) of the Lord Sriman Narayana. In the heart of the Great Temple of

Srirangam, enshrined in the sanctum of the Sriranga-vimAnam, is the Pure

Existence (Suddha-sattvam) as the Majestic Principle (para-vastu), yet the

Lord of felicitous access to his devotees, the Lord endearing as the

azhakiya-maNavALan (the Bridegroom Beautiful).

 

At the portals of this sacred city stands

tiru-k-kuRaL-appan, 'vAmana' the dainty

enchanter and novice, the "kuraL-brahmachAri" showing the path to reach the

Bridegroom Beautiful

in the interior of the city.

 

Two of the Lord's names are "sukhada:" and

"nAikada:", the giver of happiness, giver of

plenty. tiru-mazhiSai AzhvAr exalts these very

attributes of Lord SrivAmana:

 

"aRindu aRindu vAmanan aDi-yiNai vaNanginAl

SeRindu ezhunda jnAnamODu Selvamum SirandiDum

maRindezhunda teN-tiraiyuL mannu-mAlai vAzhttinAl

paRindezhundu tee-vinaikaL paR-R-aRudal pAn.maiyE."

 

(tiru-c-Chanda-viruttam 74).

 

The Mahabharata sequel of 'hari-vamSam' contains

the enchanting and mystical ('gadyam') hymn recited by Sri kaSyapa-prajApati

when his wife Aditi gave birth to SrivAmana. For those who are unable to find

this,

the following SlOkam is offered:

 

namO-nama: kAraNa-vAmanAya

nArAyaNay/Amita-vikramAya

Sri-SAr.n.ga-chakr/Asi/gadA/dharAya

namO/stu tasmAi purushOttamAya !

 

(SrivAmana-purANam Chap.95).

 

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Concluded.

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