Thirukkudanthai Desikan and Nigamantha Desikan Thirunakshatram celebrations at B

[Guest guest]

Thirukkudanthai Desikan and Nigamantha Desikan Thirunakshatram

celebrations at Boston

 

Sri Ramanuja Mission Inc and Sri Vedanta Desika Sabha joined together

in the Thirunakshatram celebration of two of our esteemed Acharyas,

Thirukkudanthai Desikan and Sarvathanthra Swathathtra Swamy Sri

Desikan on Sunday the 8th of October 2000. The celebration was done

in Boston and about 100 Sri Vaishnavas attended the great event.

 

The celebration was initiated in New Jersey on Friday the 6th of

October, when the vigraha pranaprathistapanam and other rituals were

conducted for Sri Ramanujacharya vigraham at Poondi

Vijayaraghavan's home. This was done as per the tradition and as

instructed by HH Srimad Andavan of Periashramam. These events were

performed by Sri Sampath Bhatter from Bridgewater temple.

 

We were about forty bhagavathas from New Jersey and Washington area,

ready to participate in this celebration. The bhagavatha team left

for Boston in two big vans and two cars by noon Saturday. We were

received at Sri Mahalakshmi temple by Boston bhagavathas. All of us

had a splendid darshan of The Divya Dampathis. Purattasi

pavithrotsavam was being performed at the temple and we had the perum

bhagyam of participating in the Thiru Veedhi Ula uthsavam of The

Divya Dampathis. It was a scintillating sight to watch this event, as

our Sri Vasishnavas at Boston had organized it so meticulously that

we felt were in one of our Divya Desa uthsavam at India. Perumal

was adorned with Poolangi and Thaayaar was as usual gracious.

 

The goshti left for Kannbiran's house from the temple. Boston

devotees had prepared a sumptuous dinner for the ghosti. Soon after

the dinner, all of us participated in Hari Nama samkirthanam. Sri

Naryanan of NJ, Sri Sundar Kidambi and Sri Muralidhar Rangaswamy

sang a few compositions on Purushothaman.

 

The Thirunakshatram celebrations began at 8 AM on 8th October at a

local school in Boston. The Perumal Thiru Aradhanam, Udayavar

Aradhanam and Acharya Padhuka Araadhanam were performed between 8 AM

and 11 AM. The celebration had about 100 bhagavathas participating.

Vedha parayanam comprised of reciting Pancha Sooktham and

Sikshavalli. Divya prabhandam parayanam comprised of reciting

podhu thanians, Thiruppallandu, Thiruppaliyezichi, Thiruppavai,

Neeraattam, Kaappidal, Kovil Thiruvai Mozhi, Periazwaar's

paasurams,

Iramaanuja Nootrandhadhi, Adaikkalappathu and Prabhanda

saaram. Sri Muralidhar Rangaswamy and Ashok Leyland Sri P.

Srinivasacharya wonderfully rendered Sri Komala Dhandakam. After

these paraayanam, Sambhavanai krama was performed as per Ashramam

practices, inclusive of thirukkudainthai Desikan, followed by Vaazhi

Thirunaamam and Desika Mangalam. Acharya thanians of all our

associated mutts of Sri Vaishnava vadakalai sampradyams

were recited. Perumal theertham and SriPaduka theerthams were

offered to all the devotees.

 

Three short speeches followed. Sri Nadadur Madhavan Swamin spoke

beautifully on Swami Tirukudandai Desikan and crisply highlighted the

role of Acharyas in uniting a jivatma with paramAtma, with excellent

pramANams from Vedam and Acharya Sri Sookthis. Sri Kannabiran Swamin

gave a wonderful talk on Sri Adivan Satakopa Yathindra Mahadesikan

and focussed on the kaimkaryam of the founding father of Sri Ahobila

Matham in constructing the steps to the Tirumala hills. Sri

Muralidhar Rangaswamy in his speech on Swami Desikan briefly

summarized a couple of shlokams from the Daya Shatakam and Padhuka

Sahasram.

 

The entire ghosti left for the temple next to participate in the

pavithrotsavam. The ghosti recited pancha sooktham, Thiruppallandu,

Neeraattam, Mummanikkovai and Adhikara sangraham. Our Balaji's

bhatter gave an eloquent mini discourse on great Srivashnavas and

Paadhuka mahimai.

 

Back to the school, we all had the thathiyaaradhanam prepared by

Boston SriVasihnavas. At Boston, the entire event was organized by

Sri Kannabiran, Sri Sumanth Kaushik, Sri Sundar Kidambi, Sri

Rajagopalan, Sri Muralidhar Rangaswamy, Sri Ravindran, Sri

Jayakrishna, and Sri Ajai Thirumalai. Sri Ramanuja Mission Inc and

Sri Vedanta Desika Sabha thank the organizers and their families at

Boston, for hosting the bhagavathaas and making eloborate

arrangements.

 

Adiyen

 

Murali Thirumalai