Sri Vilakkoli Perumal, Thoopul/ThirutthaNkA dhivya Desam: Nithya AarAdhana kaimkaryam for VilakkoLi PerumAL and Swamy Desikan : Part II

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Let us start on our journey to ThirutthaNkA.

 

The Dhivya Desam Particulars

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ThiruttaNkA is One of the 108 VaishNavite Dhivya Desams

in Thondai naadu. Here the PerumAL's name is ViLakkoLi PerumAL

or Dheepa PrakAsan .ThAyaar's name is Maragathavalli ,

the one with the ever-green hue of an emerald gem .

There is a saras(pond) called Lakshmi Saras out of which

Sri Maragathavalli incarnated and embraced Dheepa PrakAsan,

Her Lord.

 

The Kshethram is close to Vegavathi river. Vegavathi is

none other than Sarasvathi Devi . The VimAnam is Srikara VimAnam

(auspiciousness -granting VimAnam).The Theertham is known as

Sarasvathi Theertham and the Lord is Prathyaksham to Sarasvathi

Devi. This is the birth place of the great VishNavite AchAryan ,

Swamy VedAntha Desikan , who has bequeathed us with matchless

treasures .

 

The two Paasurmas of Thirumangai on this dhivya dEsam

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This dhivya dEsam is very close in name to another

dhivya dEsam called ThirutthaNkAl near SivakAsi in

Paandya naadu.ThirtthaNkA however is in Thondai Naadu ,

some 2 miles from Kaanchipuram. Thirumangai Mannan has

performed MangaLAsAsanam for Sri Dheepa prakAsan of

ThiruttaNkA with two paasurams:

 

Periya Thirumozhi (10.1.2) and ThirunedumthANDakam

(14th paasuram).

 

First paasuram

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In the Periya Thirumozhi (PTM) paasuram , Kaliyan

salutes Dheepa PrakAsan this way:

 

Ponnai MaamaNiyai aNi aarnthathu ohR--

Minnai, Venkatatthu ucchiyil kaNdu-pOy

yennai aaLUdai Isanai Empiraan--

Tannai , yaam senRU kaaNDum ThaNkAvilE

 

(meaning): My Gold ! My precious Gem ! My

eye-filling Lightning(JyOthi)! My Lord and Master--

adiyEn had Your darsanam on top of the Venkatam

hills(yesterday); today adiyEn shall go and have

Your darsanam at ThirutthaNkA .

 

Here Kaliyan salutes Dheepa PrakAsan as his

Sarva Swami and Sarva lOka Seshi , who rules

over him ( yennai aaLudai Isanai). He points out

that he already had the darsanam of Sriman NaarAyaNan

as Vada-Venkatavan and now he is travelling south to

ThirutthaNkA to have His darsana soubhAgyam as

Dheepa PrakAsan .

 

The PerumAl here is called Hima Upavana Isan

in Sanskrit.Kaliyan seems to connect this "Isan "

aspect in his paasuram to the Sanskrit naamam

of the Lord that refers to Him as Hima Upavana Isan.

 

In the above PTM 10.1.set of ten paasurmas

( Oru Nall suRRam --) , Kaliyan performs

MangaLASAsanam for the perumALs of 18 dhivya

Desams ( Thiruneermalai, ThirukkaNNamangai,

ThiruvEnkatam , ThirutthaNkA , ThriuvAli ,

ThirunAngUr , ThiruppEr , ThiruveLLaRai,

ThirunaRayUr, Thirumeyyam , ThirucchERai ,

Thirukkudanthai , Thiruvazhunthai , ThiruvehhA ,

ThirumAlirumchOlai, ThiruviNNagar , ThirukkOttiyUr

and ThirunAvAi). Dheepa PrakAsan is in this select set

of 18 dhivya desa EmperumAns for whom Kaliyan

performed mangaLAsAsanam in the PTM 10.1.

 

ThirunedumthANDakam Paasuram on ThirutthaNkA

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The second Paasuram of Kaliyan takes on the form of

ParakAla Naayaki's actions and he dedicates the 14th paasuram

of ThirunedumthANDakam to Sri Dheepa PrakAsan .Sri Vaikunta

Vaasi Selvamudiyappan pEttai Arayar , Sri Sriram Bharathi

has suggested that this paasuram is to be sung and danced in

KanAda raagam and Misra ChApu TaaLam .He has suggested that

the first paasuram should be sung and danced in SaamA Raagam and

Adhi TaaLam.

 

The text of this paasuram , ParakAla Naayaki is seen

saluting her beloved (pet) parrot with folded hands

for singing about her Lord of ThiruttaNkA and confessing

that her labor in training the parrot to sing her Lord's

name has been fully rewarded.The portion of the text of

this beautiful paasuram relating to ViLakkoLi PerumAl

and His divine Consort Sri Maragatha Valli is as follows:

 

--ViLakku oLiyai Maragathatthai ,

ThirutthaNkAvil ThiruvehhAvil PaadakkEttu ,

vaLartthathAl payan peRREn , Varuha yenRu

MadakkiLiyai kai koopi vaNaginALE

 

Upanishadic Connection to Dheepa PrakAsan:

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PerumAl of ThirutthaNkA is linked to the PrakAsam

(lustre) of the divine Dheepam . The PrakAsam is

Svayam-prakAsam since the Lord is Svayam-Jyothi.

He is also Param Jyothi , the supreme radiance as

Cosmic light .The reference here is to VedAntha

Soothram 1.1.25: "JyothisccharaNAbhdhAnAth".

 

Here, the light is the cosmic light(JyOthi). The root

" jyO " means to advise , instruct on appropriate

religious rites like JyOthisthOma (JyOthishtOma) in

the role of an AchAryan .The noun "JyOthis" means lustre ,

light of Brahman , the Supreme Being. JyOthis is also

an epithet of Sri VishNu-NaarAyanan.He is JyOthirmayan ,

JyOthi MangaLam , JyOthi Chakram and Dheepa PrakAsan.

He is NanthA ViLakku and His Devi is His PrakAsam .

 

The connecting text used by AchArya RaamAnujA

to comment on the above Brahma Soothram is from

ChAndhOgya Upanishad (III.13.7): " Now that light

which shines above this heaven, higher than all ,

higher than everything , in the highest realms

(worlds) beyond which there are no other worlds ,

this is the same light within man".All the three

AchAryAs , who have written commentaries on Brahma

Soothra agree that this JyOthi (Dheepa PrakAsam) is

the Supreme Spiritual JyOthi , the Brahman , since

it is the primordial JyOthi giving luminosity to

all other luminary bodies like the Sun , the Moon

etc. The passage from MuNDaka Upanishad supports this:

TamEva bhAntham anubhAthi SARVAM , tasya bhAsa SARVAM

IDHAM VIBHAATHI (" Him , the shining One , every thing

shines after; by this light all this is lighted ".

BrahadAraNyaka Upanishad joins in: TaddEvaa JyOthishAm

JyOthir-aayur-hopaasate amrutham ( Him the gods worship

as the light of lights as the Immortal).

 

Based on this pramANams, BaadaraayaNa , the author of

Brahma SoothrAs concludes that the term "JyOthis"

in this Soothram denotes Brahman Only and not any other

radiance from physical light(Sun, Moon , Star etc).

 

Bhagavath GitA will adduce supporting evidence

from the Vaak of the Lord Himself at Kuru KshEthram:

 

"AadhithyAnAm Aham VISHNU:

JyOthishAm RaviramsumAn "

 

(meaning): Among the twelve AadhithyAs , I am

th 12th AadhithyA called VISHNU, who is paramount.

Of luminous bodies (JyOthis) , I am the Sun , the most

brilliant luminary.

 

GithAcharyan thus connects the underlying principle

behind all the JyOthis , which derive their power

from His Supreme Radiance.

 

Swamy Deikan's explanation of the JyOthi at ThirutthaNkA

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Swamy Desikan underlines this doctrine relating to

Dheepa PrakAsan in the second slOkam of Sri SaraNAgathi

Dheepikai:

 

" VedAntha VEdhyam iha vEgavathI sameepE

Dheepa-PrakAsa ithi dhaivatham adhvitheeyam "

 

In the earlier part of this slOkam , Swamy Desikan

described the matchless Supreme One shining near

Vegavathi river with the naamam of Dheepa-PrakAsan

as " nirvyAja Nirbhara-DayA Bharitham ". This divine

radiance is saluted as the avyAja DayA Svaroopam ,

the embodiment of natural DayA vigraham .In the next

slOkam , Swamy Desikan would salute the Lord and explain

His relationship to His divine consort , Maragatha Valli

this way: Dheepa: ThvamEva JagathAm , DayithA ruchistE.

Oh My Lord of ThirutthaNkA! Thou art the Light to all

the worlds ; the lustre of Your light is Your Devi".

He goes on to say: " This world has long been sunk in

the darkness of ajn~Anam. Only You and Your divine consort

have the power to banish the darkness of nescience .

You become under the influence of anyone , who just

says: I seek Your refuge as SaraNAgathan ". Swamy Desikan

thus focuses on the UpAyam and UpEyam aspects of

this dhivya Mithunam (Divine Couple) residing under

Srikara VimAnam of ThirutthaNkA KshEthram.

 

Rg and Saama Vedic salutations to ParamAthma:"JyOthi "

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There are five Veda manthrams in Rg and Saama Vedams

that comment furhter on the JyOthi or Dheepa PrakAsam

aspect of the Supreme Being . They are the following Rks

and Saamans:

 

1. Rg Vedam: I.136.3

 

2. Rg Vedam : III.39.7

 

3.Rg Vedam : III.39.8

 

4. Rg Vedam : VIII.58.3

 

5. Rg Vedam : IX.86.10 (Saamans: 1031-1033).

 

They all start with the word "JyOthis ". They discuss

together the supreme radiance behind the luminosity of

the Sun , the power of that Param JyOthi to banish

ajn~Anam and end up with Bhakthi-Poorvaka aathma

SamarpaNam.

 

adiyEn will focus on these Veda Manthrams in the next

posting before starting to cover the individual slOkams

of Sri SaraNAgathi Dheepikai of Swamy Desikan.

 

Swamy Desikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,

DaasOham , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan

 

P.S: adiyEn requests You with anjali-bhaddha hastham

(folded hands) to participate in the efforts to realize

uninterrupted Nithya AarAdhanam at the sannidhis of

Swamy Desikan and ViLakkoLi PerumAL sannidhi at ThirutthaNkA.

Our target is to raise a core fund of three laks of Rupees

( $6,250). Swamy Desikan was born in this KshEthram of

Sri Dheepa PrakAsan and we can feel like the ones who

have done our requisite duties(Krutha-kruthyAs ) through

particpation in this important kaimkaryam .Thank you

in advance and may the blessings of the dhivya Dampathis

and the AchAryan be with you and your family always !