Kainkaryam-6

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Kainkaryam-6

_______________

Adiyen had intended to conclude the articles on

Kainkaryam, (based on the Mukunda Mala sloka) with the

fifth instalment. However, a few more thoughts were

inspired by the beautiful postings of Sri

Oppiliappankoil Satakopan Swami of USA, in connection

with the tiruppaNi undertaken at the holiest of

holies, Tooppul, near Kancheepuram. The untiring

efforts of Sri Satakopan Swami and other kindred

spirits to create a corpus fund for the nitya

ArAdhanam of Sri ViLakkoLi Perumal and Sri Desikan at

the latter’s avatAra stthalam appeared to adiyen to be

the best practical exposition of true kainkaryam.

 

Kainkaryam to the Lord in His archhA form (as He

appears to us in various temples) has been held to be

service of very high order. There are any number of

examples among Azhwars and Poorvacharyas, who have

made it their life’s mission to perform service in

some form or the other to the Emperuman at a

divyadesam. Sri Periazhwar’s pushpa kainkaryam to Sri

VatapatrasAyee is only too well known, and so is that

of Sri Tondaradippodi. Sri Tiruppanazhwar specialised

in singing the praise of the Lord at Srirangam with

musical instruments. Perhaps the Azhwar responsible

for the maximum service to the arcchAvatAra Emperuman

is Sri Tirumangai Mannan, who even robbed and

plundered ill-gotten wealth for building temple towers

and fortresses for the Lord and to feed His devotees.

Sri Ramanuja’s teerttha kainkaryam for Sri PeraruLALan

is well known, as are his efforts at reforming and

systematising worship and administration at various

divya desams, apart from the construction of a vast

lake at Tondanur. Sri Bhattar was Sri Ranganatha’s own

priest, (Sri RangEsa purOhita:) and performed

innumerable other services at Srirangam. Sri VAtsya

Varadacharya used to perform such intimate kainkaryam

(like serving the Lord milk at just the right

temprature) laced with motherly love towards Sri

Varada, that he earned the sobriquet NadAdUr “ammAL”.

Sri Nigamanta Desikan’s own kainkaryams are too

numerous to bear recitation. Sri Pillai Lokacharya

gave up his life in the protection of Sri Namperumal,

when Muslims besieged Sri Rangam. Sri AdivanSatakopa

Swami, the founder of Sri Ahobila Mutt, is credited

with several tiruppaNis- the steps from Tirupati to

Tirumala, temple towers at Ahobilam,

Tirunarayanapuram, etc. In the recent past, we have

all been witnesses to the rise of the mammoth

Rajagopuram at SriRangam, which stands a majestic

testimony to the kainkarya ruchi of the great Acharya,

Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikan, 44th Jeer of

Sri Ahobila Mutt. The prakrutam Azhagiasingar too, in

His ten years at the helm of the Mutt, has been

responsible for numerous works at various divyadesams

that have made the institution stand tall. Needless to

add, Acharyas of other lineages have also been major

contributors to various kainkaryas at divyadesams.

Kings of yore too have deemed it their privilege to

build massive temples to the Almighty with soaring

towers, and to donate entire villages and the income

there from for the maintenance and worship of places

of God. Thus it was deemed as important to build a

temple, as it was to provide for its maintenance and

uninterrupted worship.

Today, we are faced with a Governmental attitude

towards temples that can at best be termed

indifferent, and at worst, inimical. Examples in this

regard are too numerous to cite, and it has been left

pretty much to the Sri Vaishnavite community to fend

for its temples. Fortunately, the Lord, possibly in

His own self-interest, has provided His devotees with

the wherewithal to fund His worship and maintain His

abodes in good repair.

Why should the Poorvacharyas and Azhwars place so much

emphasis on kainkaryam to the arcchA?

Says the PAdmOttara Purana-

“ArAdhanAnAm sarvEshAm VishnO: ArAdhanam param”

Of all types of worship, that addressed to the Lord of

the Lords, Sri MahaVishnu, is the best. Scriptures

lay down that of all types of service, the one deemed

dear to His heart is uninterrupted TiruvArAdhanam at

His abodes.

Hence the daily prArtthanA at every Sri Vaishnavite

home for the uninterrupted flourishing of the bounties

of Sri Ranganatha-

“Sriman, Sri Ranga Sriyam anupadravAm anudinam

samvardhaya”

Those who have Srimad Ramayana parayanam as a nitya

karma would be familiar with the prayer

“KAvEri vardhatAm kAlE, kAlE varshatu VAsava:

Sri Ranganatha: jayatu, Sri Ranga Sreescha vardhatAm”

(We pray for the Rain God to ensure timely and

adequate showers, for Kaveri to be in full beneficial

flow, and for the fortunes of Sri Rangam to be on the

ascendant, so that Sri RangarAjA could always reign in

splendour.)

 

What has been said of Sri Rangam applies equally well

to other divyadesams. Thus it becomes our bounden

duty as Sri Vaishnavites to ensure that His residences

are kept in good repair, that Tiruvaradhanam is

carried on without interruption, and that paucity of

funds never affects kainkaryams of such paramount

importance. We are witness almost daily to the paradox

of ever new and magnificent temples for the Lord

coming up at various places, while His ancient abodes,

hallowed by the mangalasasanam of Azhwars and

Acharyas, lie neglected and in disrepair, with the

Archaka hardly able to feed the Emperuman with a

morsel. It would surely pain us to know that when we

regularly feast on a variety of delicacies, the staple

offering to the Lord in many of the divyadesams is

just “veLLai sAdam”, or plain cooked rice without any

seasoning or side dishes. Should we let the Great

Provider, who has blessed us with all He has (“ tanadu

anaitthum avar tamakku vazhangi”), languish in hunger

and reside in dilapidated, ramshackle structures? It

is not that He needs anything or is particular about

the food being offered to Him. He is satisfied with

even a dried leaf or plain water as an offering

(“patram, pushpam, phalam, tOyam…..tadaham asnAmi”).

But does it behove us, as beneficiaries of His

munificence, to offer Him a dried leaf while we gorge

ourselves?

The Chandilya Smriti is quite categorical about how

the Lord is to be treated- He is to be loved and

waited upon as a chaste wife would upon her beloved

husband, to be cared for as a doting mother looks

after her precious child, to be shown reverence and

respect due by a disciple to his venerated Acharya,

and showered with the affection and regard one

reserves for a close friend. He is to be handled with

as much care as would be bestowed on a sensitive and

temperamental elephant. He is to be treated as a

welcome guest at whose sight we are immensely pleased,

and offered hospitality due to a Crown Prince. Here

are the relative slokas from Chandilya Smriti-

“SatIva priya bhartAram, jananIva stanandhayam

Acharyam sishyavat mitram mitravat lAlayEt Harim.

YathA yuvAnam RAjAnam yathA cha mada hastinam

YathA priya atitim yOgyam Bhagavantam tatArchayEt”.

 

It is indeed shameful that the Lord, who deserves a

royal treatment in every way, lies uncared for in

several divyadesams, with soiled robes, tirumEni that

has seen better times and with a diet (when available)

totally devoid of taste and variety and almost

exclusively consisting of plain cooked rice.

 

 

Such a dismal state of affairs has pained several

right-thinking bhagavatas, who have made it their

life’s mission to ensure that the Provider is Himself

provided for. There has been a silent but sure

renaissance in the Sri Vaishnavite community, and

several mahatmas with kainkarya ruchi have been and

are putting in tireless efforts for the above cause.

We are seeing the Nava Tirupatis,( sung by Sri

Nammazhwar) for long in disrepair, now wearing a new

and rejuvenated look; the Nava Nrisimhas of Sri

Ahobilam( described by Sri Tirumangai Mannan as

inaccessible-“chendru kAndarku ariya kOil”) would soon

be boasting of refurbished residences.

And numerous other kainkaryams are also under way,

one of which is the Tiruppani at the ViLakkoLi Perumal

Sannidhi at Kancheepuram. This deserves the support of

all philanthropic Sri Vaishnavites, more so because

this kshEtram is holier than any other divyadesam,

having given to posterity an Acharya of the calibre of

Swami Desikan, the likes of whom the world has never

seen and never would too.

The importance of Bhagavat Aradhanam is eclipsed by

that of BhAgavata aradhanam, as evidenced by the

second half of the couplet quoted at the outset-

“ArAdhanAnAm sarvEshAm VishnO: ArAdhanam param

tasmAt parataram prOktam tadIya ArAdhanam param”

Says the PAdmOttara PuranA-Worship of Sri Mahavishnu

is indeed the greatest of all possible worship:

however greater even than that is the worship of His

devotees. The Lord Himself lays down that His devotees

are to be venerated as He Himself is-“tasmAt mad

bhakta bhaktAscha poojaneeyA visEshata:"

 

Thus at Thooppul we have the best of both the worlds-

since Sri DeepaprakAsa and Swami Desikan share a

common abode, by ensuring much-needed repairs and

uninterrupted tiruvaradhanam at this divyadesam, we

would reap the benefits of Bhagavat kainkaryam as well

as BhAgavata kainkaryam simultaneously. If only the

Sri Vaishnavites of the world make up their minds, all

divyadesams and all Emperumans would regain their

original splendour and pave the way to a return to the

world of peace and prosperity that once was.

Adiyen would like to end with an appeal in the words

of Mahakavi Bharati-

“nidhi migundavar porkuvai tAreer

nidhi kuraindavar kAsugaL tAreer

adhuvum atravar vAi chol nalgeer”.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka

SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya

Nama:

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear SrIman Sadagopan Iyengar:

 

I can not thank you enough for your most beautiful

posting on the importance of Uninterrupted AarAdhanam for

Dhivya Desa EmperumAns in general and to Swamy Desikan

at Thuppul Sannidhi and SrI ViLakkoLi PerumAL

at ThirutthaNkA dhivya Desam .

 

Your informative posting has made such a persuavasive

appeal to participate in this most important Kaimkaryam

--realization of uninterrupted NithyArAdhanam for our

ParamAchAryan and the Lord of His avathAra sthalam--

that I feel confident that AasthIkAs intersted in

our sampradhAyam will come forward .

 

Thanks again for your most appreciated support for

this Kiamkaryam at Thoopul .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi,

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchaari Sadagopan

 

At 08:03 PM 1/22/02 -0800, you wrote:

>Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

>mahadesikaya Nama:

>

> Kainkaryam-6

> _______________

>Adiyen had intended to conclude the articles on

>Kainkaryam, (based on the Mukunda Mala sloka) with the

>fifth instalment. However, a few more thoughts were

>inspired by the beautiful postings of Sri

>Oppiliappankoil Satakopan Swami of USA, in connection

>with the tiruppaNi undertaken at the holiest of

>holies, Tooppul, near Kancheepuram. The untiring

>efforts of Sri Satakopan Swami and other kindred

>spirits to create a corpus fund for the nitya

>ArAdhanam of Sri ViLakkoLi Perumal and Sri Desikan at

>the latter's avatAra stthalam appeared to adiyen to be

>the best practical exposition of true kainkaryam.

>

>Kainkaryam to the Lord in His archhA form (as He

>appears to us in various temples) has been held to be

>service of very high order.

 

>Why should the Poorvacharyas and Azhwars place so much

>emphasis on kainkaryam to the arcchA?

>Says the PAdmOttara Purana-

>"ArAdhanAnAm sarvEshAm VishnO: ArAdhanam param"

>Of all types of worship, that addressed to the Lord of

>the Lords, Sri MahaVishnu, is the best. Scriptures

>lay down that of all types of service, the one deemed

>dear to His heart is uninterrupted TiruvArAdhanam at

>His abodes.

>Hence the daily prArtthanA at every Sri Vaishnavite

>home for the uninterrupted flourishing of the bounties

>of Sri Ranganatha-

>"Sriman, Sri Ranga Sriyam anupadravAm anudinam

>samvardhaya"

>Those who have Srimad Ramayana parayanam as a nitya

>karma would be familiar with the prayer

>"KAvEri vardhatAm kAlE, kAlE varshatu VAsava:

>Sri Ranganatha: jayatu, Sri Ranga Sreescha vardhatAm"

>(We pray for the Rain God to ensure timely and

>adequate showers, for Kaveri to be in full beneficial

>flow, and for the fortunes of Sri Rangam to be on the

>ascendant, so that Sri RangarAjA could always reign in

>splendour.)

>

>What has been said of Sri Rangam applies equally well

>to other divyadesams. Thus it becomes our bounden

>duty as Sri Vaishnavites to ensure that His residences

>are kept in good repair, that Tiruvaradhanam is

>carried on without interruption, and that paucity of

>funds never affects kainkaryams of such paramount

>importance.

> And numerous other kainkaryams are also under way,

>one of which is the Tiruppani at the ViLakkoLi Perumal

>Sannidhi at Kancheepuram. This deserves the support of

>all philanthropic Sri Vaishnavites, more so because

>this kshEtram is holier than any other divyadesam,

>having given to posterity an Acharya of the calibre of

>Swami Desikan, the likes of whom the world has never

>seen and never would too.

>

>Thus at Thooppul we have the best of both the worlds-

>since Sri DeepaprakAsa and Swami Desikan share a

>common abode, by ensuring much-needed repairs and

>uninterrupted tiruvaradhanam at this divyadesam, we

>would reap the benefits of Bhagavat kainkaryam as well

>as BhAgavata kainkaryam simultaneously. If only the

>Sri Vaishnavites of the world make up their minds, all

>divyadesams and all Emperumans would regain their

>original splendour and pave the way to a return to the

>world of peace and prosperity that once was.

> Adiyen would like to end with an appeal in the words

>of Mahakavi Bharati-

> "nidhi migundavar porkuvai tAreer

> nidhi kuraindavar kAsugaL tAreer

> adhuvum atravar vAi chol nalgeer".

>

>Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka

>SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya

>Nama: