SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi day Release of audio Casette on Ranga-Raama Bhakthi

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SrI:

 

SrI RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

 

Today is the SamvathsarOthsavam (annula festival )of

SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi PuRappAdu at SrIrangam . The Lord emerges

out of His aasthAnam and goes thru the special Vaikunta Vaasal

(Tavittari Vaasal) followed by the blessed throngs of devotees

(Thiruvaranga KoottatthAr)after following some ancient rites

relatable to yOga Saasthram .

 

The Vaikunta EkAdasi Celebrations at SrIrangam

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This is a Naataka roopa Uthsavam , where the Lord Himself

enacts the very stages of a Mumukshu's (one who is desirous of

gaining Moksham ) travel via archirAdhi mArgam (dEvayAna maargam),

the enjoyment of the MaryAdhais by adhivAhikAs on the way ,

a dip in the virajA river, welcome by the nithya sooris and welcome

by divine damsels thereafter with poorNa kumbhams and the climactic

entry through the gOpuram of SrI Vaikuntam to reach the inner court ,

where the Lord welcomes the Muktha Jeevan ;there the liberated

jeevan enjoys the supreme bliss of being with the Lord

and performing nithya kaimkaryam there for Him and

His Devis (vide: Parama Padha sOpAnam of Swamy Desikan).

 

The Vaibhavam of SrIrangam

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SrIrangam is saluted as Thiruvarangam Periya Koil

( the grandest and the holiest temple of SrIrangam ).

It is ancient and its illustrious Vaibhavam is indicated

by Swamy VedAntha Desikan in his Tamil Prabhandham :

 

aarAtha aruLamudham pothintha kOil

ambhuyatthPn AyOddhi mannarkkaLittha kOil

thOlAtha taniveeran thozhutha kOil

thuNaiAna VeeDaNaRkku thuNayngkOil

sErAtha patyanellAm sErkkum kOil

sezhumaRayin mudhal yezhutthu sErntha kOil

theerAtha vinai anaitthum theerkkum kOil

Thiruvarangam yenat-thikazhum kOil thAmE

 

--AdhikAra sangraham: Paasuram 42

 

(Meaning): The dhivya dEsam of Thriuvarangam

is the permanent abode of the KaruNA moorthy ,

Lord RanganAthan , who is like the insatiable nectar

for His dear devotees. This temple (VimAnam and

PerumAL ) was given as a present by BrahmA to

the Emperors of IashvAku Kulam to which Lord

Raamachandra belongs. The Lord of this temple was

worshipped by Lord Raamachandran Himself during His

Vibhava avathAram at AyOddhi.This Lord resting under

PraNavAkAra VimAnam became the protection for

VibhIshaNan , who served the Lord during His

RaamAvathAram. This Koil has the uniqueness of

conferring boons that can not be obtained

elsewhere. It is united with the VimAnam shaped

in the form of PraNavam. Visit to this koil destroys

all of our sins.This Koil therefore stands on top

of every dhivya dEsam.

 

The Moola and Uthsava BhErams at SrIrangam

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The Moola BhEram ( Moolavar or the stationary deity)

is the Lord who is resting on AdhisEshan . He has the rope

marks on His waist arising from the days , when His mother

YasOdhA bound Him with KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu ( small knotted

rope), to punish Him for stealing butter . He got the name

of DaamOdhara KrishNan from that day onwards. Thus the Moola

BhEram at Srirangam is recognized and saluted as Krishnan .

 

The Uthsava BhEram (Uthsava Moorthy or processional deity)

wears His Paadhukais and goes on SanchAram . He is recognized

as Raamachandran . He gurantees all those who seek His protection

by granting abhaya pradhAnam (Freedom from fear of any kind):

 

SakruthEva PrapannAya TavAsmIthi yaachathE

abhayam sarvabhUthEbhya: dhadhAmyEthath vratham Mama

 

Even for those who surrender only once to Him for protection ,

He assures them complete freedom from fear of any kind .

He says that it is His vow (Vratham)to protect them.

 

That RangarAjan as Raamachandran enjoys sanchAram on

SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi day wearing His Dhivya MaNi PaadhukAs

and Special RathnAngi to enter SrI Vaikunta Vaasal.

Of this sanchAram adorning His Paadhukais , Swamy Desikan

has this to say in SrI RanganAtha PaadhukA Sahasram:

 

Saradha: Sathamambha ! PaadhukE ! syAm

samayAhUtha-pithAmaha-sthuthAni

MaNI MaNDapikAsu Rangabharthu:

ThvadhadhInAni gathAgathAni pasyan

 

--262 SlOakm of Sri RanganAtha PaadhukA sahasram

 

(meaning): Oh PaadhukE! During Uthsava Kaalams

at SrIrangam , the dEvAthas are invited to enjoy

the Lord's darsanam.They have all arrived now .

PerumAL starts His sanchAram to the various gem-

studded MaNDapams adorning You. As he travels to

these selected locations , the dEvathAs eulogize Him .

adiyEn has the desire to enjoy that unique sEvai

for a hundred years and stay right here at SrIrangam.

 

Such is the SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi RathnAngi sEvai

at the Thiruvarangam Periya Koil today .

 

A special Audio Tape for this Occasion

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To celebrate the RaamAvathAra Uthsava Moorthy of

SrIrangam , adiyEn is releasing a special tape about

Saint ThyagarAjA's Naatai pancha Rathnam :

" JagadhAnandha KaarakA ". This Pancha rathnam

has 108 NaamAvaLis incorporated in 10 charaNams .

Each of the NaamAs are the Naama kusumAnjalis

placed at the Lotus feet of the Lord by one of

the greatest Raama BhakthAs , the VaalmIki amsar,

ThyAga Brahmam of Panchanadha KshEthram (Tiru IyyARu).

 

This Naattai Pancharathnam is different from the other

Pancha Rathnam known as SrIranga Pancharathnam sung by

him , when he attended the ChaithrOthsavam at SrIrangam .

Latter are the crystallization of the waters of the sweet

river of Bhakthi that flowed , when the Saint had the darsana

soubhAgyam of Lord RanganAthan during another Uthsavam .

The Nattai Pancha Rathnam however is part of AarAdhanam at

ThiruvayyARu for Lord Raamachandran adorning the special MaNi

ManTapam that he built for the Lord at the poojA gruham of

his home .

 

The Saint chose the majestic Naattai Raagam to perform

the Naadha KusumAnjali in the form of AshtOtthara Satha

(108) NaamAvaLi . Nattai , GambhIra Naattai, MallAri are

the raagams chosen for PuRappAdu of PerumAL during

the Uthsavams at our temples. The other 4 of the Pancha

Rathnams have different moods and are set in the RaagAs of

GouLai, Aarabhi, VarALi and SrI . The present tape deals

exclusively with the Naattai pancharathnam and the Naadha

naivEdhyam of this great Raama BhakthA.

 

The Content of the special Audio Tape

**************************************

The deeper meanings of each of the NaamAs adorning

the Naatai Pancharathnam are explained in a mixture of

Tamil, Samskritham and Telegu. The main text is in

Tamil admixed with Sanskrit (MaNi PravALam). The quotations

from PurANams , Veda Manthrams ,Upanishads ,IthihAsams ,

Kambha RaamAyanam ,SrImath BhAgavatham ,SthOthrams like

SrI Raghu Veera Gadhyam , Raama KarNamrutham , AzhwAr

Paasurams are included to illustrate the Vaibhavam of

each of the NaamAs chosen by Saint ThyagarAjA in a mood

of Parama Bhakthi . Copious quotations from the other

Krithis of the Saint are also included to experience

the echos of the NaamAs belonging to Naattai Pancha rathnam .

 

The Nattai Pancha rathnam is a Thodaya MangaLa Krithi ,

where the full power of the Rishabha svaram in its sharp

(mjaestic) and upward striving form is brought in to play.

This pancharathnam is also celebrated for the dignity of

its DhAthu and Maathu . It is a brilliant and moving

eulogy and at best a heroic praise for a Hero without

any match. The SvarAlankArams found in this Naatai

Pancharathnam are evidences to the genius of this

composer , who had the anugraham of the peripatetic

Saint Naaradha ,the great bard singing the glories of

SrIman NaarAyanan to the accompaniment of his VeeNA .

 

On this SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi of ChithrabhAnu ,

adiyEn is fortunate to share with you the news

about the special ( Home recorded ) audio Tape

along with the recordings on the other Ghaana

Raaga Pancharathnams . The second pancharathnam ,

" Duduku gala nannE " is in a mood of Naicchiyam

and aathma garhanam ( mood of repentence and

recount of his shortcoings).The third pancharahtnam

(samayAniki) is the dialog with KrishNan (Moola BhEram of

SrIrangam)while worshipping Him as Raamachandran(Uthsava

BhEram of SrIrangam ) in the ChAyalaka raagam of Aarabhi.

The fourth Pancharathnam ( Kana Kana RuchirA) is set

in (Jaala) VarALi raagam to celebrate the Roopa Mahimai

of SrI Raamabhadran. The fifth Pancharathnam in the auspicious

Raagam of SrI (YentharO MahAnubhAvulu) celebrates

the darsana mahimai of Parama BhAgavathAs.

 

AdiyEn has written about them in English in Bhakthi List.

These recordings however follow the original Tamil Text

of a Book that adiyEn wrote in 1990 with forewords from

SangItha KalAnidhis Semmangudi SrInivAsa Iyer and

PaalakkAdu K.V.NaarAyana Swamy Iyer .

 

adiyEn concludes this special SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi

essay with three salutations to SrI Ranga Raaman:

 

NeelabhadrEsa! NikhilEsa ! JagannivAsa! RamaNIya-guNAbhirAma!

SrIdhAma ! Dhaithyakula mardhana! Raamachandra!

Thvath pAdham anisam kalayAmi chitthE !

 

DasaraTa-varaputhram JaanakI-sathkaLathram

Dasamukha haradaksham Padma PathrAyAdhAksham

Karadhrutha Sara chApam chAru-mukthA-kalApam

Raghukula NruvarENyam RaamamIdE SaraNyam

 

--BhOdhEndhrAL's SrI Raama KarNAmrutham

 

vadhathu vadathu VaaNi RanganAthEthi Nithyam

Japathu Japathu chittham RangaEsa paadhAravindham

Namathu namathu dEham santhatham RanganAtham

na bhavathu mama pApam janma-janmAntharEshu

 

SrI BhUlOka Vaikunta ChakravarthinE nama:

Daasan , Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan