"Thiruvitthuvakkodu"

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

ThiruVitthuvakkOdu

 

Nature, in its pristine purity, undefiled by man, is always beautiful.

The air is fragrant with the scent of flowers in full bloom. The river down

below flows quietly, unwilling to disturb the atmosphere of devotion and

serenity that prevails. Even bees are muted in their buzz, sensing a need to

preserve the soothing silence. The towering trees all round sway gently in the

breeze, bowing their crowns in obeisance.

 

This is the environment in which most of the divyadesams in Kerala are

located. Matching the peace that prevails outside, inside the temple too there

is an ambience of devotion, unspoilt by commercial considerations. The Lord's

face is lit up only by a few oil lamps and not by the harsh glare of a halogen

lamp. The archakAs speak only when they are spoken to, and then also, in muted

tones. We are not invited to contribute to some cause or the other, either by

word or by implication. There are no loudspeakers blaring out raucous

"devotional" music. The devotees too adhere to this unwritten code of silence,

and refrain from all secular discussion among themselves while inside the

temple.

 

This heady mixture of natural beauty, tranquillity and spirituality transports

us to a wholly different and welcome world of devotion. The accent in these

temples, as it should be, seems to be on devotion, unpolluted by other thoughts

and devoid of all distractions. No distinction is made among devotees on

economic, social or political considerations and temple rules are not relaxed

for anyone, however mighty he is. Proper attire for both men and women folk is

insisted upon for entering the temple, and men are required to remove their

upper cloth as a token of respect and humility.

 

 

ThiruVitthuvakkOde, to which Sri Kulasekarazhwar has devoted all of ten pasurams

in his Perumal Tirumozhi, is no exception to the scenario described above and

lives up to the promised guarantee of spiritual satisfaction that one can expect

from all MalainAdu divyadesams. The ubiquitous Bharatapuzha is present here too,

practically washing the Lord's feet with its gentle waters. The river stretches

away for miles in the distance, and a panoramic view is available from the

temple precincts.

 

The temple is locally known as "anju moortthi" ambalam, due to the presence of

different images of the Lord consecrated by the five PAndavAs, during their

exile from Indraprastha. Dharmaputra, BhImasEna and Arjuna have contributed a

shrine each, while Nakula and Sahadeva have jointly sponsored one.

 

True to His declaration in the Bhagavat Gita (" PAndavAnAm DhananjayOsmi"), the

Lord's main shrine is that sponsored by Arjuna. In the semi-gloom, dispelled

only by the unflickering oil lamps, we are barely able to perceive the Lord's

form at first. Then, as our eyes get accustomed to the darkness, the magnificent

tirumEni of the VitthuvakkOttu ammAn gradually unfolds before our eyes. We first

notice the beautiful crown adorning the Emperuman's head, circled by a garland

of red roses. The Lord's forehead, with an Urdhva pundram, His broad eyes

commented upon by people of varied pursuits and persuasions, ranging from the

VedaPurusha and Tiruppanazhwar to SUrpanakhA, the bewitching mouth below with

the hint of a smile, the two upraised arms on which SudarsanAzhwan and

PAnchajanyAzhwan rest with resplendence, the arm holding a beautiful red lotus

and the other one with a mace------all these slowly swim into view. On His chest

are a pendent on a golden chain and floral garlands too, and He is wearing a

silken cloth of violet hue that stretches from His midriff to His feet. We are

forced to enjoy the beauty of the Lord's form one delectable part after the

other, as the partial darkness makes it impossible for us to have a

comprehensive view. And when our mind assembles all that the eyes have

registered, we end up with a breathtakingly bewitching picture, which must very

closely resemble the one that the nitya sUrIs of SriVaikuntam drink in

constantly ("sadA pasyanti").

 

Is it any wonder then that Sri Kulasekhara Perumal reserves his allegiance

exclusively for this Emperuman and declares "un charaN allAl sharan illai"?

Azhwar avers that VitthuvakkOttu ammAn is his sole refuge, and irrespective of

whatever travails the Lord may subject him (Azhwar) to, Azwar would remain a

staunch votary of Emperuman. To buttress this point, Azhwar furnishes numerous

examples-

 

-That of a helpless infant who sticks to the mother, crying, even after being

pushed away by her in temporary annoyance

 

-that of a faithful wife, who remains true to her husband irrespective of his

deplorable conduct

 

-that of a loyal subject, who stays faithful to the King, though the latter

might provide only misrule

 

-that of an ever-grateful patient, though the doctor might cut his flesh with

the sharpest of knives for surgical correction of the malady

 

-that of a bird caught on a ship midseas , returning to the ship time and again,

unable to find a tree to perch on in the solid expanse of water all around

 

-that of the green crop looking up to the dark cloud for sustenance, though the

rain might play truant

 

-that of the lotus refusing to bloom but for the warmth of the Sun's rays

 

-that of mighty rivers ultimately ending up in the ocean, irrespective of the

thousands of miles they might traverse.

 

All these examples serve to highlight one single, significant fact-that Sriman

Narayana is our sole refuge, irrespective of the travails we may face in this

world due to the bonds of Karma, and whether or not the Lord appears to make any

effort to save us from this suffering. ChEralar kOn is only expanding the theme

of Sri Nammazhwar's averment, "KaLaivAi thunbam kaLayAdu ozhivAi, kaLaikaN

mattrilEn".

 

This Tirumozhi has so moved Sri Alavandar that he has incorporated a verbatim

translation of the first pasuram-the one about the crying child and the

indifferent mother-in his Stotra Ratnam

 

"rushA nirasthOpi sisu: sthanandaya: na jAtu mAtu: charaNou jihAsati"

 

Several of the descriptions attributed to VitthuvakkOdu in the aforesaid

pasurams are true even today. The "virai kuzhuvu malar pozhil"(gardens filled

with fragrant flowers), and "meen nOkkum neeL vayal" (vast, fertile fields

filled with water, where fish swim about with pleasure) are all there, making

the village a haven of peace and prosperity. However, the "viN tOy madiL"

(protective walls touching the sky) has disappeared with time, as is to be

expected. The Lord too has retained the colours as witnessed by Azhwar, and is

still as dark as the rain-bearing cloud ("mikkilangu mugil niratthAi"). There

also remains in full measure the immeasurable glory of the Lord, described by

Azhwar as "Pukkilangu seer" and "andamil seer".

 

"Even if You totally ignore me, even if You don't display the least interest in

my welfare, even if You just watch idly while I suffer from one malady after the

other, in birth after tedious birth, I shall stand firm in my adherence to You

and continue to regard Your lotus feet as my sole refuge"("mattru Arum pattrilEn

endru avanai tAL nayandu") declares Sri Kulasekhara Perumal.

 

The rolling hills, the sprawling fields filled with ripe crop, the innumerable

"Kamugu" (PAkku) trees standing tall and straight, like ever-vigilant sentinels

zealously protecting their Master , the serene BhAratapuzha wending its way

past the temple, the precious silence and tranquillity that pervade the place,

the enchanting Deity who refuses to leave our mind's eye, ready to uplift us

just for the asking- all these make a visit to Thiruvitthuvakkodu a spiritually

rewarding and rejuvenating experience. When we leave, we do so reluctantly,

leaving our minds behind, minds that have been held captive by the greatest

thief of all times, who steals our hearts unbeknownst to ourselves.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan