ThiruvattAr

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Mahadesikaya nama:

 

ThiruvattAr

 

All abodes of the Lord are inherently beautiful. They are

not mere buildings made of brick, mortar and stone, but built by

devotees with floors of devotion, walls of love and roofs of

overwhelming care and concern. They are standing symbols of

dedication to the divine cause, of His votaries’ unlimited

adoration and of man’s heart-felt need for proximity to and

strong wish to visualise the Divine Being. When ordinary houses men

build for themselves crumble and fall apart after two or three score

years, if the lofty temples built thousands of years back still stand

majestically, towering head and shoulders above ordinary

constructions, it is not only due to their Inhabitant Extraordinaire,

but also due to the labour of love and devotion that have gone into

their creation. When the materials used for people’s homes and

the Lord’s are practically the same, the durability and

interminable life that characterises the temples housing Emperuaman

are solely due to the aforesaid factors. Even granting the periodical

restorations that these edifices undergo, many of these temples and

their towers have been standing tall and proud, when their secular

counterparts are nowhere to be seen. While the palaces of the Chozha

Emperors are long gone, having crumbled to dust centuries ago, the

several abodes of God that they built still stand, braving the

threats and ravages of time and nature, seemingly invincible and

indestructible.

 

Of the countless temples devoted to deities of all hues and

kinds, the ones earmarked for Emperuman SrimanNarayana occupy the

pride of place. And of these too, those sanctified by the songs of

Azhwars (those wandering minstrels who went from one glorious temple

to another, enjoying the Lord and His beauty as also the scenic

locales surrounding these temples) are placed ahead of those places

of worship not fortunate enough to have found a mention in the

pasurams of these peripatetic poets. An analytical study of these

outpourings reveals that the Azhwars devoted as many worthy words to

the description of the Lord’s vibhUti, consisting of the

kaleidascope of fabulous flora and fauna of these locales, as to the

magnificence of the Lord of the divya desam. If two lines of a

pasuram are about Emperuman, the other two would, more often than

not, depict the picturesque locale.

 

Most of the divyadesams have lost the character of natural

beauty, as described by Azhwars. For instance, TiruvallikkENi was

such a densely wooded jungle during Sri Tirumangai Mannan’s

times ( with tall manors coexisting with fertile foliage and towering

trees), as to prevent sunlight from filtering to the

ground-“Kadiravan kiraNangal nuzhaidal seidu ariyA

Tiruvallikkeni”. The present day “Triplicane” too

is a jungle, but a concrete jungle, with nary a tree, leave alone a

dense wood. Even now, sunlight finds it difficult to penetrate parts

of the locality, mostly because of the sky-scraping residences. The

erstwhile bewitching scenic beauty of the place has been flattened by

ubiquitous flats, springing up like mushrooms from the tiniest nook

and cranny. With rare exceptions, this is the lot of almost all the

divyadesams today, with nature having been defiled beyond description

by man, in his unending quest for infrastructure and creature

comforts.

 

The rare exceptions to this cold-blooded murder of natural beauty,

are to be found in Kerala. It is in this state that Nature still

reigns supreme, man having been gracious and understanding enough to

have arrived at a fair compromise between the need for development

and preservation of ecologyin all its pristine purity. We often

forget the truth in the “Simha gupti nyAya”-the jungle

being protected from destruction by the menacing presence of the

lion, and the lion, in turn, staying alive and beyond the reach of

hunters, because of the protective cover the jungle affords. Man and

Nature are similarly complementary, each contributing to the welfare

of the other, the fortunes of each inextricably interlinked with that

of the other. This beautiful truth has been realised in full measure

in Kerala, with most of the divyadesams (but for those located in big

towns) retaining their bewitching beauty as portrayed by Azhwars,

thousands of years ago. One such is TiruvattAr, nestling amidst shady

groves and plantations.

 

Situated on a raised platform, the temple looks very much like an

impregnable fortress that it is-there is no way impure thoughts or

actions can enter the Lord’s abode, for He is the “akhila

hEya pratyanIka:”, the antithesis of anything bad or demeaning.

This temple is noteworthy for its size too, encompassing, as it does,

a thousand-pillared mandapam that runs around the sanctum sanctorum.

On all the principal pillars of the inner prAkAram are the beautiful

stone images of damsels, whose joined palms have been ingeniously

fashioned into lamps, into which oil is poured and flames lit. It

would be indeed a treat to watch all these lamps aglow

simultaneously, casting a magical glow through the length and breadth

of the temple premises.

 

Opposite the sanctum sanctorum is a mini-madapam, with

exquisitely-carved wodden pillars incorporating minute figurines. One

wonders at the divine inspiration that must have endowed the

sculptor’s hands with the requisite degree of intiricacy and

precision. On the rootop, staring down at us with eyes dripping with

devotion for the Lord are the navagrahAs, apparently assuring

everyone that they are indeed the servants of Emepruman, with their

writ confined to non-adherents to the Lord’s dicta. In a side

enclosure are figures depicting the ten glorious avataras.

 

The sanctum-sanctorum itself conforms to the other proportions of the

temple. Instead of the single door that is usual in all places of

worship, this sannidhi has three doors, and with good reason. The

tirumEni of the Lord, in a reclining posture, is so huge that it

cannot be viewed through the principal entrance alone, which affords

a view of just the Lord’s torso, from the midriff downwards,

upto the knees. The entrance to the right (from the onlooker’s

viewpoint) reveals the breath-taking tirumukham of the Lord, with its

long, shapely nose (“kOla neeL kodi mookku”), the broad

and beautiful forehead with the arched eyebrows (“puruvam

irundavA kANeerE”). The magnificent headgear (“Kireeta,

makuta, choodAvathamsa….Adi aparimita divya bhooshaNa:”),

symbolising Supremacy, is visible only partly, most of it disappearing

into the deep, protective hood of Sri Adisesha, only one of whose

heads is visible to the devotee. One huge, long arm is thrown to the

side, adorned with all sorts of intricately-carved ornaments, adding

distinction to themselves due the fabulous fortune of assocaiation

with the glorious tirumEni of the Paramapurusha. The other arm is

raised in a YOga MudrA, signifying that the Lord is not in any

ordinary slumber, but in eternal penance, thinking at all times of

ways and means to emacipate errant humanity and to afford them

unimaginable bliss in His exalted company, bringing to mind

Azhwar’s beautiful lines, “uranguvAn pOl yOgu puNarnda

oLi maNi vaNNan KaNNan”.

 

From neck-down upto the ankles, the Lord’s torso

is hidden by yellow-silk, the peetAmbaram, which contrasts well with

His pitch-black tirumeni. Probably the all-enveloping cloth is draped

around the Lord to prevent people from ogling at and envying the

perfectly-proportioned , broad chest, the perennial abode of the

Divine Consort, the beautiful navel from which the entire creation

consisting of myriad beings originates, the handsome thighs

resembling the trunks of tall elephants and the slender waist adorned

by the “udara bandham”,of which Sri PAN Perumal has so

much to say. All these hidden beauties can be viewed from the

central, principal entrance.

 

The third entrance to the left gives us a glorious view of

the Lord’s tiruvadi, the mere sight of which destroys all sins

hidden in the nooks and corners of our heart, after viewing which the

mind looks askance at any other sight of professed allure. It is these

tiruvadis which measured the entire worlds and from which the

all-purifying Ganga had its origins. A single gesture of obeisance to

these tiruvadis, even if made with incorrect posture, mindset, etc.

can bestow on us all that is spiritually good and eliminate all that

is not, says Sri Alavandar-

“tvat anghrim uddisya kadApi kEnachit

yathA tatA vApi sakrit kritOnjali:

tataiva mushNAti ashubhAni asEshata:

subhAni pushNAti na jAtu heeyatE”.

 

Near the Lord’s tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to the one

at Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His

palm in benediction. The Divine Consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoodevi, are

seated on either side of the Lord, but lower down, drenching the Lord

with their constant glances of adoration. On a lower pedestal is the

beautiful Utsava Murthy, with four hands holding the Shankha, Chakra,

Gada and Padma respectively, resplendent with ubhaya nAcchimAr.

 

All these enchanting features are to be gleaned carefully, as our

eyes, unaccustomed to the homely light provided by the oil lamps with

which the sancum sanctorum is lit, may easily miss important

characteristics. The lamps provide an illumination full of magic, at

once revealing and concealing the divine features, leaving a lot to

imagination. The play of light and shadows on the Lord’s

tirumukham bestows it with a plethora of expressions, making it

smile or frown, according to the onlooker’s state of mind. What

a contrast from the glaring and garish spot-lights focussed with

absolute lack of concern on the Lord’s unprotesting tirumEni,

as is found at various divyadesams! In most of the Keralite shrines,

lighting is subdued, whether by accident or design we do not know,

resulting in our having to peer carefully in the semi-gloom, for a

rewarding glimpse of the Lord and His bewitching beauty. In the

process, however, we are forced to concentrate more on His form, than

otherwise.

 

Is it then any wonder that Sri Nammazhwar reserves the choicest words

of adulation and adoration for this enchanting AdikEsava Perumal?

Azhwar reveals that it is indeed this Emperuman who is in a hurry to

reclaim Azhwar to the Nitya Vibhuti of Sri Vaikuntam, unable to put

up any more with the separation from the Divine

Bard-“viNNulagam taruvAnAi viraigindrAn”. It is also this

Lord who shows Azhwar the well-trodden path to Liberation, viz.,

Prapatti-“vAnEra vazhi tanda VAttAttrAn”. Concurring with

our own impressions of the Lord resembling a huge, black mountain in a

recumbent state, Azhwar says, “mai nindra varai pOlum tiruvuruva

VAttAttrArkku”. The savant also teaches us the way to be rid of

mundane shackles, exhorting us to seek refuge in the glorious

tiruvadi described above-“VAttAttrAn adi vaNangE”. And it

is the Lord Himself who shows us the pathless path and relieves us of

the necessity of an endless sojourn in hell, for that is where we are

destined, if we are left to our own devices-“kAtti tan kanai

kazhalgaL kadu narakam pugal ozhitta VattAttru Emperuman”. The

blissful experience of nAma sankeertanam, extolling the innumerable

names of the Lord, is also highlighted in another

pasuram-“naNNinam Narayananai, nAmangaL pala solli”. Sri

Satakopa Muni also reveals a closely-guarded secret---that it is none

other than the Lord of this divyadesam who was responsible for the

composition of the thousand and odd verses of Tiruvaimozhi, using

Azhwar as a mere output device-“en nenjattuL irundu ingu irum

Tamizh nool ivai mozhindu”. Azhwar confirms that whatever the

Lord might do to others (those who stay away from Emperuman), He

would do only good to us, who are His ardent devotees, His infinite

mercy finding ready recipients-“nannenjE nam perumAn namaku

aruL tAn seivAnE”. Once we invite Him into our souls, the Lord

takes up permanent residence in us and wouldn’t leave even if

we push Him out, says Azhwar-“nilai peyarAn en nenjattu eppOdum

Emperuman”.

 

The Adikesava Perumal of TiruvattAr lies patiently in wait for us,

to ensnare us with His captivating glances, seeking the slightest

excuse to enter our souls and take up permanent residence, curing us

forever of the apparently chronic affliction of births and deaths

(“mAgyAla pirappu aruppAn”) and affording us eternal

bliss not a bit less than that He Himself enjoys. His half-closed

eyes, resembling the petals of a closed flower, open wide like a

lotus in full bloom, at the mere sight of another devotee come to

visit Him. He may appear asleep, but is the most wakeful person in

the whole Universe, beset with consuming worry at the ways of errant

and incorrigible humanity. He lies awake forever, devising newer and

newer strategies for uplifting His progeny wallowing in the mundane

morass.

For the information of intending visitors, ThiruvattAr is a five to

six kilometre diversion from MArthAndam, which is a small town on the

National Highway between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Sri Krishnaya Namah!

 

Dear Swamin,

 

Humble Pranams!

 

 

This engrossed me for sometime and many thanks for the same.

 

The sentence - "The entrance to the right (from the onlooker's viewpoint)

reveals the breath-taking tirumukham of the Lord, with its long, shapely

nose ("kOla neeL kodi mookku")", reminds me of Sri Chennakesava Swamy at

Ryali at Rajahmundry, AP. Lord here, looks beautiful which once seen

bhakthas never forget in their life time, with specific reference to His

eyes and nose which stands out in terms of shapely curves, though the deity

is in standing pose(beautiful bent posture), and not reclining as Sri

Adikesava.

 

The sentence -- "Near the Lord's tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to

the one at Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His

palm in benediction." made me curious to know as I am ignorant with

respect to divyadesams.

You are saying 'in contrast to Tiruvananthapuram' , how it will be in

Tiruvananthapuram, where is Shivalingam placed there and is there any

specific mention in the sthalapuranam on the reason as to why shivalingam

being placed there.

 

Also, I have been to Srirangapatnam near Mysore, Karnataka and visited

Sriranganatha temple there, which has also three entrances with the deity

is almost 15 ft with a reclining posture. Lord has two hands only in this

temple and I hope it is only two in Thiruvattar also. If I am not wrong

the deity at TiruvallikkENi is Venkatakrishna.

 

 

Thanks for your time.

 

 

Sukumar

 

 

Sri Krishnaparabrahmane Namah!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

sadagopaniyengar [sMTP:sadagopaniyengar]

09/07/2003 9:31 PM

; ; tiruvengadam; Oppiliappan;

radha jagannathan; j.srinivasan; cs.srinivasan; sukanya Murali; mythily

ramadesikan

ThiruvattAr

 

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

ThiruvattAr

 

 

 

All abodes of the Lord are inherently beautiful. They are not

mere buildings made of brick, mortar and stone, but built by devotees with

floors of devotion, walls of love and roofs of overwhelming care and

concern. They are standing symbols of dedication to the divine cause, of

His votaries' unlimited adoration and of man's heart-felt need for

proximity to and strong wish to visualise the Divine Being. When ordinary

houses men build for themselves crumble and fall apart after two or three

score years, if the lofty temples built thousands of years back still stand

majestically, towering head and shoulders above ordinary constructions, it

is not only due to their Inhabitant Extraordinaire, but also due to the

labour of love and devotion that have gone into their creation. When the

materials used for people's homes and the Lord's are practically the same,

the durability and interminable life that characterises the temples housing

Emperuaman are solely due to the aforesaid factors. Even granting the

periodical restorations that these edifices undergo, many of these temples

and their towers have been standing tall and proud, when their secular

counterparts are nowhere to be seen. While the palaces of the Chozha

Emperors are long gone, having crumbled to dust centuries ago, the several

abodes of God that they built still stand, braving the threats and ravages

of time and nature, seemingly invincible and indestructible.

 

 

 

Of the countless temples devoted to deities of all hues and kinds,

the ones earmarked for Emperuman SrimanNarayana occupy the pride of place.

And of these too, those sanctified by the songs of Azhwars (those wandering

minstrels who went from one glorious temple to another, enjoying the Lord

and His beauty as also the scenic locales surrounding these temples) are

placed ahead of those places of worship not fortunate enough to have found

a mention in the pasurams of these peripatetic poets. An analytical study

of these outpourings reveals that the Azhwars devoted as many worthy words

to the description of the Lord's vibhUti, consisting of the kaleidascope

of fabulous flora and fauna of these locales, as to the magnificence of the

Lord of the divya desam. If two lines of a pasuram are about Emperuman, the

other two would, more often than not, depict the picturesque locale.

 

 

 

Most of the divyadesams have lost the character of natural beauty,

as described by Azhwars. For instance, TiruvallikkENi was such a densely

wooded jungle during Sri Tirumangai Mannan's times ( with tall manors

coexisting with fertile foliage and towering trees), as to prevent sunlight

from filtering to the ground-"Kadiravan kiraNangal nuzhaidal seidu ariyA

Tiruvallikkeni". The present day "Triplicane" too is a jungle, but a

concrete jungle, with nary a tree, leave alone a dense wood. Even now,

sunlight finds it difficult to penetrate parts of the locality, mostly

because of the sky-scraping residences. The erstwhile bewitching scenic

beauty of the place has been flattened by ubiquitous flats, springing up

like mushrooms from the tiniest nook and cranny. With rare exceptions, this

is the lot of almost all the divyadesams today, with nature having been

defiled beyond description by man, in his unending quest for infrastructure

and creature comforts.

 

 

 

The rare exceptions to this cold-blooded murder of natural beauty, are

to be found in Kerala. It is in this state that Nature still reigns

supreme, man having been gracious and understanding enough to have arrived

at a fair compromise between the need for development and preservation of

ecologyin all its pristine purity. We often forget the truth in the "Simha

gupti nyAya"-the jungle being protected from destruction by the menacing

presence of the lion, and the lion, in turn, staying alive and beyond the

reach of hunters, because of the protective cover the jungle affords. Man

and Nature are similarly complementary, each contributing to the welfare of

the other, the fortunes of each inextricably interlinked with that of the

other. This beautiful truth has been realised in full measure in Kerala,

with most of the divyadesams (but for those located in big towns) retaining

their bewitching beauty as portrayed by Azhwars, thousands of years ago.

One such is TiruvattAr, nestling amidst shady groves and plantations.

 

 

 

Situated on a raised platform, the temple looks very much like an

impregnable fortress that it is-there is no way impure thoughts or actions

can enter the Lord's abode, for He is the "akhila hEya pratyanIka:", the

antithesis of anything bad or demeaning. This temple is noteworthy for its

size too, encompassing, as it does, a thousand-pillared mandapam that runs

around the sanctum sanctorum. On all the principal pillars of the inner

prAkAram are the beautiful stone images of damsels, whose joined palms have

been ingeniously fashioned into lamps, into which oil is poured and flames

lit. It would be indeed a treat to watch all these lamps aglow

simultaneously, casting a magical glow through the length and breadth of

the temple premises.

 

 

 

Opposite the sanctum sanctorum is a mini-madapam, with exquisitely-carved

wodden pillars incorporating minute figurines. One wonders at the divine

inspiration that must have endowed the sculptor's hands with the requisite

degree of intiricacy and precision. On the rootop, staring down at us with

eyes dripping with devotion for the Lord are the navagrahAs, apparently

assuring everyone that they are indeed the servants of Emepruman, with

their writ confined to non-adherents to the Lord's dicta. In a side

enclosure are figures depicting the ten glorious avataras.

 

 

 

The sanctum-sanctorum itself conforms to the other proportions of the

temple. Instead of the single door that is usual in all places of worship,

this sannidhi has three doors, and with good reason. The tirumEni of the

Lord, in a reclining posture, is so huge that it cannot be viewed through

the principal entrance alone, which affords a view of just the Lord's

torso, from the midriff downwards, upto the knees. The entrance to the

right (from the onlooker's viewpoint) reveals the breath-taking tirumukham

of the Lord, with its long, shapely nose ("kOla neeL kodi mookku"), the

broad and beautiful forehead with the arched eyebrows ("puruvam irundavA

kANeerE"). The magnificent headgear ("Kireeta, makuta, choodAvathamsa..Adi

aparimita divya bhooshaNa:"), symbolising Supremacy, is visible only

partly, most of it disappearing into the deep, protective hood of Sri

Adisesha, only one of whose heads is visible to the devotee. One huge, long

arm is thrown to the side, adorned with all sorts of intricately-carved

ornaments, adding distinction to themselves due the fabulous fortune of

assocaiation with the glorious tirumEni of the Paramapurusha. The other arm

is raised in a YOga MudrA, signifying that the Lord is not in any ordinary

slumber, but in eternal penance, thinking at all times of ways and means to

emacipate errant humanity and to afford them unimaginable bliss in His

exalted company, bringing to mind Azhwar's beautiful lines, "uranguvAn pOl

yOgu puNarnda oLi maNi vaNNan KaNNan".

 

 

 

From neck-down upto the ankles, the Lord's torso is hidden

by yellow-silk, the peetAmbaram, which contrasts well with His pitch-black

tirumeni. Probably the all-enveloping cloth is draped around the Lord to

prevent people from ogling at and envying the perfectly-proportioned ,

broad chest, the perennial abode of the Divine Consort, the beautiful navel

from which the entire creation consisting of myriad beings originates, the

handsome thighs resembling the trunks of tall elephants and the slender

waist adorned by the "udara bandham",of which Sri PAN Perumal has so much

to say. All these hidden beauties can be viewed from the central, principal

entrance.

 

 

 

The third entrance to the left gives us a glorious view of the

Lord's tiruvadi, the mere sight of which destroys all sins hidden in the

nooks and corners of our heart, after viewing which the mind looks askance

at any other sight of professed allure. It is these tiruvadis which

measured the entire worlds and from which the all-purifying Ganga had its

origins. A single gesture of obeisance to these tiruvadis, even if made

with incorrect posture, mindset, etc. can bestow on us all that is

spiritually good and eliminate all that is not, says Sri Alavandar-

 

"tvat anghrim uddisya kadApi kEnachit

 

yathA tatA vApi sakrit kritOnjali:

 

tataiva mushNAti ashubhAni asEshata:

 

subhAni pushNAti na jAtu heeyatE".

 

 

 

Near the Lord's tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to the one at

Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His palm in

benediction. The Divine Consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoodevi, are seated on e

ither side of the Lord, but lower down, drenching the Lord with their

constant glances of adoration. On a lower pedestal is the beautiful Utsava

Murthy, with four hands holding the Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma

respectively, resplendent with ubhaya nAcchimAr.

 

 

 

All these enchanting features are to be gleaned carefully, as our eyes,

unaccustomed to the homely light provided by the oil lamps with which the

sancum sanctorum is lit, may easily miss important characteristics. The

lamps provide an illumination full of magic, at once revealing and

concealing the divine features, leaving a lot to imagination. The play of

light and shadows on the Lord's tirumukham bestows it with a plethora of

expressions, making it smile or frown, according to the onlooker's state

of mind. What a contrast from the glaring and garish spot-lights focussed

with absolute lack of concern on the Lord's unprotesting tirumEni, as is

found at various divyadesams! In most of the Keralite shrines, lighting is

subdued, whether by accident or design we do not know, resulting in our

having to peer carefully in the semi-gloom, for a rewarding glimpse of the

Lord and His bewitching beauty. In the process, however, we are forced to

concentrate more on His form, than otherwise.

 

 

 

Is it then any wonder that Sri Nammazhwar reserves the choicest words of

adulation and adoration for this enchanting AdikEsava Perumal? Azhwar

reveals that it is indeed this Emperuman who is in a hurry to reclaim

Azhwar to the Nitya Vibhuti of Sri Vaikuntam, unable to put up any more

with the separation from the Divine Bard-"viNNulagam taruvAnAi

viraigindrAn". It is also this Lord who shows Azhwar the well-trodden path

to Liberation, viz., Prapatti-"vAnEra vazhi tanda VAttAttrAn". Concurring

with our own impressions of the Lord resembling a huge, black mountain in a

recumbent state, Azhwar says, "mai nindra varai pOlum tiruvuruva

VAttAttrArkku". The savant also teaches us the way to be rid of mundane

shackles, exhorting us to seek refuge in the glorious tiruvadi described

above-"VAttAttrAn adi vaNangE". And it is the Lord Himself who shows us the

pathless path and relieves us of the necessity of an endless sojourn in

hell, for that is where we are destined, if we are left to our own

devices-"kAtti tan kanai kazhalgaL kadu narakam pugal ozhitta VattAttru

Emperuman". The blissful experience of nAma sankeertanam, extolling the

innumerable names of the Lord, is also highlighted in another

pasuram-"naNNinam Narayananai, nAmangaL pala solli". Sri Satakopa Muni also

reveals a closely-guarded secret---that it is none other than the Lord of

this divyadesam who was responsible for the composition of the thousand and

odd verses of Tiruvaimozhi, using Azhwar as a mere output device-"en

nenjattuL irundu ingu irum Tamizh nool ivai mozhindu". Azhwar confirms that

whatever the Lord might do to others (those who stay away from Emperuman),

He would do only good to us, who are His ardent devotees, His infinite

mercy finding ready recipients-"nannenjE nam perumAn namaku aruL tAn

seivAnE". Once we invite Him into our souls, the Lord takes up permanent

residence in us and wouldn't leave even if we push Him out, says

Azhwar-"nilai peyarAn en nenjattu eppOdum Emperuman".

 

 

 

The Adikesava Perumal of TiruvattAr lies patiently in wait for us, to

ensnare us with His captivating glances, seeking the slightest excuse to

enter our souls and take up permanent residence, curing us forever of the

apparently chronic affliction of births and deaths ("mAgyAla pirappu

aruppAn") and affording us eternal bliss not a bit less than that He

Himself enjoys. His half-closed eyes, resembling the petals of a closed

flower, open wide like a lotus in full bloom, at the mere sight of another

devotee come to visit Him. He may appear asleep, but is the most wakeful

person in the whole Universe, beset with consuming worry at the ways of

errant and incorrigible humanity. He lies awake forever, devising newer and

newer strategies for uplifting His progeny wallowing in the mundane morass.

 

 

 

For the information of intending visitors, ThiruvattAr is a five to six

kilometre diversion from MArthAndam, which is a small town on the National

Highway between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan

 

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