Quite flows the Cauvery

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Srimate

SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

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yes">                  Quiet  

Flows   The   Cauvery

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Historians aver that all civilisation

is river-based, and  point to the

ancient cultures that thrived  on the

banks of the Nile, the Sindhu ( Indus), the Gangetic Plains, etc... 

Measured by this standard, the one that

flourished on the banks of the Cauvery is no less significant.  Apart from the other hall marks of

civilisations, the one the Cauvery gave birth to, appears to have been endowed

with a unique feature which the other cultures could not boast of-

Spirituality.

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">     Is

there something special about the

waters of the Cauvery, which has been the subject matter of so much dispute and

discord in recent years? The answer would appear to be “Yes”, if we were to go

by Azhwars’ averments. Divya Prabandas are replete with references to this

beautiful river and the Azhwars appear incapable of avoiding the Cauvery,

whenever they sing the praises of the Lord who lies on its banks. True to their

love for Nature and its magnificence, reflecting the multi-faceted splendour of

the Lord’s Creation, Azhwars wax eloquent while singing of the Cauvery and its

bounties.

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Ponni, as it is fondly called in Tamil

literature, is much more than a mere river. It has been the unfailing Provider

for thousands of farmers cultivating lands within its jurisdiction. It journeys

over hill and dale, irrigating thousands of acres of land turned golden with

fertility, rushing headlong into valleys when laden with freshets, but adopting

a sedate pace when it reaches Srirangam, the pace of a person who has put

behind him the years of frenetic activity spent in the pursuit of materialistic

pleasures and one on whom the spirit of service (kainkaryam) has dawned at

last.

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">Eschewing

the fairly straight course it has towed during its long journey from Coorg,

Cauvery makes a detour and flows in the shape of a “U” when it reaches

Srirangam, eager to form a natural garland for Sri Rangaraja, lapping gently at

His feet, apparently enquiring as to what further service it may be of to the

Lord. The waters of the great river appear to wash the Lord’s tiruvadi gently

and massage it with its wavy hands-“Tiruvaranga peru nagaruL teNNeer Ponni

tirai kaiyAl adi varuda paLLi koLLum karumani” says Sri Kulasekhara Azhwar.

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name Cauvery is synonymous with that of Sri Ranganatha, who is identified by

Azhwars as “Ponni sEr Tiruvaranga!”-you can’t think of Sri Rangaraja without

Cauvery occupying your thoughts simultaneously, and vice versa. The river is so

adoring, so enamoured of its great good fortune in hosting the Lord in its

midst, that it brings Him all sorts of precious stones from far and wide and

offers them as tribute at His holy feet-

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">“pon

sidari maNi koNarndu karai mEl sindi pulam paranda nilam parakkum Ponni”

0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt"> is how Sri Tirumangai Mannan speaks

appreciatively of the bounties Cauvery brings Emperuman as offering.

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good measure, he reiterates this in the Pullamboothankudi pasuram—

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sOdi nava maNiyum vEyin mutthum sAmarayum

0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">ponnum

Ponni koNarndu alaikkum Pullamboothankudi tAnE”

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the nine types of precious gems, fragrant wood like Sandal and Agil, the purest

of pearls originating from tall shoots of bamboo, thick, fragrant and delicious

honey acquired from constant association with bees, the pearly white tusks of

elephants who fell into the river—these are some of the tributes the Cauvery

lovingly submits at the feet of the Lord at Srirangam, according to Sri Kalian.

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regard Srirangam reverentially as Paradise on earth—“bhoolOka Vaikuntam”. There

is a popular sloka, which equates the divyadesam with Srivaikuntam, and the

Cauvery to the VirajA nadi which has to be crossed to reach

Paramapadam—“Cauvery VirajA sEyam Vaikuntam Ranga mandiram”. Thus, for devotees,

the Ponni is indeed as holy as the VirajA, in which every emancipated soul has

to have a dip before reaching the blissful company of the Lord. It is perhaps

with this in view that Poorvacharyas like Sri Ramanuja and Swami Desikan, upon

reaching the borders of Srirangam, did not rush straightaway to see the Lord,

but had a sacred bath in the Cauvery first, as is learnt from their holy

histories.

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Bhattar, a staunch votary of the Lord of Srirangam and the Lord’s own purOhit,

apart from being His adopted son, was compelled to endure an enforced exile

from Srirangam, for some time. During the time he was away, Sri Bhattar pined

away for the invigorating company of the Lord, recounting  vividly in his mind’s eye the bewitching

beauty of Rangaraja. While doing so, the Acharya was unable to keep out

thoughts of the Cauvery, which is very much an integral and inseparable part of

the Lord’s environs. Sri Bhattar longed for the day he would return for a

cleansing dip in the holy river, its pure waters washing away all dirt,

internal and external—“kadAham Cauvery vimala salilE veeta kalushO bhavEyam?”.

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only are the river’s flows invigorating and purge one of all impurities, but

the cool, shady and verdant groves on the river’s banks offer the weary

traveller respite and relaxation from the long trek through life’s thorny, hot

and dusty trails. Sri Bhattar yearns for a sojourn in these groves on Cauvery

banks, prior to performing mangalasasanam of Sri Ranganatha—

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teerE shramamushi vasEyam Ghana vanE”. 

The greenery lining the river’s banks on both sides comes in for

favourable comment from Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar in Tirumalai—

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vaNdu alambum sOlai”

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amar sOlai”

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muralum sOlai, mayilinam Alum sOlai

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meedu aNavum sOlai kuyilinam koovum sOlai”

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">Azhwar

devotes as many lines to the depiction of the glorious Ponni flowing around the

Lord, as he does to Emperuman Himself, with captivating portraits of its

waters.

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in spate, the waters are swift and muddy, laden with all the fertile alluvium

collected over its long journey—“teLivilA kalangal neer soozh Tiruvarangam”.

When there are strong winds, the waters turn choppy, with huge waves pounding

the shores—

0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">“eriyuneer

verikoL vElai”. The mood of the river changes suddenly, as it approaches the

Lord’s abode, and it softens its pace so as to the greet the Lord with a soft,

cool spray—

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tirai tivalai mOda, eriyum taN paravai” . The reference here is to a broad and

sprawling body of waters—“paravai”. At times, the river acquires speed in its

eagerness to touch the sacred tiruvadi of Rangaraja and rushes headlong—“pAyum

neer arangam”. Augmented by timely rains, the Cauvery’s flows are as copious at

the height of summer, as during the monsoons—“pongu neer parandu pAyum

poompozhil arangam”. If this is the state of affairs even during ordinary

times, need we speak of the river’s dimensions, when laden with freshets from

the SahyAdrIs? During the Varsha Ritu, the river expands to such an extent that

it overruns its banks and floods nearby groves and fields—“veLLa neer parandu

pAyum viri pozhil arangam”.

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">Not

only does the Cauvery equal the famed Ganga in its dimensions, but she also

exceeds the latter in holiness. Ganga may have the distinction of having

originated from the Lord’s tiruvadi (“Vishnu pAdAbja sambhootE! GangE! Tripada

gAminI”). However, during her journey to the earth, she was contained by the

matted locks of Rudra, for slowing down her frenetic pace of descent. Cauvery,

on the other hand, suffered no such imprisonment or impediment and has been

gently massaging the tiruvadi of Sri Rangaraja with her wavy hands, from time

immemorial, with absolutely no dEvatAntara sambandham. While the Ganga can

boast of only a few divyadesams on its banks (like BadarikAshramam, Tiruppridi,

Kandam ennum Kadinagar), many more are located on the banks of the Cauvery

(Tirukkudandai, Tiruvinnagaram, TiruppEr nagar, TiruvindaLUr,

PuLlamboothankudi, TiruvAdanUr, ThirukkUdlUr, Nandipura ViNNagaram, Kapisthalam

etc., to name but a few). Though Azhwars are a dozen, Kodai Nacchiar, who wove

a garland, both of flowers and verses for the Lord, occupies a special place.

Similarly, Cauvery too is holier than the Ganga, for she turns herself into a

garland for Rangaraja and flows in a U shape at Srirangam (and also at

Srirangapattinam near Mysore). On account of all these factors, the Cauvery is

held by Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar to be superior to the Ganga in sacredness—

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punidamAya Cauvery”.

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Bhattar too is in perfect agreement with this tenet—“phEnai: hasanti iva tat

GangAm Vishnu padItvam mAtra mukharAm HEmApagA hantu agham”.

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">The

same Azhwar paints a bewitching picture of the Cauvery at sunrise: the surface

of the clear waters is dotted with beautiful lotus blooms, opening their petals

slowly to the rising Sun, making it appear as though the river is carrying them

in its wavy hands, to offer a floral tribute to the Lord of Srirangam. The slow

rise of the orb of fire in the horizon is breath taking, with the rays reaching

out their soft fingers to jog the Lord of the Universe into wakefulness. While

traivarNikAs offer the river’s clear waters in their cupped hands to the

Paramatma, their beautiful wives, with extremely narrow midriffs, ascend from

the river to the banks, having had a cool, refreshing and purifying dip in the

Cauvery, wringing their long hair dry and drying it in the balmy early-morning

breeze. Here is the beautiful pasuram from Tiruppalliezhucchi—

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">“kadi

malar kamalangaL malarndana ivayO, Kadiravan guna disai muLaittanan ivanO

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idayAr suri kuzhal pizhindu udari tugil udutthu Erinar soozh punal arangA!

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ottha tuLavamum koodayum tOttriya seer Tondaradippodi ennum adiyanai

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endru aruLi un adiyArkku AtpadutthAi paLli ezhundaruLAyE”

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glory of Ponni is such that Azhwars appear incapable of adulating Emperuman,

without devoting a line or two for this magnificent river. Lest it be mistaken

that tributes to Cauvery are confined to the Tamizh marai, here is a quote from

the BhAgavata Purana, in which Cauvery is mentioned ahead of other sacred

rivers, on the banks of which would be born saints and seers—

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kvachit mahAbhAgA: dramidEshu cha boorisa:

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nadI yatra KritamAlA payasvinI……”

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eyes fill with tears and hearts with despair, when we look at the Cauvery at

Srirangam today. Gone are her glory and magnificence. Due to natural and

man-made impediments, due to the interminable disputes over her flows, the

sight that greets our eyes at Srirangam and other spots is that of a parched

river bed, to which water has become a stranger. Even the undercurrents have

dried up, with bores sunk in the riverbed failing to yield the life-giving

liquid. The tirumALigais of Srivaishnavas at Srirangam display only dried-up

wells, with their women carrying colourful plastic pots and searching far and

wide for water, having become a common sight. There are serpentine queues

before public taps and quarrels galore about who should have “mudal teerttham”.

Unbridled quarrying of sand from the riverbed has wreaked its own havoc, adding

to the contribution from indiscriminate damming and gross misuse of the waters.

Pollution on the river’s banks has reached endemic proportions, with absolutely

no one having a care. The verdant groves flanking the Cauvery have all but

disappeared, no longer able to sustain themselves on the river’s munificence.

The fertile fields filled with green corn waving its head in the breeze are a

thing of the past, with the parched land unable to support anything but cactus

and weed.  With successive monsoon

failures resulting from akritya karaNam and kritya akaraNam, with politicians

busy with the blame-game and unconcerned with remedial measures or popular

welfare, with the continued mining of the river bed for meeting insatiable

building requirements—with all these against us, our only hope seems to be

prayer. The plea which we daily utter at the end of Srimad Ramayana parayanam,

should now be intoned with all sincerity and as an impassioned entreaty—

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vardhatAm kAlE, kAlE varshatu VAsava:

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RanganathO jayatu, Sriranga SrIscha vardhatAm”

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Lord! Please grant that the rains may be timely and adequate, that the holy

Cauvery’s flows are copious and the fortunes of Srirangam are on the

ascendant”.

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0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;tab-stops:12.0pt">Srimate

Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra

Mahadesikaya nama:

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sadagopan