"It's Cool!"

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

“It’s Cool!”

 

It is amazing to think how we become slaves to creature comforts. Can

we imagine a life today, without a fan, a grinder, a television set

or a VCR and the now-ubiquitous cell phone? We have become so

accustomed to all these and other electrical and electronic devices,

that we wonder what people really did, when these were not available

at all! Though our children may not remember the times without a

television or an air conditioner, many of us still do. I do remember,

for instance, that we bought an electric fan for the first time in our

family, when I was in the 7th Standard at school. And the air

conditioner, which adorns almost all middle-class homes today, was

definitely a luxury a few years back, with only some offices and

upper-crust individuals boasting of one. Times change and so do

people’s perceptions, with luxuries becoming necessities and

new necessities emerging.

 

Leaving aside philosophical ruminations, let me come to the subject of

this piece—The Fan. What could there be to say about this simple

electrical appliance, you may wonder. Simple as it may seem and sound,

the Fan has a hoary and holy past.

 

What is the weather like in Paradise? Naturally, it has to be

pleasant. With Emperuman, the Supreme Controller of all elements,

being the chief inhabitant, Sri Vaikuntam has to have the best of

climes, with a gentle, fragrant, breeze blowing, the Sun shining, but

not with virulence, appropriate amounts of rain falling gently and in

time. It must definitely be like an air-cooled world, with neither

excessive heat nor biting chill, the temperature being just right.

One would hence presume that there would be no need for any fans at

Sri Vaikuntam. However, we find from the following sloka that even in

Paramapadam, the Lord is being constantly fanned by His acolytes, with

fans made of the finest of deer-hair—

 

“KoormAdIn divya lOkam tadanu maNimayam mantapam tatra SEsham

tasmin dharmAdi peetham tad upari kamalam chAmara grAhiNeescha”

 

Why should the Lord need fanning? As we have already seen, the

temperature at Sri Vaikuntam could not be more pleasant: even if it

were to be humid or hot, Emeperuman Himself, with His divine

shareeram, would definitely not sweat or feel the heat. Then why this

seemingly empty gesture on the part of His devotees, of wielding fans?

 

 

We often find that when we love someone beyond measure, we tend to

worry about his or her well being, even though there might be no

actual cause for worry. We thus find a doting mother worrying about

her son, even when the latter is pushing 50. She knows full well that

her son can definitely look after himself, but cannot help fretting

for his welfare. We are told that the moment he hears any commotion

in Sri Vaikuntam, Adisesha starts spewing fire, adopting a protective

posture lest someone should harm the Lord—this, despite knowing

that no harm can possibly befall the Supreme Being, from whatever

source. The devotees’ act of fanning Him is somewhat akin to

Adisesha’s misplaced but well-meaning fear (“asthAnE

bhaya shankA”), born out of immeasurable love and affection.

They know full well that the Lord’s divine body is affected by

neither heat nor cold, but yet fan Him with ChAmarams, out of their

concern that He should not feel humidity or heat.

 

Such an attitude on the part of the nitya SUrIs (residents of Sri

Vaikunttam) is perhaps understandable, since they are dealing with a

walking, talking and speaking Lord. It is very much possible to feel

such concern for such a live person. However, this does not explain

why such services as fanning should be extended to Emperuman in His

arcchA state, as He is found in various temples on earth. After all,

one might feel, He inhabits images made of stone, mortar and wood,

which are not known to be as sensitive to humidity or heat as human

beings. Why at all then should someone serve the Lord with hand-held

fans?

 

And it is not as if the practice is recent. We are told that it was

prevalent even a thousand years ago, with the venerated Acharya, Sri

Tirukkacchi Nambi, performing this kainkaryam to Sri Varadaraja of

Kanchi. In fact, at many a temple, images of this Acharya are to be

found with a broad fan in hand. We are told too that Sri Devadiraja

liked this fanning service so much that He used to converse freely

with Nambi, with such gems like the famous “Six Words”

flowing out of such exchanges.

 

Coming back to the question as to whether the Lord’s images in

stone and mortar need fanning, the answer lies in the devotee finding

the images not merely to be of stone or other material, but

representing the Lord Himself in person, in all His glory. The

devotee thus sees in the image not merely a beautiful sculpture, but

verily Emperuman Himself, obligingly contracting His infinite form to

suit our convenience. The devotee sees a smiling Lord, resplendent in

all His finery, His eyes full of mercy and compassion, His palm held

down in the “Varada mudrA”, a gesture of munificence,

with another palm held upright in the “Abhaya mudrA”,

extending assurance of protection from all evil. But for the fact

that He doesn’t open His coral lips and converse with us, the

Lord is as live to the devotee as a fellow human being. And this

generates in the devotee uncontainable love and affection, which

prompt all sorts of gestures. Thus are born the various shades of

love for the Lord--the maternal, filial, paternal, juvenile, marital,

etc. It is out of such love and affection is born the need to serve

the Lord, in any and all manner, including fanning Him, as was done

by Sri Tirukkacchi Nambi.

 

In His various avatArAs too, the Lord appears to have been fanned

with adoration. To Kousalya, awaiting the triumphant return of Sri

Rama from Kaikeyi’s palace, all ready for Coronation, what

gives an inkling that things had gone wrong, is the absence of

courtiers fanning the Prince on both sides. She learns later that Sri

Rama had been banished to the forests for 14 long years. Here are the

soulful words of Kamban, describing the Lord’s lonely

return—“Kuzhaikkindra kavari indri, kottra veN kudayum

indri, azhaikkindra vidhi mun chella, dharumam pin irangi Ega”

 

To compensate for this, Chakravarthi Tirumagan presents His mother

with the beautiful sight of His being fanned on both sides, at the

time of His triumphant return to Ayodhya, after completing His jungle

sojourn. The honour of wielding the beautiful ChAmaram goes to Sri

Lakshmana, who gently swings it over the Prince’s noble head.

Not to be outdone, Sri Vibhishana too holds and waves a fan (a pure

white one) in front of Sri Raghava—

 

“LakshmanO vyajanam tasya moordhnim samparyaveejayat

shvEtam cha bAla vyajanam jagrAha purata: stthita:

aparam chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana:”

 

Sri SugrIva appropriates part of this kainkaryam to himself during the

Coronation ceremony, while Sri Vibhishana refuses to yield this to

anyone else—

 

“ShvEtam cha bAla vyajanam SugrIvO vAnarEsvara:

aparam Chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana:”

 

To conclude, let us go back to Sri Vaikunttam again, to find out who

exactly is allotted the honour of fanning the Lord and the exact

nature of the fans. It is to Sri Alavandar’s Stotra Ratnam that

we must turn for this purpose and we find that it is that versatile

servitor GarutmAn, who has claimed this kainkaryam for himself—

 

“dAsa: sakhA vAhanam Asanam dhwaja: yastE vitAnam vyajanam trayImaya:

upastthitam tEna purO GarutmatA tvat anghri sammardha kiNAnka sObhinA”

 

Sri Garuda fans the Lord ever so gently, sitting in front of Him.

Though others might need separate fans to render this service, the

Magnificent Bird doesn’t, being endowed with feathery wings,

which can generate the coolest of breezes. And the breeze is not only

cool, but fragrant too, with the aroma of the Shruti. The YajusSamhitA

describes Sri Garudas’s wings to be made of the holiest and

sweetest of SAma VEda mantras (Brihat Rathantaram and VAmadEvyam)

and hence the breeze from these wings is naturally endowed with

Shruti ParimaLam—

 

““SuparNOsi GarutmAn Trivrit tE shira: Gayatram chakshu:

StOma AtmA SAma tE tanU: VamadEvyam Brihat RatantarE pakshou

yagyAyagyaim puccham cchandAmsi angAni dhishNiyA: saphA: Yajoomshi

nAma.”(TaittirIya SamhitA-4-1-41)

 

Sri Garuda does the fanning sitting right in front of the Lord,

letting the latter catch the full breeze and fragrance of the

magnificent wings.

 

For those who might wonder why Sri Vaikunttam doesn’t have

electric fans or air conditioners, the answer is that the inhabitants

much prefer to render this service to the Lord in person, rather than

relinquish it in favour of some unemotional mechanical device.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan

[Guest guest]

Sri Sadagopan Swami

 

Pranams!

 

Can you please let me know What are those "Six words" that were exchanged

between God and Acharya as mentioned by you below.

 

" And it is not as if the practice is recent. We are told that it was

prevalent even a thousand years ago, with the venerated Acharya, Sri

Tirukkacchi Nambi, performing this kainkaryam to Sri Varadaraja of Kanchi.

In fact, at many a temple, images of this Acharya are to be found with a

broad fan in hand. We are told too that Sri Devadiraja liked this fanning

service so much that He used to converse freely with Nambi, with such gems

like the famous "Six Words" flowing out of such exchanges."

 

 

Thanks

sukumar