Your Question on Sankham being at the right hand of ThirukkOvalUr PerumAL

[Guest guest]

Dear Arun:

 

In this dhivya desam of Thrivikraman , the Sankam is indeed

on the right hand as with Lord ParthasArathy at ThiruvallikkENi .

Sankam is the symbol of divine Jn~Anam and stayed also as

the working "tool " for the divine Charioteer to help Parthan .

 

There are two reasons for the altered position of Paanchajanyam

in the hands of the Lord ( Moolavar only ) at ThirukkOvalUr .

 

Sthala PurANam

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

At ThirukkOvalUr , He responded to the tapas of Sage MrugaNDu

( Father of Sage MaarkandEyar) at this place directed by Brahmaa .

When the Lord appeared before him , Mrugandu maharishi asked for

the boon of being blesed with the darsanam of the Lord as He appeared

during ThrivikramAvathAram , since he was not living in those days of

Vibhavam . Our Lord obliged and stayed in that form at the request of

the Maharishi to bless other devotees with that Thrivikrama Form

with Sankham on the right hand and chakram on the left . Our Lord was

not going to destroy MahA Bali with the chakram but was intent on

placing His sacred foot on his head to push him to PathALam , when

there was no place to measure with the third step .

 

Swamy Desikan's explanation in Sri DEhaLeesa Sthuthi

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

In the 5th SlOkam of theis SthOthram on ThirukkOvalUr

EmperumAn , Swamy Desikan gives a hint :

 

Chakrasya dhaithyA-dhanujaadhishu VAAMA BHAAVAM

Sankhasya chAsritha janEshvapi DAKSHINATHVAM

vyaktham pradarsayasi GopapurAdhirAja

vyathyasya noonam anayO: karasamprayOgam

 

Chakram is on the Vaama hastham ( Left Hand).

Sankham is on the DakshiNa hastham ( Right hand) .

 

Swamy Desikan uses the double meanings of Vaama

BhAvam and DakshiNathvam here . Vaama Bhaavam means

fierceness as well as the left side . DakshiNathvam means

right side as well as YathOkthakArithvam ( following the wish of

His devotees , who have sought His protection ) .

 

The reversal of the weapons in the hands of the Lord are

a message to the asurAs . The changes form the weapon's

traditional positions ( Chakram on the right hand and Sankham on

the left hand ) are clearly shown by the Lord according to Swamy Desikan :

 

Dhaithya dhanuja aadhishu Chakrasya Vaama BhAvam , aasritha janEshu

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

Aasritha janEshu DakshiNathvam anayO: kara samprayOgam

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

vyakthasya vyaktham pradarsayasi noonam

 

Vyaktham means clearly ( without any confusion) . Our Lord Thrivikraman

shows clearly the Vyathasya kara SamprayOgam ( differences in the traditonal

weapon positions on His hands).

 

The detailed commentary on Sri DehaLeesa Sthuti and its Vedic

connotations can be accessed at :

http://www.sadagopan.org

under the section on Swamy Desikan's SthOthrams ( # 17 in the list ).

 

Nam) ThrivikramAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

-

Arun Krishnamachari

Sadagopan <sgopan

Sunday, November 21, 2004 2:19 PM

Re: HH 78th TN Celebrations

Dear Sadagopan Mama: Adiyen wants to know why Perumal has swapped the

place of Sri Chakra and the Holy Conch in Sri Thiruvikraman avaratham

?

Chakrathazhwar is always on the right hand of Perumal but in this

ocassion I notice he is on his left side and the Holy conch is being

held on his right ?

Is there any reason behind the same ? Dasan. Regards,Arun Krishnamachari