ThiruviNNagar Paasurams of Sri BhUmi Devi SamEtha Sri OppilA Appan of ThiruviNNagara KshEthram : Part I

[Guest guest]

SrI :

 

Dear BhakthAs :

 

Some four years ago , Sri Thirukkudanathai Sampath Rengarajan

wrote 8 essays on his anubhavam of the Lord of ThiruviNNagaram

as insatiable tEn (Honey) . Those were not widely publicized .

 

Those essays were indepth anubhavams of a great devotee of

Sri Oppiliappan and a Tamil Scholar . They need to be read by

a wider set of devotees of ThiruviNnagarappan .

 

Sri RangarAjan and myself are fortunate to be involved in many

kaimkaryams at Oppiliappan Sannidhi and to have the darsana

soubhAgyam of the insatiable nectar , TiruviNNagrappan .

 

On this Akshaya Thrutheeyai day , Sri Rengarajan is restarting

the release of his essays on the anubhavam of the Lord of

ThiruviNNagaram as the tihattAtha thEn or the insatiable honey

following the foot steps of Thirumangai Mannan .

 

He has asked me to join with him in this journey of dhyAnam and

aaradhanam of the Lord of ThiruviNNagaram , adiyEn's birth place .

My reaction was : " karumpu tinna kooli vENumA ? " ( is there a need

to ask for a wage for tasting Sugar Cane/Honey ? ) .

 

adiyEn will focus on the Vedic and Upanishadic aspect of Madhu

sabdham ( Honey) in parallel with the Tamil anubhavam of Sri Sampath

Rengarajan .

 

adiyEn is pleased to release the first of this series of Sri Rengarajan's

postings as a sequel .

 

Reflections on Madhu (Honey / thEn)

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

Madhu means Sweet , Pleasant , Agreeable and Delightful.

Madhu also means the nectar of flowers and an intoxicating

drink . The spring ( Vasantha Ruthu) is also denoted by

Madhu Sabdham . In Vedic parlance , Madhu stands for

the Soma Rasam offered to the Lord in Soma Yaagams .

 

ThiruviNNagarappan is every one of the above and more.

He is actually a lump of clotted honey ( Madhu ashteelA ) .

During Thirumanjanams , devotees offer their Madhu AahUthis

to Him , who is Himself , the embodiment of sweet amrutham . The Lord

is the Madhu kOsam (Bee hive) and we are " the bees " ( madhukruths

and Madhu kEsaDa: ) enjoying the honey . He is the Madhu gandhikan ,

the sweet One scented with Honey . He is saluted as Sarva Gandhan

by the Upanishads . Madhu gandham is one important aspect of

this Sarva Gandhan .

 

Right next to ThiruviNagarappan is seated BhUmi DEvi

with folded hands . Her other name is Madhujaa . Together ,

this dhivya dampathis of ThiruviNNagar are streams of flowing

honey ( Madhu dhAraa) . In that beehive ( Madhu paDalam ) of

the Garbha Graham , every thing is thEn ( honey ) .

 

Sage MarkaNDEyaa offers Madhu parkam to his son-in-law ,

who arirved at TuLasi Vanam as a bride groom to wed

his daughter. Sage MarkaNDEya looks with great joy

at his sweet daughter , Madhu Malli ( Malathy Creeper )

and is thrilled to recall his good fortune

to have the Lord as his son-in-law .

 

ChandOgya Upanishad of the TalavakAra SaakhA of Saama Vedam

teaches us about Madhu VidhyA as one of the VidhyAs for the UpAsanaa

of the Supreme Brahman blessing us as ArchA Moorthy at ThiruviNNagaram .

For him , who enjoys the Lord according to the way shown by Madhu

VidhyA , " There will be no rising or setting of the Sun. There is continous

day for him " ( " Santhatham Sarva Vishayaka SaakshAthkAra: Bhavathy "

according to Upanishad BhAshyakArar , Sri Ranga RaamAnuja Muni .

 

Let us enjoy this series of Postings on Madhu VidhyA ,

the intense bhakthi-filled anubhavam of eulogizing

ThiruviNNagarappan as "thEn " with Sri RengarAjan .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadi ThuhaL ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan