one thinking of another 1

[Guest guest]

Dear srivaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Many a times the naasthikaas ask the question "does the so called kadavuL or

your lord in the silai form [vigraha form] require so much fanfare in the

uthsavams spending so much money and wasting so much manpower. Why not give all

that money in poor feeding or some such social cause?"

 

The answer for this question is simple. In the name of the supreme god's

uthsavams, what is really happening is a mass poor feeding only, may be, not a

direct throwaway 'feeding', that is happening around with a political colour,

but after spending some amount of physical energy, combined with devotion, from

all participating in those uthsavams.

 

* The flower vendors,

* the naadhaswara team,

* the persons who carry the vaahanams - [sri paadham thaangikaL as they are

termed in paribhaashai],

* a congregation of vedha paaraayaNa and prabhandha goshti,

* the baktha gOshti who visit the temple et al

are all well fed during the uthsavam days, without any doubt. So it is nothing

but mass feeding only without the political colour, but with devotion from every

heart participating Even curious onlookers are also fed without exception.

Further it is also a time to meet relatives and friends, coming from different

places and assembling at the temple. Thus there is a major social purpose in

conducting these uthsavams. Another simple social purpose is that, those who are

physically incapable, and not so mobile like able bodied, resting back in the

houses and thinking the lord always, are also enabled to have a su -dharsanam of

the lord in full royal decoration at their very doorsteps. That way uthsavams

serve another major social cause.

 

Ok. Whatever is said above is all for those living in that place or surrounding,

where uthsavam is conducted. But, how about other aged and incapacitated

bhakthaas who live in a different place? The answer to this question is to be

thought about for a while.

 

Ha ha, I got it. If the bhakthaa is a sincere one, then Bhagavaan goes to him at

his place even though uthsavam is conducted in lord's place. You may say "Hey

MGV, it is a nice story, do you have any such story to support your

contention?".

 

The main purpose of writing this is to highlight that 'act' of bhagavaan.

Otherwise why I have to ramble all these which you all very well "know"? Sri

bhagavaan suddenly stops his royal procession and goes to that bhakthaa in a

different place, who wanted to have a dharsanam of the lord in the procession

that too on that particular vaahanam. The following is a fact, which is even now

being observed. Now listen to that story - rather read that.

 

There was a devotee of Varadharaaja of Kanchi, named sri Doddaachaarya who lived

at Sholinghur. He is a devotee of lord of sholingur - sri yoga narasimhar and

also kaanchi varadhan - pEraruLaaLan. Sri Doddaachaarya used to visit Kanchi for

the vaikaasi brahmOthsavams regularly and in particular for the garuda sEvai.

With advancing age it became difficult for him and he stayed back at Sholinghur.

But was very much desiring to have the su-dharsanam of varadhan on the garuda

vaahanam.

 

On time, the Lord Varadaraaja, when brought out in procession on garuda

vaahanam, he instructed his bearers to lower the umbrellas, so that the devotee

sree doddaachaar will be able to see him from Sholinghur itself. Archakaas and

others did that immediately.

 

This became a routine later. That ritual of that doddaacharya incident is

faithfully followed even today. The lord while just coming out of the main

gOpuram from the vaahana maNdapam will first have a small umbrella. As soon as

the procession reaches the gOpura vaasal,. for few minutes with that small

umbrella the lord will be covered for few moments. During those moments it is

said the lord visits his devotee doddaachaarya at sholingur. After a few

moments, the cover is removed, karpoora harathi done. Next 2 bigger umbrellas

are mounted on the vaahanam and procession along the streets starts.

 

[perhaps kaanchi natives may add few more points. What I give here is based on

observation and as well the book by sri sundararaja thathachariar - named

varadaraja gunaamrutha vaibhavam page 749. This doddaachaar has also written a

small 5 slokam sthothram on varadhan named 'devaraaja panchakam']

 

As a standing witness to this incident, today also we can see varadhan in garuda

vaahanam on the banks of thakkan kulam in sholingur. Sri narasimha as varadhan

helps doddacharswamy, his bhaktha, to think of varadhan of kanchi and enables

him to have his su-dharsanam.

 

But sree muthuswamy dhikshithar, one among the trinity of our music, places

"kari giri varadha vichaara" meaning - narasimhan himself is thinking about

kaanchi varadhan - in his krithi [krithi given below]. Is it surprising? No.

 

This is similar to lord srinivaasan of thirumalai replying brahma to do the

naivEdhyam to narasimha of ahobilam. During the thiru aaraadhanam of srinivaasa

kalyaaNam to padhmaavathy thaayaer, brahma did not know to whom the naivEdhyam

is to be offered. Since the supreme lord srinivaasan is sitting there as

maappiLLai in his own marriage, to whom the offering to be made? Is the dilemma

of brahma. So brahma asked maappiLLai himself - to whom I have to offer please

suggest. Brahma got reply to offer to ahobila narasimhan. So it is not

surprising that one thinks of another.

 

Now read that krithi.

Ragam: mOhanam Thalam : mishra cApu

 

Pallavi:

narasimha aagachCha parabrahma puchCha sva ichCha svachCha

 

Anupallavi:

hari hara brahma indhra aadi poojitha athyachCha

parama bhaagavatha prahlaadha bhakthyachCha

 

Caranam :

dheerathara ghatikaachala eesvara

soura thara hEma kOtisvara veera

vara mOhana vibhaasvara maara vara

maanava hareesvara murahara nagadhara

sarasija kara parama purusha pavanaja

subha kara suruchira kari giri varadha

vichaara sarasa guruguha hrdhaya sahachara

 

Meaning:

narasimha aagachCha = Come O Narasimha!

parabrahma puchCha = of the form of the Supreme! [actually puchCha means tail,

or end portion. For para brahma what is the tail or head - so it is the full

form - ultimate or supreme lord]

sva ichCha = One who moves at will!

svachCha = Pure one! Crystal clear one

hari hara brahma indhra aadi poojitha athyachCha = who is worshipped by Vishnu,

Shiva, Brahma, Indra and others!

parama bhaagavatha prahlaadha bhakthyachCha = One who is manifest at the behest

of great devotee Prahlada!

dheerathara = Valiant one!

ghatikaachala eesvara = Lord of Ghatikaachala (Sholingur)!

soura thara = Brave one!

hEma kOtisvara = Akin to gold and ten million suns in effulgence!

veera = grand valiant

vara mOhana = Radiant in an enchanting form!

vibhaasvara maara = Worshipped by Cupid

maanava hari eesvara = worshipped by great men!

murahara - Destroyer of Mura!

nagadhara = Carrier of the mountain!

sarasija kara = Possessing lotus like hands!

parama purusha = Supreme one!

pavanaja subha kara = Benevolent to Hanuman!

suruchira kari giri varadha vichaara = Ever meditating on the lovely Varadhan at

Hasthi giri!

sarasa guruguha hrdhaya sahachara = Ever present in the soft heart of guruguhan

- [guruguha is the mudhra of dhikshithar - the composer of krithi - muthuswamy -

or muthu kumara swamy as murugan is called].

 

Let us be thinking both narasimha of sholingur and one who is in his mind the

hasthi eesan - varadhan till we receive next post on this topic - having some

points on that ghatikaachala naathan from thirumangai aazhvaar.

 

Dhaasan

 

Vasudevan m.g.