Srimath Andavan Thirunakshatram Celebrations in Madras, India

[Guest guest]

Srimathe Rangaramanuja Mahadesikaya Namaha:

 

Here is a report sent by a sishya who attended Srimath Andavan's

thirunakshatram in Madras yesterday. The official website

www.andavan.org/monthly.htm has some additional details.

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Srimathe Rangaramanuja Mahadesikaya Namaha:

The celebrations of His Holiness Srirangam Srimath Andavan Sri

Rangaramanuja Mahadesikan's Thirunakshatram took place in a very grand

manner in Srimath Andavan Ashramam in Azhwarpet, Chennai. We have no

words to express the the amount of joy we all experienced when we were

witnessing the function. Right from early in the morning huge number of

Srivaishnavas started swelling the auditorium. Sri Parakala Matham

Jeeyar His Holiness Srimadh Abhinava Vageesha Brahmatantra Parakala Maha

Desikan also graced the occasion coming specially from Mysore to

participate in Srimath Andavan's Thirunakshatram. It was a wonderful

sight to see the two yatheeswaras, Sri Parakala Jeeyar Swami and

Srimushnam Andavan performing morning Ijyaradhanam simultasneously to

their respective salagramams. Parakala swamy added vigrahams also and

Srimushnam andavan performed for Padukas of poorvacharyas.

 

The entire sea of the bhagavatha ghosti was seen wearing traditional

clothes with purushas with panchakachams and Dvadasa Pundrams and

sthrees in 9 yards sarees. With more and more sishyas joining in the

hall there was no place even to stand. Many sishyas were directed

towards mini hall and then the corridors and dining hall and even to the

pathways on the street till end of the road leading to the Ashramam.

Thousands of people joined in the recitation of the sarrumurai. It was

a very hard task for the volunteers to make way in the crowd for both

acharyas to move and distribute Perumal theertham. It took more than one

and half hours for perumal theertham viniyogam alone. When prasadam was

distributed to entire ghosti, there was no place to move anywhere.

 

As per adiyen's rough estimates, there would have been about 3000+

sishyas for the theertha ghosti. After peria sarrumurai, His Holiness

was sitting on the dias. All sishyas wanted to offer pranams and get

manthrakshadai. Since it would take too much time for all to offer

pranams and for receiving matrakshadhai, His Holiness decided to step

down from the platform and walk in the middle of the hall and the

people squeesed themselves to make way for isle without touching on His

Holiness. His Holiness blessed the sishyas with manthralshadai all

around in the crowd on both sides when walking through the isle. Then

Malai Mariyadhai was offered from divyadesams and awards were offered to

dignitaries.

 

Srimath Andavan's Chatusloki Vyakyanam was published as a book by the

Ashramam. The audio cassettes of His Holiness's rendition of Chathusloki

and Daya Sathakam were also realeased which was followed by speeches by

various vidwans and scholars. His Holiness honoured Sri U.Ve. Vaduvoor

Srinivasa Desikachariar Swamy and Sri U.Ve. Payyampadi

Srivathsangachariar Swamy who were recent recipients of Presidents award

for Sanskrit mastery. Sri U.Ve Ramadesikachariar and Sri Madurai

Krishnan(a carnatic musician) was also honoured by the Ashramam.

 

Finally the eagerly awaited anugraha bhashanams by both Acharyas took

place. Many of the sishyas participated in the thadeeyaradhanai which

concluded at 3.00 PM.

 

dasan,

an andavan thiruvadi.