Srirangam 'chitra-ratha-yAtra'.

[Guest guest]

Reporting from Srirangam.

 

The 'chitra-t-tEr' / ratham rolled out of its base ('nilai') at 6 a.m. sharp

to-day (Tuesday, April 29 2003) and returned to the base right at 8-15 a.m. !

The massive car heaved and ran to the unceasing chants of GOvinda ! GOpAla !,

and it was an easy coursing all the way, as can be realised only as a 'leelA' of

namperumAL, the Lord !

 

There was a phenomenal turn-out of devotees (mostly agriculturists) from our

villages despite the severe drought which has render the sacred river kAvEri

bone-dry. The weather was very pleasant and marked by steady cool breeze.

Srirangam town really rallied by organising several kiosks which provided a free

and endless stream of diluted buttermilk, jaggery solution, and food packets to

he who came.

 

For the first time in Srirangam municipal history, the roadside dirt / dust

accumulation was efficiently got removed with bull-dozer, and this ensured that

the heavy and massive steel wheels of the 'ratham' were not trapped in the soft

earth anywhere on the streets.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This is the day to reverence three noble souls.

 

To-day is the Revati nakshatram (asterism) of the chitrA / mEsha-mAsam, marking

the reaching of periya-perumAL (Lord Sriranga) to Srirangam, by Sri Vibhishana.

Vibhishana is considered to be legendary merely because he is named among the

immortals, but he is real to our sentiments for rendering this service of

immortal fame.

 

The second personage of reverencing is periya-nambi who was the 'AchArya' who

visited Kanchi, secured dEva-perumAL's consent to take Sri Ramanuja for

permanent service in Srirangam, and administered to him the 'pancha-samskAram'

rite marking the 'samASrayaNam' initiation for the SrivaishNava. Sri nambi was

the native original of Srirangam.

 

Nambi had his own values and human convictions which he matter-of-factly adopted

in his everyday living. He had met and reverenced another bhAgavata like

himself, Sri mARan-Eri nambi, who is said to have been born in the then

prevalent lower order of the community. When mARan-Eri passed away, periya

took it on himself to render the funeral rites for the departed. This

promptly caused a confrontation with the orthodoxy, and he was ostracised and

harassed in diverse manner.

 

The residence ('tiru-mALikai') of Sri nambi was, as it still is to-day, situated

at the tip of the base of the chitra-t-ter 'ratham' in the east chitra street.

On the chitra mAsam Revati nakshatram day, the 'ratham' was set to roll off the

base for navigating around the chitra / mADa street, but this was stalled, as

at-tuzhAi, the daughter of Sri nambi, threw herself before the (stationary)

wheels of the 'ratham', demanding that namperumAL issue his divine decree on the

spot as to who was in the right, Sri nambi or his orthodox detractors. The

sensitive issue was solemnly and quickly considered by the core functionaries

and preceptors of the Great Temple and soon, the administering priest

('archaka') announced the decision upholding Sri nambi, as Sriranga, the Lord,

would have done if He had chosen a communicative manifestation Himself.

 

The third personage to reverence on this chitra-ratha-yAtra day is the noble

gOpanna uDaiyAr, the Gingee local chieftain of the great Vijayanagara empire.

It was Gopanna who discovered that Lord namperumAL / azhakiya-maNavALan of

Srirangam had been removed from the Great Temple (by piLLai lOkAchArya) for safe

keeping, and finally taken to the tiru-vEnkaTam / tirumalai shrine.

 

Gopanna eventually brought namperumAL and ubhaya-nAcchimAr from their

tirumalai shelter, first to Gingee hills, made a well-planned campaign against

the muslim forces at Madurai and expelled them from our area, and reached back

to Srirangam Great Temple the dear Deity (year pareetApi, month vaikASi, date

17, corresponding to year 1371 AD) ~~ after 60 years of their absence.

 

The ongoing chitra-mAsam festival was revived by Gopanna in celebration of the

return of namperumAL to Srirangam, and he instituted the festival after the

Vijayanagara prince, virUpAksha (son of Harihara-II). The festival is referred

to as 'viruppan tiru-nAL'.

 

May we all the time cherish in our hearts Sri vibhishaNa, Sri periya nambi, and

Sri gOpaNNa uDaiyAr !

 

"SriranGa-nAthO jayatu !"

 

aDiyEn rAmAnuja-dAsan,

tirumanjanam Sundara Rajan,

Srirangam.