Fwd: In the Legend Of Srirangam Namperumal Jestaabhishegam!

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---------- Forwarded message ----------Narasimha Bhattar <nbhattarSun, Jul 5, 2009 at 3:53 PM

In the Legend Of Srirangam Namperumal Jestaabhishegam!SRS                                                                               Srirangam Sri Azagiyamanavalan Jestabhishegam!

 

 

-- Dear Sriranga Sri members and friends,My sashtanga Namaskaram to  Sri Periya Perumal and Sri Periya Piraattiyar(Sri Ranganachiyar)

I am very excited to write about one of the most grand days of the year at Sri Rangam - JYESHTABHISHEKAM!!

In the Tamil month called  Anee,, which falls between June and July of the year, under Jeshta Nakshatram, a grand celebration - " Jyeshtabhishekam " is performed.

This festival is known to free the creatures of their accumulated impurities - Bad and Good Karma that results in endless rebirths. (It is only that soul that gets freed of Paapam or Punyam that can be freed form the endless cycle of births and deaths)

On this day, the  inner sanctum would be cleaned completely and specially prepared herbal oil would be applied to Periya Perumal (Moola Vigraham). The gold kavacham  (armour) on Namperumal and Thayar would be taken off and handed over to Jeer Swami and Vadhula Desikar Swamy which is then handed over to goldsmith for cleansing and polishing. Later, in the evening, the kavacham is kept open for devotees to have darshanam, before it is worn by perumal and thayar. Sacred water from Cauvery river is brought over to the temple in a gold pot that was donated by Vijayaranga Chokka Nayakar in 1734. This gold pot is carried on an elephant back from the river to the temple. In addition to the gold pot, the holy water is carried to the temple in Gold pot and many silver pots. Vedas are recited all the way from the river to the temple. All the pots are arranged on the west of the temple and Namperumal and Thayar vigraham are arranged in " Thiruvennazhi Prakaramâ€.

Before going down deeper in to explaining what goes on during the festival, I would like to bring to all devotees' attention, a few important parts in the above brief explanation of the festival -

 - Sanctum Sanatorium (Vimanam) - Cauvery Water - Namperumal

All of the above points have very important legends associated with them and their linkage with Srirangam holds high importance.

Legend of the Vimanam:

Creation only being Bramha's main port folio, when he set the natural law in motion, his work was completed and the Universe would go on in the cycle of Karma, i.e., and action done by the created beings. As one's karma becomes the decisive factor for the continuance of the universe under the influence of natural law, Brahma realised in his observation that a time might come when his own action will be put to judgement.

He felt the necessity of getting advice from Narayana. To invoke him, he started penance in the ocean of milk. After long years of penance, Lord Narayana appeared before him on Garuda and asked him what he wanted. Brahma requested Narayana to show him his real form.

Lord Narayana replied that nobody has seen his real Jyothi (effulgent) Swarupam. He said further: " It is I who appeared before you as a swan and uttered " AUM- THAP " . It is I who brought you the Vedas. It is I who took the form of Hayagriva and annihilated the demon and now, I have come on my Garuda. I have taken up the responsibility of protecting the Universe and if you want to visualize my real form, you will have to utter the Ashtakshara Mantra in deep veneration.

At this Brahma started penance. Like this a thousand years elapsed, and at the end, Lord Vishnu appeared in a Ranga Vimanam from the Milky Ocean.  Ranga Vimanam is the name given to a special chariot-like conveyance carried by Veda Murthis on their head, having Lord Vishnu inside the Vimanam (vehicle).

The grandeur of the vimanam is so amazing -     Nagaraja holding the white umbrella in attendance     Senapati Vishwaksena holding a cane and chamaram (fan)

    Narada with Tumburu, uttering the hymns in praise    Devas and Kinnaras (heavenly beings) in prayerful attention     Sages - Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara with others

In deep veneration Brahma went round the chariot four times chanting the Vedas with his four mouths and stood before Lord Vishnu in prayerful pose representatives of all the worlds of the Universe, including Durga, Saraswati, Sapta Rishis, Navagrahas, constellations of stars and the Ashta Palakas (eight doorkeepers) and others were also in attendance.

Being pleased with the penance of Brahma, for the first time the real Swarupam of Vishnu in Ranga Vimanam with his attendants was shown to him as desired. Since that day the RangaVimanam became most famous, as the real seat of the Supreme God. Brahma wanted to worship Lord Vishnu in the Vimanam forever. Lord Vishnu agreed to his request and Brahma took him to his abode in Sathyaloka.

amNews spread in course of time to Manu, the son of Sun God Surya, who was attracted and desired to have the darshanam, for which he performed a penance and fulfilled his desire by a visit to Satyaloka and, paying homage’s to the Ranga Vimanam, then in the custody of Brahma, he attained liberation. Manu's descendant, Ikshwaku cherished the desire of possessing the Ranga Vimanam for the benefit of the people on earth. He consulted his family preceptor, Vasishtha (priest of the Surya vamsha), who advised him to start penance uttering the sacred Ashtakshara Mantra.

Accordingly, Ikshwaku started a severe penance which puzzled even the Devas, foreboding evil days for them. They attempted to spoil the penance by deputing Maninatha and the celestial nymphs to distract his attention. Indra took the lead in this affair and did not even hesitate to send the Vajraayudha (lightning weapon) to foil the penance. But all failed in their attempts. In disappointment, they prayed to Brahma, to save them from the baffling catastrophe. Brahma on his part approached Ranganatha for advice.

Ranganatha consoled Brahma by expressing his desire to go to Ayodhya where he would be worshipped by the descendant of the Solar dynasty for four yugas, and at the end of the fourth yuga he would go to the kingdom of the Cholas in the South, on the banks of the Kaveri. At the end, of this period he would return to Brahmaloka.

Brahma was thus directed to part with the Ranga Vimanam to Ikshwaku.This is the reason why we have Sri Ranga Vimanam in SriRangam in this yugam.

Legend of Cauvery:

Once on the foot hills of Himalaya, Rivers, Ganga, Cauvery, Yamuna and Saraswathi were playing while a ghandharva (person who belong to Deva lokam) saw these rivers playing and payed obeisance to them. Seeing this all the 4 rivers, out of ego, began to quarrel and debate on whom the gandharva paid obeisance to. The argument continued but didn't stop. Yamuna and Saraswathi quit quarrelling while Ganga and Cauvery continued. Finally, both of them went to Sriman Narayana.

River Ganga urged that since she originated from the feet of Sriman Narayana, she is pure, sacred and mightier than Cauvery. Sriman Narayana accepted it. This agitated Cauvery and she did penance on Sriman Narayana. Please with this, Narayana gave darshanam to her and told her that HE will lie on the bank of Cauvery make her the garland (Maalai) on his chest, which will the better position than Ganga, who is found at his feet.

This is the reason why Sri Ranganatha chose Sri Rangam as the place for Him.

Legend of Namperumal:

Naperumal appeared to Dasharatha Maharaja (Lord Rama's father and one of the great rulers of Surya Vamsham) during Ashwamedha Yagam. Dasharatha Maharaja passed namperumal over to Lord Rama.

When Lord Rama was in exile and preparing for the war against Ravana, Vibhishana rendered great service to the lord and supported HIM in winning over Ravana.

Pleased with all the help Vibhishana extended, Rama reciprocated by handing him, the idol of Namperumal, which was considered as the sacred deity of the Ikshwaku lineage.

When Vibhishana was carrying the deity to Sri Lankha, he had to stop by for performing his Nityanushtanam and Sandhya Vandanam. But according to the instructions given by Rama, the deity was to be handled very carefully and not to be kept ont he ground for any reason. Stuck in this predicament, Vibhishana spotted a little brahmin boy along the banks of Cauvery. He begged the boy to hold the deity until he was finished with his Sandhya Vandanam. The boy agreed under a condition that he would scream Vibhishana's name thrice, after which he would place the deity down. Having no other way outof this situation, Vibhishana agreed to this. The boy, then playfully screams out Vibhishana's name thrice and just before Vibhishana could get there, he places the deity on the floor. Enraged this act, Vibhishana's rakshasa nature comes out which makes him chase the boy. The boy then runs very swiftly to the hill near by and merges with the deity of Lord Ganesha atop the hill. This revealed that the boy was none other than Ganesha himself.

Vibhishana was deeply hurt by the fact that he would not be able to carry the deity given by Rama, to Sri Lankha. Sri Ranganatha then explains to Vibhishana, the legend of cauvery and what HE had promised her and assures him that in spite of being in Sri Rangam, HE would face south and look at  Sri Lankha.

Adeyen Dashaan,Narasimhabhattar

-- R Narasimhabhattar

 

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