SapthAvaraNam & Farewell to the DEvathAs( DevathA Visarjanam) at the conclusion of the Uthsavam

[Guest guest]

SrI:

Dear SrI Ranganatha BhakthAs :

 

The First BrahmOthsavam for Lord Ranganatha will be concluded

tomorrow on a grand scale . Please plan to attend the Vaidhika and

Cultural events and recieve BahagavAn's PrasAdham on the final day

(Sunday , July 8) .

 

The detailed program events are at :

http://www.Ranganatha.org

 

For Sunday , July 8 , the key events after the daily

Morning Aradhanam are :

 

10 AM: Kalasa UdhvAsanam , MahA PoorNAhUthi ,

TheerthavAri , Bali HaraNam and Haratthi .

 

Flute concert by Mrs. Bhavani Rao : 2-5 PM

 

5 PM: Dhvaja avarOhaNam , Pushpa Yaagam ,

DevathA Visarjanam , DhvadasArAdhanam and

SapthAvaraNam .

 

7 PM : SapthAvaraNam Dance

 

9 PM (?) : SayanOthsavam , Mooka Bali ,

Uthsava SamApthi

 

Let us touch upon SapthAvaraNam and

DevathA Visarjanam et al today .

 

SapthaavaraNam /VidAyERRi on the last day of the Uthsavam

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Saptha is seven and AavaraNam means enclosure or that which

conceals or protects . In RaamAyaNam , the AavaraNam for

the Women is Seela guNam( Seelam AavaraNam sthriyA: ) .

AavaraNam according to PaancharAthra Saasthram is MathiL

or a surrounding wall . In the ideal temple like that of Lord

Ranganatha , the temple has SEVEN Walls ( Saptha AavaraNam ) .

 

Sri Ranganathan under PraNavAkAra VimAnam is Sri Vaikunta

Naathan as suggested by the Para VaasudEvan in His VimAnam .

He is at BhUlOka Vaikuntam on the auspicious stage(Sri Rangam) .

During BrahmOthsavams , He comes out of His seven AavaraNams

and enjoys BrhmOtsavam at chitthirai Vedhi and elsewhere . At the end

of the BrhamOthsavam , He returns to His AasthAnam after crossing

His Saptha AavaraNangaL .

 

SapthAvaraNam day is for the last day of BrahmOthsavam performed

according to the PaancharAthra Aagamam . VidAyERRi is the more

general name for the last day of BrahmOthsavam at the temples

following VaikAnasam .

 

The SapthAvaraNam protocols are different at different dhivya dEsams .

Srirangam known as " maruviya Periya Koil mathiL Thiruvarangam "

has seven ramparts/tall walls and the Lord resides at the center of

these seven AavaraNams ( Saptha PrAkAra madhye--) . On SapthAvaraNam

day, Lord Ranganathan leaves the Mirror Room ( KaNNADi aRai) at 6.30 AM

and arrives at the Santhana Mantapam at 7 AM to enjoy His Thirumanjanam

and alankAram . The puRappAdu ( procession) thru Chitthira Veedhi starts .

In one of His SapthAvaraNam , Lord RanganAtha commanded thru HIs

archakAs ( archaka Mukham) that the playing of all MangaLa Vaadhyams

be stopped so that He can hear Dhivya Prabhandham . He returns to His

AasthAnam after crossing His seven AavaraNams and rests on AadhisEshan .

 

One is tempted to project the view that the Jeevan croses seven AavaraNams

( walls concealing the vision of the Lord ) and reaches the Sannidhi of the Lord

to perform Nithya Kaimkaryam and enjoy ParipoorNa BrahmAnandham there as

Muktha Jeevan .

 

At ThiruvallikkENi , there are seven sannidhis ( ParthasArathy , Andal ,

Ranganathar , Vedavalli m Raamar , VaradharAjar and Narasimhar

( TeLLiya Singam) . SapthAvaraNam day is the only day at ThiruvallikkENi ,

when all the seven sannidhi Moorthys are at a single Mantapam together .

All of Them enjoy Thriumanjanam and alankAram followed by ThiruvAimozhi

ViNNappam by GhOshti , DhvAdas AarAdhanam concludes with a sonorous

SaaRRumuRai . Theertham and SaThAri follow and conclude the Uthsavam .

 

In other dhivya dEsams , SapthAvaraNa SaaRRumuRai is followed by

Procession in Pushpa PallAkku in place of Pushpa Yaagam . The sequences

differ from dhivya dEsam to dhivya dEsam . the sequence at Sri Ranganatha

Temple , Pomona , NY is : dhvaja avarOhaNam--> Pushpa Yaagam--> DevathA

Visarjanam--> DhvAdasa AarAdhanam -->SapthAvaraNam ---> SayanOthsavam-->

Mooka Bali and Uthsava SamApthi for this year's BrahmOthsavam .

 

DevathA Visarjanam

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You might recall the elaborate invitations at the time of BhEri TaaDanam

on the first day . They are bid farewell on the last day after dhvaja avarOhaNam.

We will cover DhvAdasAradhanam and Pushpa Yaagam and other rituals

that take place before dhvaja avarOhaNam ( Lowering of the flag with

Garuda Image hoisted during the first day).

 

The farewell to all invited ( DevAs, Rishis , chEtanams , achEtanms ,

BhakthAls , BhagavathALs m sthala Janams) is an elaborate one .

A summary of all the ten days events of BrahmOthsavam is elaborately

recalled for the benefit of all assembled before they return to their

homes and resume their duties . Let us have a sample starting from

the summary for the tenth day and concluding with the farewell :

 

On the evening of the tenth day , Oh Lord Ranganaatha , Devareer

enjoyed Pushpa Yaagam in the evening . at night , DEvarer accompanied by

Your Ubhaya NaacchiyAr ascended Pushpa PallAkku ( Pushpaka vimAnam)

and adorned the Thiruveethis .

 

After that , Deavareer witnessed the DhvahjAvarOhaNam . The assemblies of

the DevathAs , BhakthAs , BhagavathAs are now ready to return to their

respective homes . Thou should blesss them and bid farewell .

 

The farewell protocol follows in as lightly changed order in which

they were invited on the First day .

 

The Visarjanam for BrahmA Indhran , Sankaran et al goes this way :

 

PithAmaha-Sathakrathu-JwalanakAlaraksha: prasUjalAdhipa-

sabheeraNadhraviNa NaaTa GangAdhara -- Visarjanam

 

The weapons/AabharaNams from Sudarsanar to Saarngam are

bid farewell next :

 

Ajn~Ana karSana SudarSana Paanchajanya KoumEdhaki

praTitha-Nandhaka SaarngamukhyA: , DevOthsavam

kalayithum dharaNeem upEthA: BhUya: prayAtha

bhuvanam bhuvanAni VandhyA:

 

The farewell is given next to Vaikunta Vaasis ( Nithya Sooris

and Muktha Jeevans) , Kumudha and other dhvAra PaalakAs

of Sri Vaikuntam, Rudhran , svargas lOka Vaasis , the 14 Vidhyais,

BhakthALs/BhAgavathALs and dhivya dEsa KshEthra Vaasis .

 

It is a moving experience to listen to these farewells

to the accompaniment of BhEri TaaDanam . After the farewells ,

Dhvaja PaDam is brought down in front of PerumAL near dhvaja

sthambham after performing AarAdhanam for him . The picture of

Garudan in the Flag is known as one of the Ashta MangaLams .

The other seven images of the Ashta MangaLam group are :

Sri Vathsam mole , PoorNa Kumbham , BhERi , Mirror,

Two fishes facing each other, Valampuri Sankhu and Chakram .

 

DhvadasArAdhanam & Pushpa Yaagam

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This is a special AarAdhanam for PerumAL . DhvadasAkshara Mantram

is one of the three mantrams that are important for BhagavadhArAdhanam.

DhvAdasAkshara Mantram has TWELVE Aksharams . Each aksharam is

considered as PradhANa Mantram , PraNavam is added ; arghyam ,

Paadhyam , Achamanam , Vasthram , ThiruvAbahraNam , Gandham ,

Pushpam , Dheepam , NivEdhanam have to be presented to each of

the 12 aksharams. Finally for all the six angams of Aaradhanam ,

Srivatsa , Kousthubha , Kireeda , Vanamaala , Sankha , Chakra ,

GadhA , Padhmams , Mudhra is shown with the particular mantram .

PushpAnjali is doen for each with the mantram ," Phalam Bhavathu

mE Pushpai: nama: " individually . PushpAnjali is done for Uthsavar ,

SrI DEvi , BhU Devi wit Purusha Sooktha , Sri Sooktha , BhU Sooktha

mantrams . Next abhishEkam is done for the Moorthys with multicolored

Pushpams .

 

Subhamasthu ,

SrI RanganAthO Jayathi ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan