Brahmotsavam at Pomonna Temple - A Report

[Guest guest]

JUST RETURNED FROM VAIKUNTAM!

 

Would you believe if someone were to tell you that he / she had been

to " VaikunTam " (a.k.a " Paramapadam " and " Nitya Vibhooti " and just

returned?

 

There is a proverb in Tamil which says:

" KaNDavar ViNDathillai; ViNDavar KaNDathillai "

Meaning

" One who had gone there never returned to report and the

One who dared to report had never gone there! "

 

But, the claim at the commencement of this posting that " I just

returned from " VaikunTam " is also true to an extent – NOT Srirangam

reputed to be " BhoolOka VaikunTam " , but Sri Ranganatha Temple at

Pomona, New York.

 

People describe Pomona as a replica of the grandeur of Srirangam.

But those who were fortunate to witness the first BrahmOTsavam

celebrated there from 3rd to 8th July 2007 would agree that Pomona

had excelled the " Original BhoolOka VaikunTam " .

 

This is no exaggeration nor does it seek to denigrate the holy

status of Srirangam consecrated by all the Azhwars and which will

forever remain truly original.

 

But, the thorough manner of the rites and rituals were organized by

" Paramaikanti Sarvabhouman " Sri Venkat Kanumalla Swami and his

dedicated band of Trustees like Sri Srinivas Tanikalla Swami, Sri

Murthy Ayyala Swami and scores of volunteers was really for " Gods to

see " !

 

The BrahmOTsavam (that was already overdue) had to be celebrated

hurriedly before the end of Uttarayanam that was fast approaching in

the next few days, arrangements had to be made at short notice. But

thanks to due diligence and dedication of the volunteers every

detail was meticulously attended to without skipping any essentials.

 

Anyone who was someone worthy of being mentioned as " Bhagavata " was

present at the premises coming as they did from far flung areas

between the East coast and the West coast. This was a telling

attestation of the Slokam in Srimad Bhagavatam 10.48.31 which says

that bath in sacred waters and even worshipping Archa moorthis in

temples can purify one's soul only in due course but the very sight

of the congregation of Sadhus can do the same almost instantly.

Na hi ammayaani therthaani na devaa: mrith silaa mayaa:/

tE punanti uru-kaalEna Darsanaad Eva Saadhava: //

 

I may mention in this regard that my connections with this temple

are special for the following reasons -

 

- Firstly, it was at the feet of Prakritam Azhagiya Singhar

(in His Poorvaasramam) that I had the Bhaghyam of learning through

Closed-circuit KaalakshEpamas Grantha ChatushTayams that any

VaishNava ought to learn in one's lifetime.

- Secondly, it was my own nephew, Late Sri Ranganathan

Kuppuswami who dreamed of raising a temple for Sri Ranganatha in the

USA (as per the wishes of H.H. 44th PaTTam Mukkur Azhagiya

Singhar).He was also instrumental in providing necessary motivation

in the first place.

 

Special mention should be made of the following:

 

1. PRIEST SERVICES

It was a daring attempt to embark on conducting this huge festival

(Brahma+ Utsavam) with just 2 or 3 priests. Yet, the devotion and

dedication with which the priests conducted the various Homams like

Vaasudeva Homam, Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha Homam, Srimad Ramayana Homam,

Mahalakshmi Homam, Maha-Sudarsana Homam, Kalyana Utsavams. Pushpa

Yaagam etc with meticulous attention to every detail were indeed

breathtaking. The Alankarams (costumes) for the Lord for Purappadus

(Circumambulation) both in the morning and the evening were

matchless. The services of Sri Srinivasa Raghavan Swami from Andhra,

Sri Naryana Bhattar Swamin from Karnataka and Sri Upadhyaayam

Srinivasan (Vasu) Swamin from Tamilnadu were particularly noteworthy.

 

2 MASTERS OF CEREMONIES

It is discipline that differentiates an orderly brigade from a

motley crowd. Even the Lord is assisted by Sri Vishwaksenar in

organizing his devotees. We had a couple of such " Masters of

ceremonies " in Sri K.V. Narayanan and Sri A.M.R. Kannan who spared

no efforts to regulate the proceedings with razor sharp precision at

every stage.

 

3 MUSIC GALORE

The Nadaswaram party consisting of two Vidwans on the pipe and two

on percussion (Thavil) was ever ready with their enchanting music.

The Tavil Vidwan who performed in sync with the modulations of

recitation of the mantras set to music by Sri Srinivasa Raghavan

Swami is absolutely unforgettable.

 

4. SRIMAN THAANGIGAL

The volunteers who bore the Pallakkus housing the Divya Dampatis

during circumambulations were all highly placed officers in their

professional careers but were amateurs in this job. " Sriman

Thangigals " at Srirangam, however, are hailing from generations of

experts in the art. Yet, the performances of these amateurs excelled

those of Srirangam professionals! When the Lord danced our hearts

danced in unison and some were tempted to dance physically too! Such

an enthralling experience it was!

 

5. NADAI, UDAI, VADAI

It used to be said that the gait (naDai) of Sri Ranganatha (in

Srirangam), costume (UDai) of Kanchi Varadaraja and the edible cake

(Vadai) of Tirumalai TiruvenkatamuDaiyaan are famous. In Pomona

BrahmOTsavam there was a combination of the best of all the three!

 

6. FOOD

Food was aplenty and always available on all the days FOR FREE to

all those who attended the Utsavam. " Even an army marches on its

stomach "

 

The never ending stream of visitors was fed with a variety of items

to heart's content. The food was as filling in the belly as the

Darshan of the Lord in various Sannidhis was filling to the heart.

The credit for the preparation of such delicious fare goes to Sri

Muralikrishnan Swami, who toiled day and night untiringly and with a

smiling countenance at all times.

 

7. ENTERTAINMENTS

There were a number of entertainments in music and dance which kept

the audience spell bound in the afternoons.

 

8. VAAHANAMS (MOUNTS)

The most essential requirement of BrahmOTsavam is the provision of

Vaahanams (mounts) on which the Lord goes about giving Darshan even

to those who could not or would not come to the temple. I believe

that the temple is at present having only GaruDa Vaahanam.

 

I will conclude this report with a request to all devotees to donate

liberally for acquiring Vaahanams (Mounts) for the temple like Aswa

(Horse), Gaja (Elephant), Simha( Lion) SEsha (Serpent), Hanumatha

(Anjaneya), Karpaka Vriksham (The Wish- yielding tree), Surya Prabha

(The Sun dial), Chandra Prabha (The Arc of the Moon), Hamsa ( Swan)

besides Rathams (Chariots). This done, the future BrahmOTsavams

would be really what they ought to be.

 

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy