Guest guest Posted January 9, 2009 Report Share Posted January 9, 2009 Sundara Raman Rupa guna audaryayai pumsam drishti chitta apaharinim By His form, qualities and munificence he steals the vision and hearts of men. What about women? What a futile question! Lentil doughnuts were threaded onto a staff and hung high overnight so that the " vadais " could be safegaurded from bandicoots and relished the next day. The next day on being asked to fetch it the answer came that the staff was missing. Is there a need to ask about the tasty " vadais " ? As it is He is favorite among women for being a confirmed mongamist, unlike that dark enchanter of Gokul. Women not only lose their vision and hearts, they just melt in His presence. Just one example will suffice. She was so huge that her nails were as big as cane plates used to separate chaff from rice. She was uglier than hell and her whole appearance was frightening even to the agents of Death. She was besotted at the first meeting itself and her ardour had to be cooled by cutting off her ears and nose. That Surpanakha, in severe pain due to both injury and insult, couldn't help praising the handsomeness of both the sons of the Emperor: Tarunou Rupa Sampanou Sukumarou Mahabalaou Pundareeka Vishalakshou Cheera Krishnamjinabarou " Both are youthful, physically well endowed, gentle but powerful with eyes like huge lotuses and wearing bark and deerskin " Men were so enamored of His handsomeness that they wished to be born as women to fully enjoy His company. These were not your worldly men, slaves of the senses. These were men of awe inspiring austerity, almost masochistic in nature. They were the sages of Dandakaranya. They had gathered to complain to Him about their woes and loss of limbs at the hands of the ogres. One was noseless and another had a gaping hole in the thigh. One had lost his ears and another his hands. They awaited Him eagerly. His arrival was sensed by some perceptive rishi by the fact that the woods were slowly taking on a dark bluish-green hue. All turned to see Him and were bedazzled. He was without any ornaments and was wearing tree bark and deer skin as to the manner born. His shapely and huge shoulders bore the marks of the kingly warrior. His arms were long and the hands extended upto the knees. Though His coiffure was dusty and entangled it still pointed to His royalty. His huge red rimmed eyes were oceans of grace as He looked down upon the ill dressed motley crowd of ascetics from His great height. The great rishis, men of superhuman control lost their senses. They stood their gazing at the Vision. All had the same desire. " Wish we were born as women to enjoy this Purushottama, the supreme among men " . [The same used to be said of that dark enchantress Krishnaa, Draupadi. Her servant maids when bathing her used to think that it was their misfortune that they weren't born as men to experience her ravishing beauty fully.] Our Lord sensed their inner yearning and in the next avatara as Krishna enthralled them during Rasa Krida. These spartan mahatmas were born as Gopikas and are the objects of envy ever since. The peerless azhwars and latter day preceptors have recorded their jealousy and wailed that why they weren't blessed in a like manner. The great Emperor who was capable of steering the war chariots in ten directions and whose help was sought by the gods and who had seen 60000 summers became a 25 year old just by watching his Son walk. He used to call Him and as he came he would enjoy His anterior beauty. As He left he would relish the form of His beloved Son from behind. He piteously pleads with his second wife " Dont send Him into exile. I'll become blind as my eyes will follow Him to the jungle. They dont heed my commands, they willfully follow Him. " He was the perfect male as per " Samudrika lakshana " . In this age when maleness is at a premium and half and quarter males are hailed as handsome it is a pity that He incarnated in that distant Kritha Yuga. But wait ! We can still enjoy His gorgeous form. All one has to do is travel to rustic Vaduvur on the Thanjavur - Mannargudi road. The most handsome Kothanda Rama is waiting to grace you there. Adiyen may be wrong but usually the Righteous Rama is portrayed in a serious mein. He may sport a smile but it is usually minimal. His form is always formidable and one can at once recognise His physical prowess from the size and shape of the icon. Contrarily the Dark One of Dwaraka is always depicted with a mischievous smile and is well nigh irresistible. This Rama, pardon the expression, is irresistable too. One can easily come to the conclusion that the icon of Rama in Vaduvur and that of Rajagopalan in Mannargudi were wrought by the same hands. Both are roughly of the same height (for " utsavars " , processional deities, they are really tall!) and are mesmerising. Being totally prejudiced one insists that Vaduvur Rama outclasses Mannargudi Rajagopalan in both " lavanya " and " soundarya " . According to Samudrika Lakshana, the tome that classifies and standardises beauty, both masculine and feminine, " soundarya " means the beauty of individual parts and " lavanya " means beauty as a whole, i.e. of the person. Rasikas, ardent devotees, are wont to hold beauty pageants. Adiyen hastens to add that it is not for ill clad women but the reigning deities in the various divya desas. For the " moolavars " adiyen cannot accept any winner other than our Periya Perumal, Ranganatha. He grows on one and soon one is inescapably ensnared and cannot break free from the clutches of His " lavanya " and " soundarya " . Of course this verdict is totally subjective and is anything but objective. It can be considered akin to match fixing! As far as the " utsavars " , processional deities, are concerned almost everyone agrees that the aptly named Soundararaja Perumal of Nagapattinam is way ahead of all, followed by Vijayaragahavan of Tiruevvul, Gosakan of Therazhandur, Sowrirajan of Tirukudanthai and so on. Of course all tend to agree to disagree on this score. In adiyen's humble opinion Vaduvur Rama is the winner. Soundararaja Perumal of Nagapattinam is in a " divya desa " in a temple glorified by the peerless Kaliyan. Vaduvur Rama is in a small temple in a hamlet unsung by the " Pathimber " the ten azhwars. Looked after by the locals led by the venerable Ganapadi Desikachar mamma, whose eightieth birthday was celebrated about three months back, our Rama is not by any means pampered. But for the tireless efforts of Desikachar mamma it would not be out of place to say that the upkeep of the temple would have suffered. Under the circumstances one has to declare Vaduvur Rama as the winner. He wears " lipstick " during the procession on Sesha vahana, the manyheaded serpent vehicle. To look at Him in that " makeup " so to say, and remain unmoved, one has to have an adamantine heart or maybe no heart at all. Those who have not been graced by the vision of Vaduvur Rama have not fully utilised their eyes. The temple is by the side of a huge pond or a small lake which seems to be like a bird sanctuary in the last month of the year. Even the birds, probably from the frozen north, realise that Vaduvur is " The Sanctuary " but most humans are sadly unaware. The temple houses One who has taken the oath that He will provide refuge for any being who has sought asylum at His feet just once. Our Rama is tall and in a standing posture with His bow Kothanda in His left hand held high above the left shoulder. Recently the bow has been gold plated and gems have been inlaid. In His right hand He has an arrow with a crescent point. He doesn't stand straight but has three curves which adds to His charm. His hip is convex to the right and the left shoulder above and the legs below, convex to the left. It is this posture with three inflections that allows Him to be dressed beautifully. No one, but no one, wears pancha kaccham as handsomely as He does. The bunch of small keys at his waist makes Him well nigh irresistible. He has powerful shoulders but like His limbs they are shapely and perfectly proportioned. One now understands why Hanuman beseeched Him to cover His shoulders to ward off evil eyes. It is as if He is about to start walking. Usually devotees go to their Lord, but Rama walked all the way from the foothills of the great northern mountain ranges to the ocean deep in the south just to grace all His devotees. The drama about Ravana's misdeeds and subsequent killing was just a sideshow! To prove this point, even today He appears to be on the point of stepping out from the sanctum in Vaduvur. It is His smile that is truly hypnotic. There is nothing mysterious about it and neither is it half hearted. It is as if He is immensely pleased that one has come to have His " darshan " . It is a smile that vanquishes fatigue and fills one's very soul with fizz. It is a smile that reassures one that one's transgressions have been forgotten and forgiven and emancipation is waiting to be bestowed. It is a smile that promises bliss in His eternal abode. It is a very friendly smile and not that of a Boss. Rama's smile is all the more alluring because He has a reputation for being serious. This smile in a cherubic face has a hint of mischief as if to say, " So you thought that only Krishna could smile mesmerisingly. His smile is nothing before Mine! " None can negate that. Upturned lips do not a smile make. It is the combination of the lips,cheeks and most importantly the eyes that go up to make the whole. Vaduvur Rama's eyes are seas of kindness. The eyes and the smile reinforce one another and they together form a snare from which there is no escape. But this is captivity for which sages have been performing 'tapa " for milleniums. We, in this epoch of Kali, can attain it just by visiting Rama at Vaduvur and prostrating at His feet. It can't get easier than this,now,can it? On His forhead we see the silver triangular " urdhva pundram " inlaid with stones and an emerald at the center. It seems to be pointing downwards towards the eyes and the smile. The left foot seems to be forward due to the curved posture. It is said that a forward left foot signifies that He is stepping forwards to do battle. With a ready arrow in the right hand and the bow in the left and left foot appearing to be in front there cannot be any doubt that He is ready for war. What war? It is the war against our ignorance. We are still not sure as to who is the Supreme who can relieve us from this entanglement of repeated rebirths. He gave us the scriptures but our interpretation is flawed. He sent down azhwars and acharyas to show us the way but we turned a deaf ear to their teachings. The only weapon left with Him is His handsome form. Down the ages none has escaped this weapon of His. So He shows us His flawless transcendental beauty and pulls us towards Him. Once we are in His web the only way left for us is deliverance which He kindly provides. Seetha Piratti standing to His right has her left hand in an " ahvahana " posture. She seems to be requesting us to come and enjoy the handsomeness of Her husband. The left fingers are folded inwards as if She is calling us in.In many sanctums our Lord adopts this posture. To adiyen's limited knowledge this is the only place where Piratti has Her hand in this " mudra " so to say. She is as beautiful as always but here She is literally and figuratively overshadowed by her Spouse. The " ahvahana " posture is understandable as She is the most reliable mediatrix between Him and us. To Rama's left stands the ever reliable Lakshmana in an identical posture but on a smaller scale. Like Seetha Piratti he too sports a smile but his face is less chubby than his Brother's as if emphasising the fourteen years of sleepless service to his Brother and His Consort in exile. Hanuman of this Rama Darbar is really small almost like the santhana Anjaneya at the Kothanda Ramaswamy sanctum on the banks of the Chandra pushkarani in the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. As always he is standing with folded hands, the very quintessence of " Bhakti " . The local history, " sthala purana " , tells us that the Maratta king was besotted with Rama and was preparing to take Him away to his palace. The residents of Vaduvur pleaded with the king to maintain status quo. The king complied (it was His will!) and the Emperor's Son stayed back in a hamlet, forgoing the comforts of a palace. Well, He had done it once before and He did it again! Ramaavatara is talked about for highlighting His qualities of " susheela " (affability) and " saulabhaya " (accessibility) and in Vaduvur He has once again demonstrated it. In the nearby sanctum we see Gopala with His consorts. Another sanctum at the very entrance houses Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha and this is maintained by the Sri Ahobila mutt. The present pontiff of Sri Ahobila mutt HH the 45th Azhagiya Singar never misses a chance to get the grace of Vaduvur Rama. In fact HH as sanctioned and assisted in a lot of " kainkaryas " for Him. To the right of the main sanctum is a small sanctum wherein one can have " darshan " of Lord Lakshmi Hayagriva, Nammazhwar, Ramanuja and Vedantha Desika. Local lore has it that Vedantha Desika here is a " vara prasadi " bestower of boons,especially to students. That is not surprising considering just the literary output of the master, a mind boggling 128 in number! If that is not bounteous what is? A lifetime is not sufficient to enjoy the nectar of his works. His unique composition on Rama the " Mahaveera gadyam " or as it is often called " Raghuveera gadyam " appears to have been written just for our Vaduvur Rama. Adiyen hastens to add that there is no evidence that he visited Vaduvur. We tend to visit divya desas sincerely but give temples like this a miss. Adiyen requests all to pay a visit to Vaduvur. Due to four laning of the national highways the road from Trichy to Thanjavur is really bad. One has to take the bypass road, without entering into Thanjavur. On this road towards Tiruvarur the fourth right turn is to be taken, beneath the arch of Karikala Chozha. At the next Y intersection the left road is to be taken and this leads directly to Vaduvur and onwards to Mannargudi. " Always enquire before taking turns " is an adage not be ignored. Have the " darshan " of Vaduvur Rama and you will spontaneously exclaim " Adhya safalam me janma... " The purpose of my birth has been achieved. Dr.S.Sundar Rajan MS ortho Trichy. Jan 06 2009. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2009 Report Share Posted January 10, 2009 Dear Swamin, The description of Vaduvur Raman is excellent. Not only Rama Avatharam any Avatharam of Lord Narayana is worth enjoyable. That is an acceptance HE gets from Thayayar to Grace the Bhakthas with different poses and we don't need any food for the day after enjoying HIS Sowlabya,Sowseelya. One Pasuram from Periya Thiurmozhi 7.7.6 by Thirumangai Mannan which reads like this. This Pasuram is for 4 Yugas. Let us see that. Thoyaavin thaier nai aMuthunna Chonnar cholli naGumParise - petra Thayaal AppunDirunthu azuthenGum ThaDaLa: tharayorKum ViNNorKum seYay: KreDa DreDa DuVapara kaLiyuGam Ivai NanGum muNai Aya NiNaDiyanDri matrariyilen AzanDur Mel Desai NinDra AMMaNey. adiyen, nochalur seshadri sampath.--- On Sat, 1/10/09, Dr.S.Sundar Rajan <kuresadasan wrote: Dr.S.Sundar Rajan <kuresadasan The most handsome "Manathukku iniyan"Oppiliappan Date: Saturday, January 10, 2009, 12:50 AM ists that Vaduvur Rama outclassesMannargudi Rajagopalan in both "lavanya" and "soundarya". According MARKETPLACE From kitchen basics to easy recipes - join the Group from Kraft Foods Change settings via the Web ( ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Terms of Use | Un Recent Activity 2 New MembersVisit Your Group Y! Messenger Group get-together Host a free online conference on IM. Finance It's Now Personal Guides, news, advice & more. Find helpful tips for Moderators on the Groups team blog. .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2009 Report Share Posted January 11, 2009 Oops my mistake! It should read " Thirukudandai Sarangapani " instead of " Thirukudandai Sowrirajan " Dr.S.Sundar Rajan Oppiliappan , " Dr.S.Sundar Rajan " <kuresadasan wrote: > > Sundara Raman > > Rupa guna audaryayai pumsam drishti chitta apaharinim > > By His form, qualities and munificence he steals the vision and hearts > of men. What about women? What a futile question! Lentil doughnuts > were threaded onto a staff and hung high overnight so that the > " vadais " could be safegaurded from bandicoots and relished the next > day. The next day on being asked to fetch it the answer came that the > staff was missing. Is there a need to ask about the tasty " vadais " ? As > it is He is favorite among women for being a confirmed mongamist, > unlike that dark enchanter of Gokul. Women not only lose their vision > and hearts, they just melt in His presence. Just one example will > suffice. She was so huge that her nails were as big as cane plates > used to separate chaff from rice. She was uglier than hell and her > whole appearance was frightening even to the agents of Death. She was > besotted at the first meeting itself and her ardour had to be cooled > by cutting off her ears and nose. That Surpanakha, in severe pain due > to both injury and insult, couldn't help praising the handsomeness of > both the sons of the Emperor: > Tarunou Rupa Sampanou Sukumarou Mahabalaou > Pundareeka Vishalakshou Cheera Krishnamjinabarou > > " Both are youthful, physically well endowed, gentle but powerful > with eyes like huge lotuses and wearing bark and deerskin " > > Men were so enamored of His handsomeness that they wished to be born > as women to fully enjoy His company. These were not your worldly men, > slaves of the senses. These were men of awe inspiring austerity, > almost masochistic in nature. They were the sages of Dandakaranya. > They had gathered to complain to Him about their woes and loss of > limbs at the hands of the ogres. One was noseless and another had a > gaping hole in the thigh. One had lost his ears and another his hands. > They awaited Him eagerly. His arrival was sensed by some perceptive > rishi by the fact that the woods were slowly taking on a dark > bluish-green hue. All turned to see Him and were bedazzled. He was > without any ornaments and was wearing tree bark and deer skin as to > the manner born. His shapely and huge shoulders bore the marks of the > kingly warrior. His arms were long and the hands extended upto the > knees. Though His coiffure was dusty and entangled it still pointed to > His royalty. His huge red rimmed eyes were oceans of grace as He > looked down upon the ill dressed motley crowd of ascetics from His > great height. > The great rishis, men of superhuman control lost their senses. They > stood their gazing at the Vision. All had the same desire. " Wish we > were born as women to enjoy this Purushottama, the supreme among men " . > [The same used to be said of that dark enchantress Krishnaa, > Draupadi. Her servant maids when bathing her used to think that it was > their misfortune that they weren't born as men to experience her > ravishing beauty fully.] Our Lord sensed their inner yearning and in > the next avatara as Krishna enthralled them during Rasa Krida. These > spartan mahatmas were born as Gopikas and are the objects of envy ever > since. The peerless azhwars and latter day preceptors have recorded > their jealousy and wailed that why they weren't blessed in a like manner. > > The great Emperor who was capable of steering the war chariots in ten > directions and whose help was sought by the gods and who had seen > 60000 summers became a 25 year old just by watching his Son walk. He > used to call Him and as he came he would enjoy His anterior beauty. As > He left he would relish the form of His beloved Son from behind. He > piteously pleads with his second wife " Dont send Him into exile. I'll > become blind as my eyes will follow Him to the jungle. They dont heed > my commands, they willfully follow Him. " > > He was the perfect male as per " Samudrika lakshana " . In this age when > maleness is at a premium and half and quarter males are hailed as > handsome it is a pity that He incarnated in that distant Kritha Yuga. > But wait ! We can still enjoy His gorgeous form. All one has to do is > travel to rustic Vaduvur on the Thanjavur - Mannargudi road. The most > handsome Kothanda Rama is waiting to grace you there. > Adiyen may be wrong but usually the Righteous Rama is portrayed in a > serious mein. He may sport a smile but it is usually minimal. His form > is always formidable and one can at once recognise His physical > prowess from the size and shape of the icon. Contrarily the Dark One > of Dwaraka is always depicted with a mischievous smile and is well > nigh irresistible. This Rama, pardon the expression, is irresistable > too. One can easily come to the conclusion that the icon of Rama in > Vaduvur and that of Rajagopalan in Mannargudi were wrought by the same > hands. Both are roughly of the same height (for " utsavars " , > processional deities, they are really tall!) and are mesmerising. > Being totally prejudiced one insists that Vaduvur Rama outclasses > Mannargudi Rajagopalan in both " lavanya " and " soundarya " . According to > Samudrika Lakshana, the tome that classifies and standardises beauty, > both masculine and feminine, " soundarya " means the beauty of > individual parts and " lavanya " means beauty as a whole, i.e. of the > person. > > Rasikas, ardent devotees, are wont to hold beauty pageants. Adiyen > hastens to add that it is not for ill clad women but the reigning > deities in the various divya desas. For the " moolavars " adiyen cannot > accept any winner other than our Periya Perumal, Ranganatha. He grows > on one and soon one is inescapably ensnared and cannot break free from > the clutches of His " lavanya " and " soundarya " . Of course this verdict > is totally subjective and is anything but objective. It can be > considered akin to match fixing! As far as the " utsavars " , > processional deities, are concerned almost everyone agrees that the > aptly named Soundararaja Perumal of Nagapattinam is way ahead of all, > followed by Vijayaragahavan of Tiruevvul, Gosakan of Therazhandur, > Sowrirajan of Tirukudanthai and so on. Of course all tend to agree to > disagree on this score. > In adiyen's humble opinion Vaduvur Rama is the winner. Soundararaja > Perumal of Nagapattinam is in a " divya desa " in a temple glorified by > the peerless Kaliyan. Vaduvur Rama is in a small temple in a hamlet > unsung by the " Pathimber " the ten azhwars. Looked after by the locals > led by the venerable Ganapadi Desikachar mamma, whose eightieth > birthday was celebrated about three months back, our Rama is not by > any means pampered. But for the tireless efforts of Desikachar mamma > it would not be out of place to say that the upkeep of the temple > would have suffered. Under the circumstances one has to declare > Vaduvur Rama as the winner. > He wears " lipstick " during the procession on Sesha vahana, the > manyheaded serpent vehicle. To look at Him in that " makeup " so to say, > and remain unmoved, one has to have an adamantine heart or maybe no > heart at all. Those who have not been graced by the vision of Vaduvur > Rama have not fully utilised their eyes. > The temple is by the side of a huge pond or a small lake which seems > to be like a bird sanctuary in the last month of the year. Even the > birds, probably from the frozen north, realise that Vaduvur is " The > Sanctuary " but most humans are sadly unaware. The temple houses One > who has taken the oath that He will provide refuge for any being who > has sought asylum at His feet just once. > Our Rama is tall and in a standing posture with His bow Kothanda in > His left hand held high above the left shoulder. Recently the bow has > been gold plated and gems have been inlaid. In His right hand He has > an arrow with a crescent point. He doesn't stand straight but has > three curves which adds to His charm. His hip is convex to the right > and the left shoulder above and the legs below, convex to the left. It > is this posture with three inflections that allows Him to be dressed > beautifully. No one, but no one, wears pancha kaccham as handsomely as > He does. The bunch of small keys at his waist makes Him well nigh > irresistible. He has powerful shoulders but like His limbs they are > shapely and perfectly proportioned. One now understands why Hanuman > beseeched Him to cover His shoulders to ward off evil eyes. It is as > if He is about to start walking. Usually devotees go to their Lord, > but Rama walked all the way from the foothills of the great northern > mountain ranges to the ocean deep in the south just to grace all His > devotees. The drama about Ravana's misdeeds and subsequent killing was > just a sideshow! To prove this point, even today He appears to be on > the point of stepping out from the sanctum in Vaduvur. > It is His smile that is truly hypnotic. There is nothing mysterious > about it and neither is it half hearted. It is as if He is immensely > pleased that one has come to have His " darshan " . It is a smile that > vanquishes fatigue and fills one's very soul with fizz. It is a smile > that reassures one that one's transgressions have been forgotten and > forgiven and emancipation is waiting to be bestowed. It is a smile > that promises bliss in His eternal abode. It is a very friendly smile > and not that of a Boss. Rama's smile is all the more alluring because > He has a reputation for being serious. This smile in a cherubic face > has a hint of mischief as if to say, " So you thought that only Krishna > could smile mesmerisingly. His smile is nothing before Mine! " None > can negate that. > Upturned lips do not a smile make. It is the combination of the > lips,cheeks and most importantly the eyes that go up to make the > whole. Vaduvur Rama's eyes are seas of kindness. The eyes and the > smile reinforce one another and they together form a snare from which > there is no escape. But this is captivity for which sages have been > performing 'tapa " for milleniums. We, in this epoch of Kali, can > attain it just by visiting Rama at Vaduvur and prostrating at His > feet. It can't get easier than this,now,can it? > On His forhead we see the silver triangular " urdhva pundram " inlaid > with stones and an emerald at the center. It seems to be pointing > downwards towards the eyes and the smile. > The left foot seems to be forward due to the curved posture. It is > said that a forward left foot signifies that He is stepping forwards > to do battle. With a ready arrow in the right hand and the bow in the > left and left foot appearing to be in front there cannot be any doubt > that He is ready for war. What war? It is the war against our > ignorance. We are still not sure as to who is the Supreme who can > relieve us from this entanglement of repeated rebirths. He gave us the > scriptures but our interpretation is flawed. He sent down azhwars and > acharyas to show us the way but we turned a deaf ear to their > teachings. The only weapon left with Him is His handsome form. Down > the ages none has escaped this weapon of His. So He shows us His > flawless transcendental beauty and pulls us towards Him. Once we are > in His web the only way left for us is deliverance which He kindly > provides. > Seetha Piratti standing to His right has her left hand in an > " ahvahana " posture. She seems to be requesting us to come and enjoy > the handsomeness of Her husband. The left fingers are folded inwards > as if She is calling us in.In many sanctums our Lord adopts this > posture. To adiyen's limited knowledge this is the only place where > Piratti has Her hand in this " mudra " so to say. She is as beautiful as > always but here She is literally and figuratively overshadowed by her > Spouse. The " ahvahana " posture is understandable as She is the most > reliable mediatrix between Him and us. > To Rama's left stands the ever reliable Lakshmana in an identical > posture but on a smaller scale. Like Seetha Piratti he too sports a > smile but his face is less chubby than his Brother's as if emphasising > the fourteen years of sleepless service to his Brother and His Consort > in exile. Hanuman of this Rama Darbar is really small almost like the > santhana Anjaneya at the Kothanda Ramaswamy sanctum on the banks of > the Chandra pushkarani in the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam. > As always he is standing with folded hands, the very quintessence of > " Bhakti " . > The local history, " sthala purana " , tells us that the Maratta king was > besotted with Rama and was preparing to take Him away to his palace. > The residents of Vaduvur pleaded with the king to maintain status > quo. The king complied (it was His will!) and the Emperor's Son stayed > back in a hamlet, forgoing the comforts of a palace. Well, He had done > it once before and He did it again! Ramaavatara is talked about for > highlighting His qualities of " susheela " (affability) and > " saulabhaya " (accessibility) and in Vaduvur He has once again > demonstrated it. > In the nearby sanctum we see Gopala with His consorts. Another sanctum > at the very entrance houses Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha and this is > maintained by the Sri Ahobila mutt. The present pontiff of Sri Ahobila > mutt HH the 45th Azhagiya Singar never misses a chance to get the > grace of Vaduvur Rama. In fact HH as sanctioned and assisted in a lot > of " kainkaryas " for Him. > To the right of the main sanctum is a small sanctum wherein one can > have " darshan " of Lord Lakshmi Hayagriva, Nammazhwar, Ramanuja and > Vedantha Desika. Local lore has it that Vedantha Desika here is a > " vara prasadi " bestower of boons,especially to students. That is not > surprising considering just the literary output of the master, a mind > boggling 128 in number! If that is not bounteous what is? A lifetime > is not sufficient to enjoy the nectar of his works. His unique > composition on Rama the " Mahaveera gadyam " or as it is often called > " Raghuveera gadyam " appears to have been written just for our Vaduvur > Rama. Adiyen hastens to add that there is no evidence that he visited > Vaduvur. > > We tend to visit divya desas sincerely but give temples like this a > miss. Adiyen requests all to pay a visit to Vaduvur. Due to four > laning of the national highways the road from Trichy to Thanjavur is > really bad. One has to take the bypass road, without entering into > Thanjavur. On this road towards Tiruvarur the fourth right turn is to > be taken, beneath the arch of Karikala Chozha. At the next Y > intersection the left road is to be taken and this leads directly to > Vaduvur and onwards to Mannargudi. " Always enquire before taking > turns " is an adage not be ignored. > > Have the " darshan " of Vaduvur Rama and you will spontaneously exclaim > " Adhya safalam me janma... " The purpose of my birth has been achieved. > > Dr.S.Sundar Rajan MS ortho > Trichy. > Jan 06 2009. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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