Twice Blessed

[Guest guest]

Srimate SriLakshmiNrisimha divya

paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

                                                                                   

Twice Blessed

Till this week, Coimbatore had

nothing much to boast of, spiritually speaking—it doesn’t house any divyadesam,

there are no Acharya purushas living here, no kaalakshepams going on, very few

sat sanghams, etc.  Many have felt it to

be a spiritual desert. It does abound in temples, big and small, but the level

of activity in them is rather on a low key.

All these, however, disappeared

magically on the evening of 12th May and overnight and Coimbatore

was transformed into a spiritual paradise, all seekers making a beeline to the

city. It resounded with the chanting in unison of Vedam and Divya Prabandam,

the two glorious eyes of Visishtaadvaita Siddhaantam.

And the occasion?

It was the visit to the city of

two Mahaans, one old and one young, along with another old man whose age is

immeasurable (“Purusha: Puraana:”). It was the last-mentioned old man who

brought the other two seers to the city, from distant Srirangam.

For those who are still not able

to guess, let me proudly proclaim the visit of the Two Srimad Azhagiasingars to

Coimbatore, for the purpose of the Samprokshanam of the century-old Srinivasa

Temple at Paappanaicken palayam.  For

five days, chanting of Samskrita Vedam and Tamizh Marai had been going on

non-stop and the Yaagasaalai was aglow with the sacred fires.  Today was the culmination of the frenetic spiritual

activity, with the samprokshanam scheduled for 8.30 a.m.

Just before Poornaahuti, the two

pontiffs, belonging to the line of ascetics established by the Lord Himself,

arrived at the Yaagasaala and presided over the finale of the various vaideeka ceremonies

associated with consecration. The Utsava Moorthy, ensconced regally at the

entrance to the Yaagasala, appeared to be wearing a beatific smile, which was

at its broadest when the elder Azhagiasingar fanned Him, all the while drinking

in His immeasurable beauty. Srinivasa, both Moolavar and Utsavar, was bedecked

in all His finery—glittering gold ornaments, crowns studded with diamonds and

dressed in the finest of peetaambaram. It was as if He had dressed Himself up

for the occasion, not only of the Samprokshanam, but also of the visit of two

of His most intimate devotees. Samprokshanam was performed thereafter by the

Aagamic pundits for the vimaanams over the sannidhis of Srinivasa, Vishvaksena,

Azhwars and the main Rajagopuram and the newly consecrated sannidhi for Sudarsanaazhwaan.

I would personally say that the

mammoth crowd had assembled as much to have at least a fleeting glimpse of the

two Acharyas, as to witness the Samprokshanam .

During his current visit to

Coimbatore, Srimad Peria Azhagiasingar is in his usual form, delighting

devotees with his anugraha bhaashanam on various occasions, dressing up his

favourite child Malolan with the finest of flowers and looking at the assembled

crowd to ensure that they were appreciating His soundaryam. The earlier

episodes of infirmity appear to have evaporated and Srimad Azhagiasingar proves

time and again how young he is in spirit. Forever interested in improving the

fortunes of Sri Matham and in enhancing the vibhooti of Malolan, Srimad

Azhagiasingar has set in motion the process of building a branch of the Matam

on the outskirts of Coimbatore, for which land has been generously donated by a

devotee. Srimad Azhagiasingar’s efforts received a fillip with the plans for

the building taking a concrete shape financially. One wonders at the

indefatigable energy of the elderly pontiff, in the service of His favourite

deity. Srimad Azhagiasingar is no less than Sri Kalian in Archaavataara

anubhavam and in one of his anugraha bhaashanams, we found tears running down

his cheeks while describing the boundless beauty of Tepperumal of Kanchi.

Srimad Chinna Azhagiasingar, just

a week-old in the service of Malolan, has commenced performing Ijyaaaraadhanam

and reminds us of the ascetic scion of Mukkoor, in his looks and actions. His

smiling countenance and eyes instantly won over the hearts of even the hardest

of devotees. Our eyes welled with tears when we recounted the ultimate

sacrifice the Swami had put himself through just a week ago at Srirangam,

renouncing all his worldly possessions and relatives, to embrace the broader

community of Sri Vaishnavas as their spiritual leader. Malolan’s choice for the

eventual leadership of the Sri Matam, Sri Ranganatha Yatindra Mahadesikan,

impresses all first-time visitors as a simple and unassuming soul, for all his

scholarship and service to the Veda Purusha. One could not help but concur with

the choice of Malolan, who invariably has His say in the appointment of  His intimate personal servants, keeping His

own counsel till the very last moment and coming up with an ace every time. Srimad

Chinna Azhagiasingar, as he is fondly called by sevaarthis, has amassed an army

of admirers, within the short span of a week from his accepting the ochre

robes. While his soft and soothing words remind us of Injimedu Srimad

Azhagiasingar, his physical looks, at least to me, resemble those of Mukkoor Srimad

Azhagiasingar in his middle age. His countenance radiates the vedic wisdom

acquired and disseminated over a life time and we are told that he has an army

of sishyas, who have learnt the nuances of Rg Vedam at his feet.

We at Coimbatore feel twice

blessed with the visit of the two august personages and are honoured that the

city was chosen for the commencement of Srimad Chinna Azhagiasingar’s vijaya

yaatra, right after his aashrama sweekaaram. In the last century, there have

been a few instances of two pontiffs blessing us at the same time—Srimad

Devanaarvilaagam Azhagiasingar was anointed by his revered predecessor Srimad

Injimedu Azhagiasingar and the two were the life and soul of devotees for several

years. And in our own times, we have seen Srimad Mukkoor Azhagiasingar and

Prakritam Srimad Azhagiasingar Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikan, blessing us

simultaneously. It is indeed a glorious sight to behold the two pontiffs,

holding aloft their tridandam, resplendent in their ochre robes and appearing

to be two Ramanujas simultaneously walking the earth. We feel like exclaiming

with Sri Nammazhwar,

“Kandom, kandom, kandom, kannukku

iniyana kandom,

 tondeer elleerum vaareer, tozhudu tozhudu

nindru aarthum”

 May Malolan grant us the pleasure and

privilege of paying obeisance to these two Yativaras for long years to come and

may the two Azhagiasingars bless us with frequent opportunities, aptitude and

strength for everlasting service at their lotus feet.

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri

Ranganatha Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama: