Azagiyamanavalan in Fourth day of Adhi Brhmothsavam!

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Ranga Sri members and friends,Its a great pleasure for me to write  about  our Azagiyamanavalanin fourth Day utthsavam in Adhi Brhothsavam.Our Prayers are always with you and your friends and Family  Members

-- On this fourth day, Sri Azhagiya MaNavalan starts from His temporary abode at the kannadi arai at 7:30 AM.  He walks around His palace on the Chithra Streets on His pallakku (palanquin).  He arrives at the Renga vilasa mandapam where the dhivya prabhandhams are sung.  In the evening, at 6:30 PM, Sri Azhagiya ManavaLan boards His premier vaganam (means of transport) of Garuda (the King of all Birds or Pullarayan).  This is a very significant day of the festival because of Garuda himself.  We would like to share some information on Garuda in our article today.

Garuda is also known in many ways in our sampradhayam including “Pullarayanâ€, “Periya Thiruvadi†and “Amirtha Kalasar " .  In Srirangam, there are two sannidhis (sanctums) for Garuda, one for Periya Garudan and the other one for Amirtha Kalasam on the way to Chakrath Azwar sannidhi.  We will now look at how the famous big Garudan of Srirangam came into being.

Srirangam is also called “Bhoologha vaikundamâ€.  This is because it is the abode of Sriman NarAyanan Himself on this earth.  Srirangam is one of the eight places on earth where the Lord Himself descended (thaney Aana Thirumeni  Swayam Vyaktham). Lord Narayanan at Vaikundam, before He created the entire universe, created Lord Brahma from His navel and let Brahma create all known world and life.  Then the Lord asked Brahma to do Thiruvarathanam to Him in the form of Sri Ranganatha Swamy in His Golden Abode (thanga vimanam).  Since Brahma had the job of creating all forms of life and universe, he created Surya (Sun God) and appointed Surya (Sun God) to do ThiruvarathanA to Lord Ranganatha Swamy.  The Lord then eventually descended from Sathya Loka to Bhooloka along the Surya Vamsha kings.  Lord Ranganatha’s primary mode of transportation is Garuda.  He follows the Lord wherever He goes and followed Him to the Bhooloka hoping the Lord would request His services.  When Sri Ranganatha  arrived in Srirangam with Vibheeshana and decided to stay in the island surrounded by the holy river Cauvery, Garuda  took his spot in front of the Lord waiting to receive his orders from the Lord Himself.  He is still waiting there to do His service to the Lord and serves as His primary transportation means

Swami VedhAntha Desika has presented a sloka about Garuda in his composition of Garuda Dandakam.Nama: pannaganaddhaaya vaikunta vasavardhinehSruti-sindhu Sudhothpaada-mandaraaya Garutmathe!My salutations to Garuda  with the beautiful wings. His limbs are adorned by the mighty serpents that he has conquered in battle. They are his jewellery. He does all the intimate kainkaryas to his Lord and is His antharanga dhasan. Garuda is devoted always to the Lord and His services

.. He is adept like the Mandhara Mountain in churning the milky ocean of Vedas and to bring out the Brahma Vidhyas. We can get the benefits of these Brahma Vidhyas by offering our worship to him. My salutations are to him.

On this auspicious fourth day of Adhi BrahmOthsavamSri Azhagiya MaNavalan rides His favorite vAgana and blesses the ocean of devotees in the streets of Srirangam.  He walks very graciously in his Woyyara nadai (wonderful gait) around the 7th prakaram of His palace (Chithra  streets).  As Azhagiya Manava;an walks amongst us in Srirangam, He becomes our own PerumaL and hence is called NamperumaL. 

He then returns to the vagana mandapam and then returns back to kannadi arai for the rest of the night.Please Have the Blessings from our Ever Azagiya ManavalanAs always, please forgive me for any faulty language or interpretations.

Adeyen Dhashan,Narasimha bhattar