Kurai Ondrum Illai-chapter 22

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SrI:

Shrimate Shri Lakshmi Nrusimha Parabrahmane Namaha:

Shrimate Shri Ramanujaya Namaha:

Shrimate Nigamantha Maha Desikaya Namaha:

Shrimate Shrivan Satagopa Shri Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namaha:

 

namo narayana

pranamams

 

Chapter 22

 

Nrusimhan dwells inside a cave in Madapalli kshetram. One can only go

inside the cave with assistance; one needs someone with a torch to guide

through the cave. Through this, Nrusimhan tells us that we can attain Him

who resides in the cave of Vedantam, through Acharyan's help. If we have

Acharyan's help, we can worship Him all day! Vedam says that if we worship

Him, who is All beauty, all our worries will be gone.

 

Vedam shows us the way, it says that we have to speak about Him and His

Glories all the time; Acharyan also says the same thing. They say, think

about Him all day, if you can't think about His glories by the word 'visvam'

from the Vishnu Sahasranamam. The days where we used to practice the vedam

strenously, straining our bodies and not even eating--just constantly

thinking about Him, those days are long gone! Nowadays, we have things that

make our life easier. Take for example this upanyasam that adiyen(Mukkoor

swamin) is giving; what's the strain here? There is a fan so that the body

does not experience any stress and there is a microphone so that everyone

can hear the voice...

 

But in the olden days(long ago), munis used to stand in the midst of fire

and think about Perumal! On four sides, there used to be fires and on top

of that, there was the sun; this used to happen in the peak of summer. In

dhanur masam, they used to stand in cold water-upto their necks and think

about Him! Our Indriyaas are powerful, so in order to subside them,

maharishis did all this and then saw Perumal.

 

It is evident that we don't have the power to do that nowadays. We are

going fast with time... But does that mean that no one practices the vedam

these days? No, it still takes place--many mahans do it. But for the

people who say, " i can't do this stuff " , they can think about Him through

the visva sapdam and offer a flower and they will receive the same benefit.

 

People who worship Nrusimhan, who is the cause of Visva yoni:, they will not

have anything else in their minds. We saw that Nrusimhan is the One hidden

inside the visva sapdam. That parabramham, which is visvam, went once to an

Asvamedha yaagam! where...? This yagam took place along the banks of

Narmada river. Each river has it's story. Narmada river is talked about in

Koorma puranam and this river is noted in Sandhyavandanam also. If you

meditate on Narmada river, nothing bad will ever approach you. So, who

performed the yagam along this river...?

Prahladan's son is Virochanan. Virochanan's son is Vairochanan, and this

guy's son is Maha bali and it was Maha bali who performed this yagam.

During the yagam, a mantram called Asvamedha maha mantram is recited. Just

hearing this mantram brings punyam. That's why even nowadays in Kali yugam,

eventhough we can't perform the yagam, many do 'parayanam' of this mantram.

Swami Desikan has said that all mahans should gather and recite the mantram

every Ekadasi. Srimad Azhagiya Singar of Ahobila Madam, performs the

parayanam these days.

 

The Asvamedha yaagam is one big karma. One king(not mahabali..another one)

did a sankalpam and was performing this yaagam. The Veda vidvans who are

performing this yagam are observing all the conditions. There is a homam

before the purnaahuti. The people who conducted the yaagam for forty eight

straight days became sleepy! Only his hands were working(like machines)-they

took the dravyangal and placed it in the agni. Sastram says that when a

yagam is being conducted, the performer cannot sleep; neither can the

watcher. But at that time, everyone will feel sleepy! One will feel

sleepy, even when they are on an empty stomach and conducting a yagam. But

one should control that and continue on. When the king was watiching, the

performer slept!! The king was trying to figure out how to wake him up and

he taps the performer with a brick(sengolal)... This performer, even in that

sleep had a dream! He had a dream where a tiger was chasing him and at the

same time, the king tapped him--at this precise moment, the tiger jumped on

him.... so he screamed 'ha!tiger! " and fell into the yaagam and was in

smokes!! Asvamedha yagam, when performed, gets rid of bramha haddi dhosham!

But this king, with the performance of this yagam, bagged up his

bramhahadhi dhosham!! If all this stuff hapens in a yagam, even the

watchers are not that comfortable. There should be no smoke in a homam.

When the agni is not bright, the conductor puts more havis!! The one who

does this becomes blind and so does the watcher!

There is a custom to put dharbai on all four sides of the homa kundam. By

doing this, on that paristharanam, there are 3o something million devas are

sitting. Between us and the devas there are the rakshasas. That's why if

something falls outside the paristharanam, it should not be included in the

agni. If that's done, the yagam will go to waste. The items that fall out

are meant for the rakshasas--agni bhagavan makes it that way. In the olden

days, the maharishis used to create the homa kundam and just by showing

their hand, the agni used to appear. This is a very exalted state. The

second state is when the 'arani' is used to get agni. The third state is

using some means to attain the agni such as camphor or 'thanal'. In a yagam

that is done properly, Bhagavan is in the three agnis. And Paramatma shows

Himself in the agni. There is a mantram which brings goodness in the world

and this is in the Asva medha yagnam. That's why, they mention this facing

south when performing pitru devatha karyams and facing north during mangalya

dharanam. The veda vidwans who are supposed to say this are the ones who

perform 1008 gayatri japam a day and they have the tejas between their brow.

This yagam helps in getting good sons, rain and grains; it also helps in

the welfare of the world. Yogam is different and kshemam is different.

Yogam is something that normally one does not get, but now has attained it.

Kshemam is the state where all the possessions you have stay with you. This

asva medha yagam asks for both yogam and kshemam for the people of this

world--so just imagine how exalted it is!!!!

 

-Srimad Azhagiya Singar Thiruvadigale Saranam

 

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