thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 22 - athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham !

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Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

 

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 22 - athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham !

 

Dear bAgawathAs,

 

nalliravil thuthikkum eerath thuLigaL

nalluRavil uthikkum vennira paLingu

azhagain thEvaiyE vizhAkkal palAyiram

athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham

 

meaning:

 

The stars that are winking during the clear night sky are sending

its rays to Sriranganm to do the prayers during the thiruvizhA

every day and night. This is similar to the wet rain drops that

are falling at Sriranga kshEthram to witness the thiru vizhA as

well. The common thing is that they both dampens the Sriranga

boomi and makes it a pleasant place for the vAsis of Srirangam.

Thus they also serve the adiyArs of Sri Arangan. The full

moon that appears is a wonder and is similar to a pure white

marble in the sky. It is coming out in its full beauty only to

be a " play toy " for Sri Krishna in Srirangam to play with it.

There are thousands of uthsavams that are required to be

conducted in Srirangam to celebrate the " athi aRputha Azhagu "

of Sri Arangan. The adhyayana sEvai is the ursavam that gives

the most joy to Sri Arangan.

 

 

Simple reasoning as to why this is the best uthsavam of all:

 

Sometimes this episode is interpreted in a different way as well.

The fact that perumAL did not show the deepam alone but as well

the bearer Sri utthama nambi, it could be understood that it

clearly implies the saranagathi or prapatti mArga through an

AchAryA. The " deepam " cannot have come to the garba gruham all

by itself. Sri Utthama nambi has to carry it. Similarly the

jivAtama jyothi cannot attain mOksam all by its own efforts. An

AchAryA has to carry it to perumAL and such carrying is nothing

but the prapatti or saranAgathi or baranyAsam done by an AchAryA

on behalf of us. This being the case thirumangai could not wait

to show this mArgam to the entire world. Hence he pleaded

to perumAL that he brings Sri nammAzwAr and do a pArAyanam

of his pAsurams that show the saranAgathi mArgam to attain HIM.

AzhwAr wanted to make the chanting of these pasurams as a

mOksha uthsavam or saranagathi upAya viLakka uthsavam itself.

 

In all, we have mentioned (*) a purpose for each uthsavam in

Srirangam so far. All these uthsavams are done for bagawath

preethi only. However the parama preethi for perumAL is derived

by perumAL HIMself when HE gets back what belonged to HIM all

along. ie jivAthmAs. Such " getting back " is done through prapatti

or saranagathi through an AchAryA. Due to perumAL's own thiru

uLLAm it was revealed to thriumangai. Then subsequently through

thirumangai himself this uthsavam was shown to the jivAthmAs that

prapatti upAyam is a uyvikkum sAdhanam for jivAthmA. Since

through this upAyam perumAl gets back HIS possession that is

always dear to HIM, (that is jivAthmAs), and since this is the

only uthsavam that facilitate jivAthmAs to know about it, this is

the best of all uthsavams. There is no doubt about it. Even today

this is the most highly attended festival in Srirangam. Sri

nAthamuni and Sri udayavr themselves created even more elaborate

arrangements to demonstrate the anubava rahasyasm of AzhwAr and

make jivAthmAs understand this important concept of Srivaishnavam

namely saranagathi or prapatti. Every temple has its own

uthsavams. Many are different from temple to temple. But when it

comes to thiru adhyayana uthsavam it is the most important

festival adopted by almost all Srivaishanava temple symbolising

the importance of prapatti.

 

Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiruk kudanthai Rengarajan

 

(*) adiyEn is writing the uthsavams in a sequence from

chitthirai to panguni. Though there are very important

uthsavams that come during the period after thiru adhyayana

Sevai , no one gives so mush pleasure for Lord and thAyrAr than

this thiru adhyayana sEvai. adiyEn will continue to write on

the other uthsavams after writing about thiru adhyayana sEvai.

 

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