Reflections on Sri HemAbjhavalli SamEtha Sri DevanAtha PerumAL of Thiruvaheendhrapuram following Swamy Desikan's dvine footsteps: Part I- MummaNikkOvai

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of Sri DevanAtha PerumAL :

 

During December 2 and 3 , 1999 adiyEn wrote about

the greatness of ThiruvhIndhrapuram in our sampradhAyam

resulting from Kaliyan's MangaLAsAsanam and Swamy Desikan's

Sri Sookthis in Tamil, Sanskrit and PrAkrutham . AdiyEn

posted then an introduction to Swamy Desikan's Sri Sookthis

and had an extended commentary on NavamaNi Maalai .Today ,

adiyEn will pick up where the discussions were left and

focus on another great Prabhandham of Swamy Desikan

revered as MummaNikkOvai . We have only ten of the thirty

verses that Swamy composed in adoration of Sri DevanAyakan

and the rest of this prabhandham has been lost .

 

Why Now ThiruvahIndhrapuram ?

******************************

 

AdiyEn is planning a trip to Chennai and Melkote

by the first week of February following the route of

AchArya RaamAnujA and Swamy Desikan's KshEthrAdanam .

The two main events of this trip are : (1) SatAri SamarpaNam

(MudaliaaNdAn) at Melkote RaamAnujA's sannidhi

and (2) RaajA Vasthram samarpaNam to Sri DevanAthan

of ThiruvahIndhrapuram .

 

This trip should take adiyen thru MadhurAnthakam first

(with the rathna SatAri) and to the famous Jn~Ana Vruksham

under which Sri RaamAnujA received initiation into

Sri VaishNava fold from Mahaa Poornar as per the

command of Sri AlavandhAr.Next stop there will be

the sannidhis of RaamAnujA and Sri Yeri Kaatha Raaman .

This kshEthram is known as the dhvayam ViLaintha

Thiruppathi because of the residence of so many

Sri VaishNavite AchAryAs.

 

After MadhurAnthakam , the next stop would be

ThiruvahIndhapuram , which was the abode of

Swamy Desikan for many years. There , a special

RaajA Vasthram ( Velvet dress for the Moolavar

with special embroidery work by experts from

MaharAshtrA ) will be presented for the winter season.

The Muthangi project for Sri DevanAthan will take

some time and that effort and is estimated to cost

one and half lakhs of Rupees .The RaajA vasthram will

hence be presented to the Lord until the Mutthangi

is ready .The RaajA vasthram will be placed

at the hands of Swamy Desikan first to symbolize

the samarpaNam through His hands .

 

After that halt , adiyEn plans to be in

Oppiliappan Sannadhi on this SravaNa dwaadasi

day (Feb 5) .From then on the journey will

continue to Thirukkudanthai, Srirangam ,

Azhagar Koil , SrivilliputthUr and culminate

in Melkote following the route of AchArya RaamAnujA.

A special akkaara vadisil samarpaNam to the Lord of

ThirumAlirumchOlai would precede the visit to

Srivilliputthur . Both at Thirukkudanthai and

SrivilliputthUr , adiyen is looking forward to

perform my dhaNdavath PraNAmam to our AchAryan ,

Sri MalOla PaadhukA Sevaka Sri NaarAyaNa yathIndhra

MahA Desikan .

 

May the dhivya dampathis bless adiyEn to complete

this trip without vignam ! AdiyEn will share

some thoughts on how Swamy Desikan enjoyed

the Lord of ThriuvahIndhrapuram in the next

few postings and start with the MummaNikkOvai .

 

Swamy Deikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

OppilA-appan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan