FW: swati at ahobilam

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Sri:

Sri Lakshmi nrisimha parabrahmaNE nama:

Sri Lakshmi nrisimha divya paduka sevaka

srivan satakopa sri narayana yatindra mahadesikaya nama:

 

namo narayana!

 

I am forwarding an excellent article written by Sri. K. Sadagopan Swami

about Swati Thirumanjanam performed for the Nava Nrisimhas of Sri Ahobilam

at the command of Srimad Azhagiya Singar. adiyEn would like to thank

Sri Sadagopan Swami for a wonderful article and hope and pray that the

Swami will write many more such excellent articles for the reading pleasure

of all of us.

 

-- adiyEn ramanuja dasan

 

srimad azhagiya singar thiruvadigaLE saraNam sadagopan iyengar [sadagopaniyengar]Friday, October 06, 2000 6:57 AMdileepanSubject: swati at ahobilam

_Swaati at Sri AhObilam

Most of us ,who are regular readers of Sri Nrsimhapriya,would be aware that a small but devoted group of Sri Sannidhi sishyaas,carrying out the divyagyaa of prakrutham Srimad Azhagiasingar,is arranging performance of thirumanjanam to the nava Nrismhas at Sri Ahobilam on every Swaathi day. The devotion of this group could be fully appreciated only if one personally accompanies them on this arduous journey. Adiyen had the sowbhagyam to to be part of the aidyaar kuzhaam on the last Swaathi,and would like to share the spiritually invigorating experience with you all.

Those of us who have already visited the Gaaruda Sailam,would be inclined to agree cent percent with Sri Kaliyan that sri ahobilam is indeed a “chendru kaandarkariya kOil”.even several centuries after the aazhwaar’s mangalaasaasanam,this divyadeEsam conforms to the apt description.though there is a perceptible improvement in the infrastructure after the 600th anniversary celeberations of the Mutt,(the spanking new Maalola guest house ,the telephone exchange and the mini powerstation are testimonials to Sri Azhagiasingar’s lowkika kaarya kushalatha) the upper reaches of Sri Ahobilam are still as untamed as at the aazhwaar’s times; but the swaati group makes mangalaasaasanam considerably easier to the accompanying sri vaishnavaas,than they would find it,were they to travel alone.

We left chennai at 9.30 pm by the Bombay mail and reached Cuduppah in Andhra pradesh at 3.30 am. Two tata sumos and a matador van were awaiting us at the railway station and transported us to Sri Ahibilam in two and a half hours.We finished our praatharanushtaana in the clean and invigorating swami pushkarini ,in front of the keezh ahobilam temple and had a quick mangalaasasanam of Sri Prahlaadavarada ,resplendent in the silver kavacham ,kireetam and other ornaments lovingly submitted by prakrutam srimad azhagiasingar .though not one of the nava nrsimhaas,sri prahlaadavarada is no less important and is perhaps the only uthsavamurthy with sowmyaakaara(I am subject to correction on this).the utsava murthys of paavana nrsimha and jwala nrismha reside in this sannidhi itself,perhaps to bless those unable to endure the taxing climb to the sannidhis of these moorthies.

At 8.30 am sharp, we left by van to upper sri ahobilam,where sri ahObilesa and sri chenchulakshmi thaayar are the presiding deities.there is also a sannidhi for easwara ,perhaps in his capacity as the author of manthraraaja padastothram.sri shashta parankusa maha desikan(sixth srimad azhagiasingar)brindaavanam is also to be found here,where He entered a cave to shed his mortal coils. This temple provides the gateway to the hills and upper forests of sri ahobilam,housing the other nrismha murthies. Immediately behind the AHOBILESA shrine,we find the aptly named Bhavanaasini,a picturesque river with numerous falls and crystal clear water,which destroys all types of thaapa-aadhyaatmika,aadhibhowthika and aadhideiveeka. Across the Bhava naasini,a short climb away,is the Varaaha Nrsimha with Aalari sporting a porcine thirumukhamandalam. Another short climb leads us to Sri Maalola,the aaraadhya devata of the illustrious lineage of srimad azhagiasingars starting with sri aadivan satakopa yethindra mahaa desikan,to whom presha manthram and sanyaasam were bestowed by sri maalola himself,in the garb of a vriddha yati. As is known ,it is the uthsava murthy of this emberumaan who travels aasethu himaachalam,blessing countless sri vaishnavaas and at whose lotus feet(adorned by paadukaas) srimad azhagiasingars have submitted the bhara of countless souls,guaranteeing them sri vaikunta praapthi and freedom from the shackles of mundane life.with lakshmyaa samaalingitha vaama bhaagam,sri maalola now resides in baalalayam,while his sannidhi is being renovated.

A somewhat more difficult climb and we arrive at a rocky clearing with fallsof the bhavanaasini ,at the Prahlada padi ,or prahlaada’s school,where to the asura teachers’entreaties to chant ‘hiranyaya namaha, prahlaada and his classmates responded with a resounding Naaraayanaya Namaha. As we recall the trials and tribulations the dhaanava sisu underwent for his unflinching faith in Sri Hari,our eyes fill with tears and our hearts with shame at our ‘irumbu pOl valiya nenjam’which slips from the faith at the least sign of problems.

We now retrace our steps to the Varaaha Nrismha sannidhi ,recross the Bhavanaasini and follow the river’s course,in our quest of Sri Jwaala Nrsimha ,the most remote shrine of all. The way lies across the river bed strewn with boulders and rocks of all shapes ,which are a real obstacle course for city-dwellers like us. After a couple of kilometers of this,we start the climb,a tough one indeed for anybody,with an almost vertical slope at places. However we take heart from the numerous pilgrims returning from the shrine after a dharshan ,who have an encouraging word for us,lest the ardour make us abandon the quest for the ultimate. This may not be a journey for the weak in flesh or spirit,but the thought of what awaits us at the end ,and the special strength that Nrsimha himself bestows enable us to continue,till we reach the Jwala Nrsimha shrine. Having reached journey’s end ,and standing before the ugramurthy,we find nrsimha at his angriest best,making mincemeat of hiranyakasipu with his vajranakhaas. Dushkrit vinaasanam being only an avaanthara prayojanam of the avathaara,we find the Lord incarnating himself in the most frightening ,yet most benevolent,man-lion form which prompts sri nammazhwr to exclaim” yen singappiraan perumai aarayum seermaitthe”.the main purpose of this avathaara,as of the nine others,was saadhu parithraanam and “satyam vidhaathum nija bhritya bhaashitham”. It is this Nrismha who must have been in sri kalian’s thoughts when he said “angan gyaalam anja angor aalariyaai avunan ponga aagam vallugiraal pozhndha punithan idam”. This indeed is the bhagavat swaroopam which formed the basis for the sree sookthis “munaittha seetram vin sudappoi moovulagum piravum / anaitthum anja aalariyaai irundha amman”,erintha painghan ilangu pezhvaai eitrodu ithu evvuruvu endru /irindhu vaanor kalangi oda irundha amman”,etc.

With much reluctance,we retrace our steps downhill ,moving away from this Nrsimha,who is at once magnificent,frightening ,overwhelming and benevolent.( for the adventurous,a further and more difficult climb would lead to the Ugra Sthambam,where theactual vadham of hiranyakasipu is reported to have taken place) .if one thinks that the journey down must be easier than the one up,this journey proves one wrong. The paavana nrismha shrine involves a similar but less taxing journey,but is nonetheless as rewarding .

With aching limbs,but fulfilled minds we return to upper ahobilam sannidhi and thence to keezh ahobilam,paying our obeisance on the way to Sri Karanji Nrsimha(with a bow and arrow in his thirukkai). After the welcome thatheyaraadhanam at the ahobila mutt,and after a short rest,we go on to the shrines of Sri Yogananda Nrismha(the prachina murthi,slightly damaged and no longer having thiruvaaradhanam ,but nonetheless sevyam)and Sri Chhathravata Nrismha,again a magnificent divya roopam which brings to our minds the desika srisookthi “sataapatala bheeshane sarabhaattahasodhbhate/sphurathkrudhi parisputa bhrukutikepi vakthre krithe”.

After witnessing the alankaara navaraathri thirumanjanam of sri prahlaada varada,it is time for us to leave for cudappah ,where the organizers,in the true tradition of the sri matam,arrange for dhadhyonnam before entraining for chennai. Incidentally,the renovated sri ahobila matam is spacious convenient and the aaradhakar very hospitable.

Another comfortable journey and we are back in chennai at 6 am,with the resoulution to be of yethkinchit assistance to the Swaati group ,physically,financially or otherwise,and to join them as often as possible in the mangalaasasanam of the Ahobilesaas.

-dasan,sadagopan.