PurattAsi SravaNam: Swamy Desikan's MangaLAsAsanam of the Dhivya Dampathis of KanchIpuram on Vijaya Dasami Day, October 15: Part I

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October 16 ,2002

 

SrI:

 

SrI MahA Devi SamEtha Sri VaradarAja ParabrahmaNE nama:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Yesterday , many fortunate ones participated in

the MahOthsavam of Swamy Desikan's MangaLAsAsanam of

his divine parents , SrI PerumdEvi ThAyAr and Lord

VaradarAjan of Hasthigiri.

 

There are special kramam (order)to perform mangaLAsAsanam

of the Lord of Atthigiri practised by AchAryAs of

Kaanchi from ancient times . The special kramam and

vaikari ( style) of Swamy Desikan's mangaLAsAsanam

of Lord VaradarAjan on His avathAra dinam is an unique

bliss to experience in one's life on this earth.

The great AchAryan , Thirupputtkkuzhi SrI KrishNa

TaatArya MahA Desikan has protected this kramam

and this has been embellished further by another

great AchAryan of Kaanchi known as SrI AyyAtthu

Swamy . Varadaha GuNAmrutha Varshi,SrI R.SrinivAsa Varadha

TatachAr , the disciple of MahA VidvAn , Thirupputtkkuzhi

SrI Nrusimha TaathArya Swamy's disciple and ThUppul

NarasimhAcchAr Swamy have described the events of

the MangaLAsAasanam day at different places.

AdiyEn will attempt to synthesize these accounts

and present an integrated picture in rememberance of

this special day at Kaanchipuram and hope that some of

the BhakthAs , who read these postings will be fortunate to

experience this bliss personally during the next

PurattAsi SravaNam day at Kaanchi. adiyEn is grateful

to SrIman SaTakOpa TatAchAr Swamy , who presented me

a special souvenir on this event and asked me to write

about this auspcious event.

 

This MangalAsAsana kramam uses mostly the slOkams from

Swamy Desikan's various SrI Sookthis and Tamil Prabhandhams

and relates specifically to the individual sannidhis located

on the way from the temple entrance to all the way to Hasthigiri ,

where the Lord waits for Swamy Desikan to arirve on this

special day .

 

Let us start from the Sannidhi of Swamy Desikan at ThUppul

around 9 A.M and follow the journey to the sannidhi of VaradarAja ,

the various stops in between, the descent from Hasthigiri ,

the PiriyA Vidai given by the doting Father and Swamy Desikan's

return to his aasthAnam around 9 P.M this day reluctantly.

 

1.The day before PurattAsi SravaNam at ThUppul

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

For nine days before this SravaNam day , Swamy Desikan

has PurattAsi Uthsavam , when He blesses us the sEvai on

YaaLi , Elephant Vaahanams et al. On this day before SravaNam ,

around 4 P.M , Swamy Desikan will leave His aasthAnam

and will arrive at the Thiru MaaLikai , where He used

to live during His stay at ThUppul .This year , a new MaNTapam

has been consecrated . The areas including the Nadai KiNaRu

(Nada Vaapi)are near by. This is where , Swamy Desikan had His

nithyAnushtAnams .

 

THIRUMANJANAM AT THE THRIUMAALIKAI MANTAPAM

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

Once Swamy Desikan gets seated in the center of that

special MaNtapam , He is ready to have His Thirumanjana

uthsavam with a simple vasthram and ThirumEni displaying

Brahma tEjas. His bewitching smile and VyAkhyA mudhrai

makes one think of His being alive right in front of us

across the span of seven centuries.

 

ANJALI MUDHRAI ADORNMENT

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

At the end of the traditional Thirumanjanam , He adorns

dhivyAbharaNams like ThoppAram and PeethAmbharam and

travels on a small kaitthaLam to Lord HayagrIvan's sannidhi

nearby. His Hastha Mudhrai has changed now (after

Thirumanjanam) from VyAkhyA to Anjali Mudrai to indicate that

He is going to perform MangaLAsAsanam of the Lord of

His birth place ,SrI DhIpa PrakAsan and SrI Maragatha Valli

ThAyAr of ThirutthaNkA that evening and the dhivya dampathis

of Hasthigiri the next day .The power of anjali mudrai has

been celebrated by Swamy desikan in His SrI Sookthi,

" Anjali Vaibhavam " and in the 30th slOkam of SrI VaradarAja

PanchAsath (prathyasthram anjalirasou Tava nigrahAsthrE).

It is the counter arrow for the arrow of anger of

the Lord over our trespasses. Lord's anger is quenched

on seeing His devotee's anjali bhaddha hastham.

 

Anjali is recognized as " am + jalayathi " , melting

the Lord as water on seeing the anjali mudhrai shown

by the devotee. The power of this mudhrai/Folded hand

gesture is described by Swamy Desikan to confer all

the following soubhAgyams in Anjali Vaibhavam :

 

1. Giving the desired phalans quickly ( aasu- kaarithvam),

 

2. Power to destroy all sins ( asEsha-dhOsha-

nivarthakathvam )

 

3. Power to confer all auspiciousness (asesha kalyANa

Kaaranathvam)

 

4. Protecting those , who have links to Him (PrapannAs)

( anubhandhi-rakshakathvam)

 

5. Power to confer eternal soubhAgyams

( akshaya phala pradhathvam)

 

6. Offering Himself as the final fruit for the Prapannan

( Phala roopa sajAthIya pariNathimathvam)

 

MangaLAsAsanam at ThirutthaNkA

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

At 6 P.M , one hears the sound of the mangaLa vaadhyam

of Thirucchinnam to signify that the VedAntha Guru is on

His way to ViLakkoLi PerumAl Koil. He performs PradhakshiNam

and engages in the MangaLAsAsanam of GodhA PirAtti and

Maragathavalli ThAyAr prior to entering the sannidhi of

Lord DhIpa PrakAsan . There the SrI Sookthi that He composed for

Lord DhIpa PrakAsan (SrI SaraNAgathi DhIpikai ) will be

recited majestically by the assembled GhOshti . Swamy Desikan

will now recieve SaThAri, garland , Theerttham and other maryAdhais

(PrasAdham) from the Lord . After the mangaLAsAsanam of the Lord ,

Swamy Desikan would continue with His salutations to the AzhwArs

and return to His aasthAnam at ThUppul by 9 P.M.

 

By this time , the golden pallAkku (palanquin) of

Lord VaradarAjan for use next day by Swamy Desikan

would have arrived. The Lord of Kaanchi sends one of

His two golden palanquins for Swamy Desikan's use

during the PurattAsi SravaNam day. One of the two

PallAkkus is for His use during the 5th day of BrahmOthsavam ,

when He gives us His sEvai in Mohini alankAram.

The other pallAkku is used for transporting the Lord

with His Ubhaya NaacchiyArs on the 3rd day of BrahmOthsavam ,

ThOtta Uthsavam and VidaiyARRi. This pallaakku with

the special sambhandham of NaacchiyArkaL is sent for

the use of Swamy Desikan next day.Dhivya Dampathi Tatthvam

is perhaps revealed here (YuvAm DampathI dhaivatham na:).

 

The day of PurattAsi SravaNam

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

The Kaanchi temple Elephant , Horse , ParivArams of Lord

VaradarAja would have arrived early at ThUppul in the morning.

Swamy Desikan will ascend the Golden PallAkku

and start His journey around 9.30 A.M to Hasthigiri

followed by Veda PaarAyana ghOshti and preceded by

Dhivya Prabahndha GhOshti.

 

At the entrance of Swamy Desikan Sannidhi at ThUppul,

as He starts out , the first of the slOkams

describing the celebrations in the sky is

recited : There are yaksha-KinnarAs playing on

dhundubhi Vaadhyam frequently amd that auspicious

dhvani is heard all directions ( dhivyA samprathi

dhundhubhir-dhisi dhvAnair-muhu:srUyathE) ;

DEvAs are performing Saama ghAnam (dEvAnAmapi

hAvU hAvU laharI vikshObhyathyamBaram )and

the assembly of Lord's kaimkaryaparALs , the aadhivAhikAs

group are showing the archirAdhi maargam to prapannAs

and leading them thru the dEvayAna path :

 

dhivyA samprathi dhundhibhirdisi disi dhavaanairmuhu: srUyathe

dEvaanAmapi haavUhaavU-laharO vikshObhayathyambaram

aarabdha-prathisamskruthi: kruthamukairarchimukhai:SrIpathE:

aj~nAdhAribhirAthivAhika ganai: aadhisyathE paddhathi

 

The Paadham ThAngis lift Swamy Desikan's Pallakku

on their back once the following Yethsarikai is heard:

 

SrImath VenkatanATArya ! PhaNidharaNidharAdhIsa

dhivya GaNDAvathara!

 

yethsarikai Swamy yethsarikai

vijayee Bhava Vijayee Bhava

Vijayee Bhava Vijayee Bhava

yetharikai Swamy Yethsarikai

 

Taniyan for Swamy Desikan is recited here:

 

SrImAn VenkatanATArya: kavi-tArkika kEsarI

vEdAnthAchArya-varyO mE SannidhatthAm sadha hrudhi

 

MangaLa Vaadhyams will be playing on ground

now as well as Swamy Desikan progresses towards

the Western gOpuram entrance of VaradarAja temple after going

around YathOkthakAri Temple on the way .It would be around

10.30 A.M now and people in the Sannidhi Street will be

waiting for Swamy Desikan's arrival with PoorNa Kumbham.

 

After entering the Western gOpuram , the veda PaarAyaNa

and the adhyApAka GhOshti bid farewell to Swamy Desikan,

who proceeds now towards Lakshmi KumAra Thaatha Desikan

sannidhi, where latter's archai is with his dharmapathni,

AmmangAr. Darsana ThaambhUlam is presented by Lakshmi-

KumAra ThAtha Desikan and Swamy Desikan honors

the ThAtha Desikan dampathis with His garland and

SaThAri ( NayinAchAryan). Swamy desikan descends now from

the Tanga pallAkku and is seated on a Golden Kaittalam

for mangaLAsAsanam inside the Temple of Lord VaradarAjan.

The Kattiyams for Swamy Desikan are recited by the special

GhOshti. The bavani inside the temple starts from here

now. GhOshti follows reciting Swamy Desikan's SrI sookthis

until he returns back to this same mantapam in the evening.

 

(To be continued)

 

SrI MahA Devi samEtha Sri HasthigirIsAya namO nama:

 

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan