Geethacharya and the lord's acharya

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Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Sri Vara Vara MunayE Namaha

 

SrisailEsa dayA pAthram deebhakthyAdhi gunArnavam

Yateendra pravanam vandhE ramyajAmataram munim

 

Dear bhagavatas,

 

Today (Nov.8th 2002) is IYPASI THIRUMOOLAM. This is the day our revered Periya

Jeeyer, eetu perukkar, ramyajAmAtru muni, vara vara muni, vishadhavAkshikAmani,

yatheendra pravanar Sri Manavala mAmunigal took avataram. Our elders celebrate

this day as the day in which, the adhisesha avatara Sri ethirajar, emperumAnAr

Sri rAmanujar reincarnated as Sri Manavala mAmunigal. This day is celebrated in

a very grand manner in many divya desams. In thiruvallikeni this is a very

special occasion. Emperuman Sri Parthasarathi shows one of his excellent

sevai’s on this day, which is obtained only once a year. Let us all enjoy the

great anubhavam with our mind’s eye though the actual darshan needs thousands of

eyes (“Ayiram kan vEndumE avanai kAna”).

 

On the Iypasi thirumoolam day, early in the morning everyone in thiruvallikeni

wakes up to have the divine darshan of emperuman Sri Parthasarathi along with

the revered acharya, Sri Manavala mAmunigal. The Geethacharya undergoes

suprabhadam and he himself waits to honor the acharya with his divine sevai as a

token of the service done by this revered acharya to humanity and to the god

himself by bringing so many baddha jeevatmas to his divine feet. On top of all

these the lord recollects the days in Srirangam, when he enjoyed the divine

bhagavat vishaya kalashepam from eetu perukkar, Sri mAmunigal as ranganatha

along with his consorts and also submitted the excellent “SrisalEsa” thaniyan/

mahAmantram to the divine feet of mAmunigal as a sambhAvanai to his acharya

after learning the divine meanings of thiruvAimozhi from him.

 

Leaving the lord in the memory of the acharya the archakas proceed to the

sannadhi of Periya Jeeyer and do divya alankaram to the acharya. The acharya’s

thirumeni is decorated with divine Abharanams and with number of flower

garlands. When the alankAram is over, the arrangements for the purappadu are

done. By this time, there is a huge crowd waiting to fulfill their eyes

eagerness to enjoy the beauty of the revered acharya.

 

The dol indicating the start of purappadu is banged and the acharya comes out of

his sannadhi. The divine instruments are played and amidst the sound the

acharya comes out of the sannadhi and stands in front of the sannadhi of his

beloved acharya, Sri Udaiyavar. Mamunigal salutes Sri ramanujar who inturn

honors him with his thirumAlai and mudaliyAndan. Then the ghosti starts

reciting starting with the thaniyan “SrisalEsa thayApAthram” and proceeds to

recite the excellent strotra, “YathirAja vimsathi” given by mAmunigal flooded

with divine arthas as a praise to his revered acharya, Sri EmperumAnAr.

 

Amidst the ghosti’s sound reverberating in all directions, swamy mAmunigal

proceeds towards the thAyAr sannadhi. Swamy enjoys each and every verse uttered

by the ghosti and with great joy showers his divine grace on everyone and walks

with might towards the sannadhi of Vedavalli thAyAr. Now swamy has come in

front of the sannadhi and at the same time the ghosti also complete the

yethirAja vimsathi with “vignApanam yathitha mathya…” and then the ghosti

concludes with the sloka,

 

“yen moolam AsvayujamAs avathAra moolam

kAnthOpayanthru yamina: karunaikka sindhO:l

Aseetha sathsukanithasya mamApi satthA-

Moolam thathEva jagathapyu dhayaika moolamll

 

Sri math rangam jayathu paramam thAma thEjO nidhAnam

BhoomA thasmin bhavathu kusalee kopi bhoomA sahAyaha:l

Divyam thasmai dhisathu vibhavam dEsikO dEsikAnAm

KAlE kAlE varavara muni: kalpayan mangalAni ll

(Erumbiappa’s Uttara dinacharyA-18 & 19)

 

Then the acharya does mangalasasanam to thAyar, Vedavalli, the divine consort of

ranganatha, Sri mannAtha perumal. Vedavalli thayar showers her divine grace on

the lord’s acharya and honors him with great love. Accepting the same, amidst

the sound of divine instruments, swamy proceeds towards the sannadhi of Gajendra

varadaraja perumal. In Arthi prabhandam, swami says, “kanaga giri mEl kariya

mugil pOl vinadhai siruvan mErkondu*- thanuvidum pOdu ErAr arangar ethirAsarkA

enpAl vArA munnirpar magizhindhu” (AP-52). Now in front of swamy stands Sri

Gajendra varadan in nithya garudasevai. Swamy deeply enjoys the divine darshan

and does mangalasasanam to varadarajan. Sri Gajendra varadan honors swamy with

his garland and Sri saTakOpan along with arulappadu (the call given by one of

the stalatars (person from the ghosti) as a call from perumal).

 

Then swamy proceeds to do mangalasasanam to Sri bhakthisArar, thirumazhisai

Azhvar and from there to the Azhagiya singar sannadhi. Thelliya singa perumal

invites the acharya with a grand smile on his face and honors him with pleasure.

Then swamy proceeds towards the nAchiyar (soodikkoduththa nAchiyar) sannadhi).

After accepting the blessings of nAchiyar, Sri Andal, swamy literally leaps

forward, walks with long steps since his mind has already started longing for

the divine darshan of Parthasarathi in thirukkaithalam. On the way, swamy

salutes Alavandaar, acharya of his own acharya Sri ramanujar. Then swamy

proceeds to the mandapam in front of the periya sannadhi (sannadhi of rukmani

sametha Sri Venkata Krishnan).

 

Now the grand festival begins. First Sridevi nAchiyar comes out of the sannadhi

in thirukaithalam, carried in hands by 3 archakas. Sridevi nAchiyar slowly

walks showering her blessings on all the crowd of people collected over there on

one side and the alwars and acharyas on the other (the sannadhi of alwars and

acharyas is inbetween the periya sannadhi and the mandapam). Nachiyar comes

amidst the sound of “swamini yechcharikai!….. swamini yechcharikai” and sits in

a divine Asanam in front of Periya jeeyer who is held in hands (instead of

shoulders) by the SripAda thangigal. Next the bhoomi piratti, bhoodevi nAchiyar

comes out in thirukaiththalam again amidst the calling, “swamini yechcharikai!….

swamini yechcharikai!” showering her divine grace filled with mercy on all and

gets seated on the other end of the Asanam.

 

And now finally the hero of the day, for whose darshan Swamy mAmunigal is

eagerly waiting and all the eyes of the devotees are expecting comes out in

thirukkaithalam amidst the calling, “Swami yechcharikkai! Swami yechcharikkai!”.

The lord who has been praised as “Virperuvizhavum kanjanum mallun vEzhamum

pAganum veezha kOl kaiyil kondu parthan than thEr mun nindrAn!” “Indiran than

siruvan thEr mun nindrAn!” “vinjai vAnavar sAranar siththar viyanthudhi seiya

pennuruvAgi anjuvai amudham andru aliththAn!” “enthai oru valli thAmaraiyAl

ondriya seer mArpan thiruvallikEniyAn!” “pOrppAguthAn seidhu andru Ivarai

velvithta mAyappOr thErpAganAr!” by our revered alwars, the geethAcharyan,

Parthasarathi who rode the chariot of arjuna and made the pandavas win the war

by going to the level of accepting all the arrows of bheeshmA on his thirumugan

(divine face) which still stands as the proof that he is bhakthavatsalan, one

who goes to any levels when it comes to save his bhakthas, Sri Parthasarathi

emperuman with the divine beauty and grace and a svaroopam of divine knowledge

who gave the geetha sastra to this world proceeds forward and showers his

blessing to one and all. Two archakas hold him on the sides and one at his

back. Suddenly Sri Parthasarathi leans to the back making his divine feet

visible to all present there like instructing them as per his geetha verse,

“sarva darmAn parithyajja mAm Akam charanam vraja”. Sure everyone present over

there will fall to his feet without any doubt not because they have understood

his supremacy or divine indepth meaning of the charama sloka, but due to their

attraction to the divine beauty of emperuman. The beauty which mesmerized

thirumangai mannan and made him an azhvar; the beauty which mesmerized pillai

urrangAvilli dAsar and made him a dasa of ethirajar; the beauty which mesmerized

even duriyOdhana and others in his court when Sri Krishna took the role of

pandavadhoodha; the beauty which has made even a illiterate (in sampradaya

vishayam) like adiyen write a few words in the forum of educated scholars to

share the divine anubhavam with all and ofcourse overcome adiyen’s grief for not

being able to be present to have the darshan of adiyen’s beloved parthasarathi

with the revered acharya, Swamy manavala mamunigal.

 

Now slowly Parthasarathi emperuman reaches the mandapam and seats himself on the

Asanam inbetween the nAchiyars. Sri mAmunigal and ofcourse everyone over there

come back from the transcendental state of divine anubhavam of Sri Parthasarathi

emperuman in thirukkaiththalam to this world. It is like visiting the divine

abode of emperuman, Srivaikundam as explained by azhvar in “soozh visum

panimugil” and coming back to this world. Now Sri Periya Jeeyer salutes

parthasarathi emperuman and does mangalasasanam (periyAzhvar sang pallandu

fearing something will happen to emperuman due to the drishti of evil eyes. We

surely have to sing pallandu a many times to parthasarathi now since his beauty

today is really beyond words and the drushti which would have fallen on him is

uncountable). Then accepting the thirumAlai and SriSaTakOpan swamy seats

himself on a seat to the right of parthasarathi emperuman right opposite to

udaiyavar sannadhi.

 

The curtains role down and the divine sevai comes to an end. Sri Parthasarathi

showers this divine sevai to mAmunigal since mamunigal has great bhakthi towards

udaiyavar, who is none other than Sri Parthasarathi himself. Only

Thirukkaithala sEvai comes to an end with this but the celebration of the holy

day continues. Sri Parthasarathi along with mAmunigal infront, comes out in

veedhi purappAdu to give darshan to all the sick, old and others who have missed

the sevai inside the temple. It is another deepavali in thiruvallikeni. The

purappAdu is started with the bursting of crackers to celebrate this divine day.

Then after finishing the purappAdu periya Jeeyer swamy enjoys thirumanjanam

inside the temple along with Sri Parthasarathi. In the evening, our ears attain

the actual purpose of their existence. The sound of ghosti reverberates in all

directions. We are able to see even small small kids reciting the upadesa

ratnamalai and ThiruvAimozhi nootrandhAdhi fluently with deep involvement.

 

After the ghosti, sattrumurai is done and all the honors of thiruparivattam,

thirumAlai, Sri saTakOpan along with arulappadu are given to swamy by Sri

Parthasarathi and the theertham and prasadam are given to one and all and the

grand celebration of the day come to an end leaving everyone in awe with the

divine experience of the day but in deep sorrow as the divine occasion for the

year has come to an end

 

This is just the very poor expression of adiyen of the divine occasion. Adiyen

has just attempted to write a few words which nowhere matches the excellent

anubhavam experienced by those lucky souls in thiruvallikeni today. Still let

us all just remember the revered acharya, Sri periya Jeeyer on this day and

recite the thaniyan submitted by the lord himself and also the vAzhi thirunAmam

of this great acharya.

 

Alwar EmperumAnAr Jeeyer thiruvadigale Sharanam

Jeeyer thiruvadigale sharanam

 

Adiyen Ramanuja dasyai

Sumithra Varadarajan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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