The Case of the Fabulous Footprint

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Case of the Fabulous Footprint

 

 

 

 

 

Shastras stress the importance of adorning our foreheads with Oordhva

pundram or Tiruman. The two upward lines of Tiruman, accompanied by the

SriChoornam in the centre, are what every Srivaishnava is supposed to wear on

his forehead always. Such oordhvapundram is to be worn not only on the forehead,

but at eleven other places on the body too, making a round dozen. The very

picture of a Srivaishnava with dvAdasa (twelve) oordhvapundrams adorning his

body evokes in us veneration and devotion. Though it is ordained upon every

vaishnavite to wear these every day, it has now become the practice to follow

this injunction only on special days like marriage, upanayanam, seemantham,

shrAddham etc. While this was the position a few years back, the current

scenario has deteriorated so much that even a single tirumaN is worn only on

these special days. " KEsavam DAmOdaram cha sarvadA na parityajEt " says the

Smriti, underlining the importance of never being without Tiruman, at least

those worn on the forehead and the nape of the neck. Wearing Tiruman is

currently viewed as old hat and unfashionable. And if one does wear it with

courage, it attracts derogatory remarks or, at the least, derisive glances from

the idle and unholy. Fearing the prospect of being an object of derision and

adverse comment, most of us have stopped wearing Tiruman altogether, while some

do it on special days. Yet others, even if bold enough to wear it every day

after bath, religiously rub it off before setting foot outside, afraid of others

witnessing us in such a state. Worse than all these, some of us even make fun of

those with conviction enough to follow the practice, oblivious to criticism and

comment. Talcum powder, perfumes and other cosmetics are applied with verve and

vigour, but alas! not Tiruman. There are yet others who make a compromise

between abandoning the practice altogether and keeping vestiges of it alive, and

wear just Srichoornam alone, as a concession to nagging elders. Some others,

after putting on Tiruman, feel something lacking and apply a dash of ash

horizontally, displaying proudly their non-denominational credentials and broad

perspective.

 

 

 

Levity apart, why should we apply oordhvapundram at all, whether one or a dozen?

What do we gain therefrom, except the curious glances of some passers-by and

derisive comment from the more offensive? What practical benefit do we derive

from the practice, which would encourage its continued performance? What does it

stand for and what is the scriptural authority behind it? Is its continued

observance required in this age of satellites and missiles or is it a mere

vestige of anachronistic observances?

 

 

 

We are told by none other than the Lord Himself that He resides along with

Piratti on the foreheads of those wearing Tiruman. The two parallel white lines

of Tiruman indicate the Lord's holy feet, while the red or yellow vertical line

in between signifies Piratti's presence. Here is the BrahmANda PurANa sloka

attesting to this, quoted by Swami Desikan in Saccharitra RakshA

 

-

 

" vimalAni oordhvapundrAni sAntarALAni yO nara:

 

karOti vimalam tatra mandiram mE karOti sa:

 

oordhvapundrasya madhyeE tu visAlE ati manOharE

 

LakshmyA sardham sahAseena:ramEham tatra nirvrita: "

 

 

 

One who wears oordhvapundram provides a temple for the Lord on his own forehead,

says this couplet, pointing out the Lord resides with pleasure in those who wear

His tiruvadi with devotion.

 

That this practice is hoary and age-old is confirmed by Sri Nammazhwar in the

following pasuram-

 

 

 

" nettriyil nindru ennai ALum niraimalar pAdangaL choodi

 

kattrai tuzhAi mudi kOla KaNNapirAnai tozhuvAr

 

ottrai pirai aNindAnum nAnmukhanum indiranum

 

mattrai amararum ellAm vandu enadu ucchiyuLAnE "

 

 

 

(Though the official explanation for this pasuram is different, it is extremely

tempting not to make use of the words " nettriyil nindru ennai ALum nirai malar

pAdangaL " , which refer to the Lord's feet residing resplendently on our

foreheads).

 

 

 

The word " oordhvam " means " upwards " : according to Shastras, Paradise and other

worlds of pleasure, ephemeral and eternal, lie above us, while worlds of pain

and punishment inhabited by sinners lie below us. Hence the wearing of Tiruman

in an upward direction is symbolic of our vertical movement on the spiritual

plane.

 

 

 

In our Sampradaya, this adornment on the forehead in known as " tiruman kAppu " .

The use of the word " kAppu " , referring to protection, is significant, for, it

denotes the constant protection afforded to the wearer. Tiruman thus acts as an

effective and inexpensive shield against all untoward things and as a guard

against all evil forces. It is said that Yama kinkarAs have standing orders not

to harass Vishnu bhaktas and to confine their terrifying tantrums to others, for

even Yama's writ doesn't run over devotees of the Lord-( " prabhuraham anya nruNAm

na vaishnavAnAm " ). It is the Tiruman Kappu that affords instant identification

of the wearer as a staunch votary of Emperuman, thus saving him from the

clutches of the hounds of hell.

 

 

 

Like an Eton tie, a Harvard sweat shirt or a Cambridge Rowing Cap, the Tiruman

Kappu too is a badge of membership, establishing the credentials of the wearer

as an ardent devotee of the Lord and providing instant access to the Old Boys'

Club of those who belong to the Lord.

 

 

 

It was, and still is the practice, to brand our belongings like pots and pans,

to facilitate their identification, should they get mixed up with others'. Some

have their initials or whole names etched on the pots while some put in

distinctive marks. Similar to this practice, the wearing of Tiruman is to

identify ourselves as the slaves of the Supreme Lord and Master, existing solely

for His use and pleasure. What better way of inculcating the spirit of service

to Emperuman, than to constantly remind ourselves of His SwAmitvam (Lordship)

and our own status as His belongings, by wearing His holy feet symbolically on

our foreheads? That this SEshatvam of ours is not only towards the Lord but also

towards His Consort, is signified by the Srichoornam.

 

 

 

A word here about the practice of wearing Srichoornam alone: According to

Acharyas, it is the Divine Duo who should be the subject of our adulation,

adoration etc. It is no use espousing only one of them, for neither would be

pleased by the rejection of or indifference towards the other. If proof were

needed, we only have to remember what happened to Soorpanakha, who coveted the

Lord and tried to do away with Sita Piratti, and the example of Ravana, who

developed an infatuation for Mythily, to the exclusion of Emperuman. Hence,

Tiruman is complete only when worn with Srichoornam and vice-versa. Tiruman

alone is worn only when we contract some Asoucham or theettu, indicating the

importance of Piratti in the whole scheme of things. Similarly, wearing of

Srichoornam alone would definitely not please either the Lord or His Consort,

who is His constant companion. It would be as if we were separating Emperuman

and His inalienable companion, who has vowed never to be apart from the former

even for a second - " agalakillEn irayum endru alarmEl mangai urai mArba! "

 

 

 

Apart from any other reason, Tiruman serves as an adornment to our foreheads.

Readers would surely agree that the Lord's feet, worn symbolically, considerably

enhance our looks and serve as a distinct decoration to our visages. Worn just

right, neither too broad nor too narrow, with neither too sharp edges nor

blatantly blunt ones, occupying just the right proportion of the forehead and

touching the hairline, Tiruman and Srichoornam serve as effective enhancements

of our looks.

 

 

 

With such a plethora of reasons, is it any wonder that our elders scrupulously

adhered to this practice themselves and exhorted us too to follow suit?

 

 

 

We can now see why we should wear Tiruman. However, there is an extremely

strange practice being followed at our temples, irrespective of the Agama or

sampradaya to which they belong, which is quite puzzling.

 

 

 

We find the Lord at all divyadesams and other sannidhis scrupulously wearing

Tiruman and Srichoornam on His own forehead. While many of the Utsava MurthIs

sport just a tilakam on their visages, the Moola bEram is invariably adorned

with oordhva pundram. We are puzzled, because none of the reasons cited above

for adopting the practice applies to Emperuman. If Tiruman indeed signifies the

Lord's feet, would not its application to the Lord's forehead amount to His

carrying His own feet on His brow? Would this not amount to an apachAram or

insult to the Lord? And if we wear it to signify our slavery to the omnipotent

Lord, what would be the purport of putting it on the Lord's forehead, since He

is the Matchless Master? If we wear it for our protection ( " Kappu " ), what

protection does the Lord need and from whom? If Tiruman serves as adornment to

our faces, does it do so for the Lord too, whose beauty and brilliance are

unparalleled and need no enhancement?

 

 

 

This question has occurred long back to Sri Koorattazhwan, who queries Sri

DEvAdiRAja of Kanchi as to why He sports an oordhva pundram on His forehead

with pleasure- " oordhva pundra tilakam bahumAnAt kim bibharshi Varada! Sva

lalAtE? " It is not only Sri Devadiraja who s to this practice: Sri

Bhattar avers that Sri Rangaraja too adorns Himself similarly- " KastUrI kalita

oordhva pundra tilakam, karNAnta lOlEkshaNam " . Swami Desikan too testifies in

Sri Devanayaka Panchasat that Adiyavarkku Meyyan does wear an oordhva pundram on

His beautiful forehead, which resembles a flash of lightning on His dark

forehead, forming a luminous lamp dispelling the gloom of ignorance from our

hearts-

 

" lAvaNya varshiNi lalAta tatE ghanAbhE

 

bibhrat tatit guNa visEsham iva oordhva pundram

 

visvasya nirjharapatE tamasA Avritasya

 

manyE vibhAvayasi mAngaLika pradeepam "

 

 

 

We thus find that adorning the Lord with an oordhva pundram is quite an old and

accepted practice, eliciting appreciative comment from our Poorvacharyas.

However, the question remains, why? Why should Emperuman do this, which is

patently suitable for us and unsuitable for Him, if the reasons adduced above

are correct?

 

 

 

Sri Koorattazhwan, who posed the original question, also provides the answer,

with the key word " BahumAnAt " . The Lord is so enamoured of His devotees, that He

wishes to follow them in all their practices. When we love somebody a lot, we

tend to follow in their footsteps, emulating and imitating whatever they do and

say. Similar is the state of Emperuman, who loves us so much that He considers

whatever is good for us as good for Him too, whether or not He needs it. When

our two year-old child takes a morsel of baby food from its own bowl and tries

to feed us, would we spurn the proffered food because we have outgrown the

gruel?

 

When the proud mother is dressing up her child, applying powder to its face and

body, if the child snatches the powder and tries to smear mother's face with it

in an attempt at beautification, does the loving mother wipe off the powder

immediately and scold the toddler for the gesture of love? Similar to all this,

Emperuman too accepts with gratification all that we do for Him in good faith

and proudly sports all the adornments we see fit to decorate Him with.

Otherwise, there is little reason for the Lord to have a ceremonial bath every

day, for He is the cleanest of persons, with a tirumEni that never attracts any

impurity or dirt. Nor does He need His teeth to be cleaned, feet to be washed or

to perform Achamanam now and again. Still less does He need to be fed with the

mundane morsels we offer Him.

 

 

 

However, like the adult accepting the loving and imperfect ministrations of a

child, the Lord too accepts whatever we offer Him with devotion. He accepts them

not half-heartedly, but with a heart brimming over with gratitude. He accepts

them with pride, as the offerings of His own offspring, however imperfect. It is

thus that He sports a TirumankAppu too, though He has neither the need nor the

compulsion therefor. This is the purport of the term " bahumAnAt " adduced by Sri

Azhwan as reason for the Lord's oordhva pundram.

 

 

 

If His devotees feel He looks better with TirumankAppu, He readily accepts it as

His regular adornment, irrespective of the need or necessity for the same.

" Tamar ugandadu evvuruvam avvuruvam tAnE " says Azhwar, vouching for how

Emperuman adopts the form, posture, demeanour and decorations His devotees wish

Him to have. " nenjinAl ninaippAn evan avan Agum neeL kadal vaNNanE " says Sri

Nammazhwar too, confirming this. These Azhwar sreesootis are again sourced from

the Bhagavat Gita sloka with the same purport-

 

" YO YO yAm yAm tanum bhakta: shraddhayA arcchitum icchati

 

tasya tasya achalAm shraddhAm tAm Eva vidadhAmyaham " .

 

 

 

When the Lord Himself is prepared to wear TirumaNkAppu for our sake, should we

not do it at least for His sake? Instead of fighting shy of doing something

which we ought to feel proud of, instead of caring for what unconcerned and

undiscerning third parties may think, instead of forgetting our own stature in

the spiritual firmament and trying to ape others who are still on the bottom

rung of the ladder, if only we think of adorning ourselves with oordhva pundram

with justifiable pride, if only we do it with the realisation that it is the

Lord's very own tiruvadi that is purifying our forehead, if we prefer the

Tirumankappu to other cosmetic embellishments we currently favour- it would only

be then that the Lord is really pleased with us. We would command new respect if

we turn a blind eye to derisive glances and deaf ears to snide comments. It is

well worth remembering that the world is full of malicious critics who would

have little good to say about us, whichever course we adopt. Given this

prejudiced attitude of mortals, should we really care about what others think,

as long as we are convinced that what we are toeing is the straight and right

path trodden by countless emancipated souls before us? This mental block against

correct conduct, once removed, would open the floodgates of spiritual fortune

and lead us on to the Lord and all that He has to offer us.

 

 

 

This piece is not an attempt to criticise or reform, much less to pontificate.

It is just an expression of anguish, in search of sympathetic shoulders to lean

and cry on.

 

 

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Dasan, sadagopan