ThiruvattAr

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

ThiruvattAr

 

 

 

All abodes of the Lord are inherently beautiful. They are not mere

buildings made of brick, mortar and stone, but built by devotees with floors of

devotion, walls of love and roofs of overwhelming care and concern. They are

standing symbols of dedication to the divine cause, of His votaries' unlimited

adoration and of man's heart-felt need for proximity to and strong wish to

visualise the Divine Being. When ordinary houses men build for themselves

crumble and fall apart after two or three score years, if the lofty temples

built thousands of years back still stand majestically, towering head and

shoulders above ordinary constructions, it is not only due to their Inhabitant

Extraordinaire, but also due to the labour of love and devotion that have gone

into their creation. When the materials used for people's homes and the Lord's

are practically the same, the durability and interminable life that

characterises the temples housing Emperuaman are solely due to the aforesaid

factors. Even granting the periodical restorations that these edifices undergo,

many of these temples and their towers have been standing tall and proud, when

their secular counterparts are nowhere to be seen. While the palaces of the

Chozha Emperors are long gone, having crumbled to dust centuries ago, the

several abodes of God that they built still stand, braving the threats and

ravages of time and nature, seemingly invincible and indestructible.

 

 

 

Of the countless temples devoted to deities of all hues and kinds, the

ones earmarked for Emperuman SrimanNarayana occupy the pride of place. And of

these too, those sanctified by the songs of Azhwars (those wandering minstrels

who went from one glorious temple to another, enjoying the Lord and His beauty

as also the scenic locales surrounding these temples) are placed ahead of those

places of worship not fortunate enough to have found a mention in the pasurams

of these peripatetic poets. An analytical study of these outpourings reveals

that the Azhwars devoted as many worthy words to the description of the Lord's

vibhUti, consisting of the kaleidascope of fabulous flora and fauna of these

locales, as to the magnificence of the Lord of the divya desam. If two lines of

a pasuram are about Emperuman, the other two would, more often than not, depict

the picturesque locale.

 

 

 

Most of the divyadesams have lost the character of natural beauty, as

described by Azhwars. For instance, TiruvallikkENi was such a densely wooded

jungle during Sri Tirumangai Mannan's times ( with tall manors coexisting with

fertile foliage and towering trees), as to prevent sunlight from filtering to

the ground- " Kadiravan kiraNangal nuzhaidal seidu ariyA Tiruvallikkeni " . The

present day " Triplicane " too is a jungle, but a concrete jungle, with nary a

tree, leave alone a dense wood. Even now, sunlight finds it difficult to

penetrate parts of the locality, mostly because of the sky-scraping residences.

The erstwhile bewitching scenic beauty of the place has been flattened by

ubiquitous flats, springing up like mushrooms from the tiniest nook and cranny.

With rare exceptions, this is the lot of almost all the divyadesams today, with

nature having been defiled beyond description by man, in his unending quest for

infrastructure and creature comforts.

 

 

 

The rare exceptions to this cold-blooded murder of natural beauty, are to be

found in Kerala. It is in this state that Nature still reigns supreme, man

having been gracious and understanding enough to have arrived at a fair

compromise between the need for development and preservation of ecologyin all

its pristine purity. We often forget the truth in the " Simha gupti nyAya " -the

jungle being protected from destruction by the menacing presence of the lion,

and the lion, in turn, staying alive and beyond the reach of hunters, because of

the protective cover the jungle affords. Man and Nature are similarly

complementary, each contributing to the welfare of the other, the fortunes of

each inextricably interlinked with that of the other. This beautiful truth has

been realised in full measure in Kerala, with most of the divyadesams (but for

those located in big towns) retaining their bewitching beauty as portrayed by

Azhwars, thousands of years ago. One such is TiruvattAr, nestling amidst shady

groves and plantations.

 

 

 

Situated on a raised platform, the temple looks very much like an impregnable

fortress that it is-there is no way impure thoughts or actions can enter the

Lord's abode, for He is the " akhila hEya pratyanIka: " , the antithesis of

anything bad or demeaning. This temple is noteworthy for its size too,

encompassing, as it does, a thousand-pillared mandapam that runs around the

sanctum sanctorum. On all the principal pillars of the inner prAkAram are the

beautiful stone images of damsels, whose joined palms have been ingeniously

fashioned into lamps, into which oil is poured and flames lit. It would be

indeed a treat to watch all these lamps aglow simultaneously, casting a magical

glow through the length and breadth of the temple premises.

 

 

 

Opposite the sanctum sanctorum is a mini-madapam, with exquisitely-carved

wodden pillars incorporating minute figurines. One wonders at the divine

inspiration that must have endowed the sculptor's hands with the requisite

degree of intiricacy and precision. On the rootop, staring down at us with eyes

dripping with devotion for the Lord are the navagrahAs, apparently assuring

everyone that they are indeed the servants of Emepruman, with their writ

confined to non-adherents to the Lord's dicta. In a side enclosure are figures

depicting the ten glorious avataras.

 

 

 

The sanctum-sanctorum itself conforms to the other proportions of the temple.

Instead of the single door that is usual in all places of worship, this sannidhi

has three doors, and with good reason. The tirumEni of the Lord, in a reclining

posture, is so huge that it cannot be viewed through the principal entrance

alone, which affords a view of just the Lord's torso, from the midriff

downwards, upto the knees. The entrance to the right (from the onlooker's

viewpoint) reveals the breath-taking tirumukham of the Lord, with its long,

shapely nose ( " kOla neeL kodi mookku " ), the broad and beautiful forehead with

the arched eyebrows ( " puruvam irundavA kANeerE " ). The magnificent headgear

( " Kireeta, makuta, choodAvathamsa..Adi aparimita divya bhooshaNa: " ), symbolising

Supremacy, is visible only partly, most of it disappearing into the deep,

protective hood of Sri Adisesha, only one of whose heads is visible to the

devotee. One huge, long arm is thrown to the side, adorned with all sorts of

intricately-carved ornaments, adding distinction to themselves due the fabulous

fortune of assocaiation with the glorious tirumEni of the Paramapurusha. The

other arm is raised in a YOga MudrA, signifying that the Lord is not in any

ordinary slumber, but in eternal penance, thinking at all times of ways and

means to emacipate errant humanity and to afford them unimaginable bliss in His

exalted company, bringing to mind Azhwar's beautiful lines, " uranguvAn pOl yOgu

puNarnda oLi maNi vaNNan KaNNan " .

 

 

 

From neck-down upto the ankles, the Lord's torso is hidden by

yellow-silk, the peetAmbaram, which contrasts well with His pitch-black

tirumeni. Probably the all-enveloping cloth is draped around the Lord to prevent

people from ogling at and envying the perfectly-proportioned , broad chest, the

perennial abode of the Divine Consort, the beautiful navel from which the entire

creation consisting of myriad beings originates, the handsome thighs resembling

the trunks of tall elephants and the slender waist adorned by the " udara

bandham " ,of which Sri PAN Perumal has so much to say. All these hidden beauties

can be viewed from the central, principal entrance.

 

 

 

The third entrance to the left gives us a glorious view of the Lord's

tiruvadi, the mere sight of which destroys all sins hidden in the nooks and

corners of our heart, after viewing which the mind looks askance at any other

sight of professed allure. It is these tiruvadis which measured the entire

worlds and from which the all-purifying Ganga had its origins. A single gesture

of obeisance to these tiruvadis, even if made with incorrect posture, mindset,

etc. can bestow on us all that is spiritually good and eliminate all that is

not, says Sri Alavandar-

 

" tvat anghrim uddisya kadApi kEnachit

 

yathA tatA vApi sakrit kritOnjali:

 

tataiva mushNAti ashubhAni asEshata:

 

subhAni pushNAti na jAtu heeyatE " .

 

 

 

Near the Lord's tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to the one at

Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His palm in

benediction. The Divine Consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoodevi, are seated on either

side of the Lord, but lower down, drenching the Lord with their constant glances

of adoration. On a lower pedestal is the beautiful Utsava Murthy, with four

hands holding the Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma respectively, resplendent with

ubhaya nAcchimAr.

 

 

 

All these enchanting features are to be gleaned carefully, as our eyes,

unaccustomed to the homely light provided by the oil lamps with which the sancum

sanctorum is lit, may easily miss important characteristics. The lamps provide

an illumination full of magic, at once revealing and concealing the divine

features, leaving a lot to imagination. The play of light and shadows on the

Lord's tirumukham bestows it with a plethora of expressions, making it smile or

frown, according to the onlooker's state of mind. What a contrast from the

glaring and garish spot-lights focussed with absolute lack of concern on the

Lord's unprotesting tirumEni, as is found at various divyadesams! In most of the

Keralite shrines, lighting is subdued, whether by accident or design we do not

know, resulting in our having to peer carefully in the semi-gloom, for a

rewarding glimpse of the Lord and His bewitching beauty. In the process,

however, we are forced to concentrate more on His form, than otherwise.

 

 

 

Is it then any wonder that Sri Nammazhwar reserves the choicest words of

adulation and adoration for this enchanting AdikEsava Perumal? Azhwar reveals

that it is indeed this Emperuman who is in a hurry to reclaim Azhwar to the

Nitya Vibhuti of Sri Vaikuntam, unable to put up any more with the separation

from the Divine Bard- " viNNulagam taruvAnAi viraigindrAn " . It is also this Lord

who shows Azhwar the well-trodden path to Liberation, viz., Prapatti- " vAnEra

vazhi tanda VAttAttrAn " . Concurring with our own impressions of the Lord

resembling a huge, black mountain in a recumbent state, Azhwar says, " mai nindra

varai pOlum tiruvuruva VAttAttrArkku " . The savant also teaches us the way to be

rid of mundane shackles, exhorting us to seek refuge in the glorious tiruvadi

described above- " VAttAttrAn adi vaNangE " . And it is the Lord Himself who shows

us the pathless path and relieves us of the necessity of an endless sojourn in

hell, for that is where we are destined, if we are left to our own

devices- " kAtti tan kanai kazhalgaL kadu narakam pugal ozhitta VattAttru

Emperuman " . The blissful experience of nAma sankeertanam, extolling the

innumerable names of the Lord, is also highlighted in another pasuram- " naNNinam

Narayananai, nAmangaL pala solli " . Sri Satakopa Muni also reveals a

closely-guarded secret---that it is none other than the Lord of this divyadesam

who was responsible for the composition of the thousand and odd verses of

Tiruvaimozhi, using Azhwar as a mere output device- " en nenjattuL irundu ingu

irum Tamizh nool ivai mozhindu " . Azhwar confirms that whatever the Lord might do

to others (those who stay away from Emperuman), He would do only good to us, who

are His ardent devotees, His infinite mercy finding ready recipients- " nannenjE

nam perumAn namaku aruL tAn seivAnE " . Once we invite Him into our souls, the

Lord takes up permanent residence in us and wouldn't leave even if we push Him

out, says Azhwar- " nilai peyarAn en nenjattu eppOdum Emperuman " .

 

 

 

The Adikesava Perumal of TiruvattAr lies patiently in wait for us, to ensnare

us with His captivating glances, seeking the slightest excuse to enter our souls

and take up permanent residence, curing us forever of the apparently chronic

affliction of births and deaths ( " mAgyAla pirappu aruppAn " ) and affording us

eternal bliss not a bit less than that He Himself enjoys. His half-closed eyes,

resembling the petals of a closed flower, open wide like a lotus in full bloom,

at the mere sight of another devotee come to visit Him. He may appear asleep,

but is the most wakeful person in the whole Universe, beset with consuming worry

at the ways of errant and incorrigible humanity. He lies awake forever, devising

newer and newer strategies for uplifting His progeny wallowing in the mundane

morass.

 

 

 

For the information of intending visitors, ThiruvattAr is a five to six

kilometre diversion from MArthAndam, which is a small town on the National

Highway between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan