Ahobila Dhivya Desam Paasurams: Periya Thirumozhi 1.7.3

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear BhakthAs:

 

Today , we will study the Third Paasuram of Kaliyan on

AhObila Narasimhan :

 

yEntha pEzhvaay vaaLL yeyiRROr kOLariyAy avuNan

vaayntha aaham vaLLuhirAl vahirntha Ammaanathu idam

Oyntha maavum udayntha kunRum anRiyum ninRazhalAl

tEyntha vEyum allathillA SingavEL kunRamE

 

- - - Periya Thirumozhi: 1.7.3

 

(Meaning) : AhObilam is the dhivya dEsam of Veda Prasiddha

EmperumAn , who became a matchless and majestic Lion with

the lustrous cannine teeth fitting ideally with the huge cavern sized

mouth . Here Narasimhan tore apart the hard chest of HiraNyan

--gained from his severe penance-- with His sharp , adamantine nails .

 

At this Hill of the matchless Simham (Narasimham) , wild animals

like lion , tiger , elephants are unable to roam freely due to

the wounds in their legs . Why is their free roaming thwarted ?

why are they immobilized by the road side ? It is because of

the intensity of the forest fires that heat up the rocks to the point of

the rocks cracking and shooting out in all directions . Treading over

these splinterred hot rocks and pebbles burns their feet and makes it

difficult for them to move about freely . They have to wait for the forest

fire to stop and for the floor to cool before they can resume their free

movement deep inside the forests instead of hanging around in places ,

where the sevArtthees travel along narrow foot paths to the Sannidhi

of the Lord . These sharp hot splinters present dangers to the pilgrims

as well in addition to the dangers posed to them from the wild animals .

 

The forest is full of thorny bamboo bushes . When lightning strikes and

the forest fire grows , the bamboo bushes catch fire and explode throwing

thorns like shooting stars on to the foot paths used by the pilgrims

and the trails used by the wild animals in their natural habitats. The hot

thorns inhibit further the progress of the pilgrims and cause consternation

to the wild animals . Hot rocky splinters from overheated stones , forest

fire and flying hot thorn shreds from the bamboo forests make AhObila

dhivya dEsam not an easy place to travel for the sEvai of Narasimhan .

It is not a place for the faint hearted and the weak-limbed to travel. It is

not an easily accessible dhivya dEsam like Srirangam , where nightingales

sing , the peacocks dance and the region is abundant with pleasing lotus

ponds and green rice paddy fields . Only the hardy and determined pilgrims

can make their way up the wilderness of Ahobila dhivya dEsam taking

their life in their own hands to have the bhAgyam of the SEvai of the Lord

in this HiraNya SamhAra KshEthram (AmmAn Idam) .

 

Additional Comments : Thanks to the foresight and DayA of Prakrutham

Azhagiya Singar , clear pathways have been constrcuted to climb the hills of

Ahobilam comfortably .Svathi Thirumanjanam takes place at every one of

the nine sannidhis at Ahobilam today . People travel comfortably to this dhivya

dEsam now to take part in these Thirumanjanams .

 

In Thirumangai Mannan's time , Ahobila KshEthrAdanam was the most

dangerous one . It was hazardous . There was the wild forest full of

ferocious animals . The frequent forest fires from lightning forced the wild

animals to escape the deep forest to halt near the pathways used by

the YaathrikAs . Even there , both the animals and the pilgrims could not

escape from the dangers of flying bamboo thorns and sharp pieces of

hot rocks set in motion by the intense forest fires . Oyntha Maa (immobilized

animals) , Udaintha KunRu (Splintered rock pieces) and azhalAl tEyntha vEy

( bamboo thorns left over from the forest fire) all joined together to cause

havoc for the ardent pilgrims intent on visiting the Sannidhi of the Lord of

AhObilam .

 

Srimath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V. Sadagopan