It's Cool!

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" It's Cool! "

 

 

 

It is amazing to think how we become slaves to creature comforts. Can we imagine

a life today, without a fan, a grinder, a television set or a VCR and the

now-ubiquitous cell phone? We have become so accustomed to all these and other

electrical and electronic devices, that we wonder what people really did, when

these were not available at all! Though our children may not remember the times

without a television or an air conditioner, many of us still do. I do remember,

for instance, that we bought an electric fan for the first time in our family,

when I was in the 7th Standard at school. And the air conditioner, which adorns

almost all middle-class homes today, was definitely a luxury a few years back,

with only some offices and upper-crust individuals boasting of one. Times change

and so do people's perceptions, with luxuries becoming necessities and new

necessities emerging.

 

 

 

Leaving aside philosophical ruminations, let me come to the subject of this

piece-The Fan. What could there be to say about this simple electrical

appliance, you may wonder. Simple as it may seem and sound, the Fan has a hoary

and holy past.

 

 

 

What is the weather like in Paradise? Naturally, it has to be pleasant. With

Emperuman, the Supreme Controller of all elements, being the chief inhabitant,

Sri Vaikuntam has to have the best of climes, with a gentle, fragrant, breeze

blowing, the Sun shining, but not with virulence, appropriate amounts of rain

falling gently and in time. It must definitely be like an air-cooled world, with

neither excessive heat nor biting chill, the temperature being just right. One

would hence presume that there would be no need for any fans at Sri Vaikuntam.

However, we find from the following sloka that even in Paramapadam, the Lord is

being constantly fanned by His acolytes, with fans made of the finest of

deer-hair-

 

 

 

" KoormAdIn divya lOkam tadanu maNimayam mantapam tatra SEsham

 

tasmin dharmAdi peetham tad upari kamalam chAmara grAhiNeescha "

 

 

 

Why should the Lord need fanning? As we have already seen, the temperature at

Sri Vaikuntam could not be more pleasant: even if it were to be humid or hot,

Emeperuman Himself, with His divine shareeram, would definitely not sweat or

feel the heat. Then why this seemingly empty gesture on the part of His

devotees, of wielding fans?

 

 

 

We often find that when we love someone beyond measure, we tend to worry about

his or her well being, even though there might be no actual cause for worry. We

thus find a doting mother worrying about her son, even when the latter is

pushing 50. She knows full well that her son can definitely look after himself,

but cannot help fretting for his welfare. We are told that the moment he hears

any commotion in Sri Vaikuntam, Adisesha starts spewing fire, adopting a

protective posture lest someone should harm the Lord-this, despite knowing that

no harm can possibly befall the Supreme Being, from whatever source. The

devotees' act of fanning Him is somewhat akin to Adisesha's misplaced but

well-meaning fear ( " asthAnE bhaya shankA " ), born out of immeasurable love and

affection. They know full well that the Lord's divine body is affected by

neither heat nor cold, but yet fan Him with ChAmarams, out of their concern that

He should not feel humidity or heat.

 

 

 

Such an attitude on the part of the nitya SUrIs (residents of Sri Vaikunttam) is

perhaps understandable, since they are dealing with a walking, talking and

speaking Lord. It is very much possible to feel such concern for such a live

person. However, this does not explain why such services as fanning should be

extended to Emperuman in His arcchA state, as He is found in various temples on

earth. After all, one might feel, He inhabits images made of stone, mortar and

wood, which are not known to be as sensitive to humidity or heat as human

beings. Why at all then should someone serve the Lord with hand-held fans?

 

 

 

And it is not as if the practice is recent. We are told that it was prevalent

even a thousand years ago, with the venerated Acharya, Sri Tirukkacchi Nambi,

performing this kainkaryam to Sri Varadaraja of Kanchi. In fact, at many a

temple, images of this Acharya are to be found with a broad fan in hand. We are

told too that Sri Devadiraja liked this fanning service so much that He used to

converse freely with Nambi, with such gems like the famous " Six Words " flowing

out of such exchanges.

 

 

 

Coming back to the question as to whether the Lord's images in stone and mortar

need fanning, the answer lies in the devotee finding the images not merely to be

of stone or other material, but representing the Lord Himself in person, in all

His glory. The devotee thus sees in the image not merely a beautiful sculpture,

but verily Emperuman Himself, obligingly contracting His infinite form to suit

our convenience. The devotee sees a smiling Lord, resplendent in all His finery,

His eyes full of mercy and compassion, His palm held down in the " Varada mudrA " ,

a gesture of munificence, with another palm held upright in the " Abhaya mudrA " ,

extending assurance of protection from all evil. But for the fact that He

doesn't open His coral lips and converse with us, the Lord is as live to the

devotee as a fellow human being. And this generates in the devotee uncontainable

love and affection, which prompt all sorts of gestures. Thus are born the

various shades of love for the Lord--the maternal, filial, paternal, juvenile,

marital, etc. It is out of such love and affection is born the need to serve the

Lord, in any and all manner, including fanning Him, as was done by Sri

Tirukkacchi Nambi.

 

 

 

In His various avatArAs too, the Lord appears to have been fanned with

adoration. To Kousalya, awaiting the triumphant return of Sri Rama from

Kaikeyi's palace, all ready for Coronation, what gives an inkling that things

had gone wrong, is the absence of courtiers fanning the Prince on both sides.

She learns later that Sri Rama had been banished to the forests for 14 long

years. Here are the soulful words of Kamban, describing the Lord's lonely

return- " Kuzhaikkindra kavari indri, kottra veN kudayum indri, azhaikkindra vidhi

mun chella, dharumam pin irangi Ega "

 

 

 

To compensate for this, Chakravarthi Tirumagan presents His mother with the

beautiful sight of His being fanned on both sides, at the time of His triumphant

return to Ayodhya, after completing His jungle sojourn. The honour of wielding

the beautiful ChAmaram goes to Sri Lakshmana, who gently swings it over the

Prince's noble head. Not to be outdone, Sri Vibhishana too holds and waves a fan

(a pure white one) in front of Sri Raghava-

 

 

 

" LakshmanO vyajanam tasya moordhnim samparyaveejayat

 

shvEtam cha bAla vyajanam jagrAha purata: stthita:

 

aparam chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana: "

 

 

 

Sri SugrIva appropriates part of this kainkaryam to himself during the

Coronation ceremony, while Sri Vibhishana refuses to yield this to anyone else-

 

 

 

" ShvEtam cha bAla vyajanam SugrIvO vAnarEsvara:

 

aparam Chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana: "

 

 

 

To conclude, let us go back to Sri Vaikunttam again, to find out who exactly is

allotted the honour of fanning the Lord and the exact nature of the fans. It is

to Sri Alavandar's Stotra Ratnam that we must turn for this purpose and we find

that it is that versatile servitor GarutmAn, who has claimed this kainkaryam for

himself-

 

 

 

" dAsa: sakhA vAhanam Asanam dhwaja: yastE vitAnam vyajanam trayImaya:

 

upastthitam tEna purO GarutmatA tvat anghri sammardha kiNAnka sObhinA "

 

 

 

Sri Garuda fans the Lord ever so gently, sitting in front of Him. Though others

might need separate fans to render this service, the Magnificent Bird doesn't,

being endowed with feathery wings, which can generate the coolest of breezes.

And the breeze is not only cool, but fragrant too, with the aroma of the Shruti.

The YajusSamhitA describes Sri Garudas's wings to be made of the holiest and

sweetest of SAma VEda mantras (Brihat Rathantaram and VAmadEvyam) and hence the

breeze from these wings is naturally endowed with Shruti ParimaLam-

 

 

 

" " SuparNOsi GarutmAn Trivrit tE shira: Gayatram chakshu: StOma AtmA SAma tE

tanU: VamadEvyam Brihat RatantarE pakshou yagyAyagyaim puccham cchandAmsi angAni

dhishNiyA: saphA: Yajoomshi nAma. " (TaittirIya SamhitA-4-1-41)

 

 

 

Sri Garuda does the fanning sitting right in front of the Lord, letting the

latter catch the full breeze and fragrance of the magnificent wings.

 

 

 

For those who might wonder why Sri Vaikunttam doesn't have electric fans or air

conditioners, the answer is that the inhabitants much prefer to render this

service to the Lord in person, rather than relinquish it in favour of some

unemotional mechanical device.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan