Chaathurmaasya Sankalpam for the New Year (Paarthivaa) : July 22- Sep 18 , 2005

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CHAATHURMAASYA SANKALPAM AT SRI AHOBILA MATAM

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ChathurmAsya vratham is very important one for SanyAsis

of every kind . From SanyAsis ranging from Kootika ( one who

resides in a hut and stays put ) to sanyAsis on sanchAram

( who do not stay at one place for more than one night)

to Paramahamsa ParivrAjaka sanyAsis , all have to observe this

SanyAsa dharma anushtAnam without fail.It is very pleasing

( priyatamam) for the Lord to see the SanyAsis observe

this annual vratham .The power of this Vratham increases

every day from the first to the last day of the observance .

This vratham lasts from 2 to 4 months. There are specific

rites for the proper observance of this vratham .Bhavishyath,

Skanda , Aadithya PurANams and SanyAsa Upanishads in general

and Naradha ParivrAjaka Upanishad in particular cover

the duties of SanyAsis including ChAthurmAsya Vratham .

 

ChAthurmAsyam at SrI Matam

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The great AchAryAs of SrI Matam starting from the First Jeeyar ,

SrI Adhi Vann SaThakOpa Mahaa Desikan to idhAneem Jeeyar

have followed scrupulously the instrcutions of Malolan

to take him from village to village all over India to

bless the bhaktha janams and to perform SamAsrayaNam

and BharanyAsam to sishyAs .The AchAryAs of SrI Matam

are SrI NrusimhAnupravEsa AchArya BhUthALs .Their observances

of the ChathurmAsyam has fine details unique to SrI Matam .

 

Number of ChAthurmAsyams by different Azhagiya Singars

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A sanyAsi's age is not counted in physical years of their

lives ; instead , it is counted in terms of the number of

ChAthurmAsyams that they have observed . For instance ,

prakrutham (current ) Jeeyar , HH SrI NaarAyaNa YathIndhra

MahA Desikan will be 13 years old from a TuriyAsrama SveekAram

point of view since he would have observed 13 ChAthurmAsyams

since his ascent to the AchArya Peetam .

 

The unique distinction of SrImath Azhagiya Singars is that

the first Jeeyar recieved PrEksha manthra upadEsam

( initiation in to SanyAsAsramam ) directly from the Lord of

Ahobilam Himself (ahObilE SrInrusimha : prEksha manthram

svayam dhadhou). That prEksha manthram has come down from

Jeeyar to Jeeyar over the 605 years history of this glorious Matam . There must

have been the observance of atleast 600 ChathurmAsyams at SrI Matam while

accounting for a short

period of time ,when there were no PeetAdhipathi at

the SrI Matam .

 

The ChAthurmAsyams at SrI Matam have taken place at agrahArams

where the devout sishyAs of SrImath Azhagiya Singars are .

The sites range from PerumpAkkam ( DakshiNa ahObilam ) to

GadhwAl samasthAnam on the banks of KrishNa river

(at the request of the then MahA RaaNi)to the dhivya

desam of Thiruvaheendhrapuram to Nedumtheru to ThiruveLLUr

to SelayUr.

 

The largest number of ChaAthurmAsyams by the Jeeyars of Sri Matam

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Nine Azhagiya Singars among the 45 have observed so far 329

of the 600 ChAthurmAsyams ( ~55% ). The largest number of

the ChAthurmAsyams(59) has been observed by the First Jeeyar

of SrI Matam , SrI Adhi VaNN SaThakOpa Jeeyar , who accepted

ThuriyAsramam from the Lord in the year 1399 C.E as a young

man of twenty years of age. The number of ChAthurmAsyams observed

by other Azhagiya Singars are assembled in paranthesis after

their Pattams: 13th Pattam ( 43 ) , 11th Pattam ( 38) ,

25th Pattam ( 36) , 17th pattam (35) ,44th Pattam (35) ,

12th Pattam (34). Among SrImath Azhagiya Singars of recent

times , SrI MukkUr Azhagiya Singar ascended the SrI Matam

throne at the age of 62 and observed 35 ChAthur Maasyams up to

His 97th year . Two Azhagiya Singars ( 33rd and 42nd/Injimettu

Jeeyar) observed 26 and 23 ChAturmAsyams rspectively . PiLLaipAkkam

(37th Pattam) Azhagiya Singar observed only one ChAthurmAsyam .

The 22nd Pattam Azhagiya Singar stayed in the NrusimhAsthAnam

for less than an year and hence did not have the opportunity to

observe even one ChAthurmAsyam .Rest of the Jeeyars observed from

3 to 19 ChAthurmAsyams.

 

Why is ChAthurmAsyam Observed ?

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There are two reaons that are given : (1) During the four months starting

from AavaNi and ending up with Kaarthikai , it is rainy season in India.

Many insects and worms are created in the soil during this time. Since

sanchAram by the SanyAsis might cause accidental death to these

living entities , the SanyAsis take a vow not to travel during those four

months and stay put at one place . This vratham is the ChAthurmAsya

Vratham .

 

The second reason given is : A SanyAsi is required to move around

often by his dharmam .That results in the sanyAsi not having enough

time during these sanchArams to perform Japam , Homam , AarAdhanam ,

upadEsams and reflections on the SaasthrAs . To make up for lost

time and to facilitate such karmAs and studies , a SanyAsi is required

to slow down and stay put at one place for four months " to charge

His spiritual batteries as it where " . SaasthrAs point out that any

good deed ( Homam , Japam , dhAnam , Vratham , KaalakshEpam)

done during the chAthurmAsya Kaalam yield infinitely greater fruits

than those done during the rest of the 8 months of the year .

 

Four Months or Two months (Four Pakshams) ?

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There is a debate whether the ChAthurmAsyam should be observed

for 2 or four months. Ideally , it should be observed for four months

starting from Sayana EkAdasi (AashAda sukla EkAdasi) and end with

UtthAna EkAdasi in the month of Kaarthikai .Sayana EkAdasi is

the day , when our Lord starts His yOga nidhra and UtthAna EkAdasi

is when He wakes up. These four months are AshAda ( July-August) ,

BhadrapAdha ( August-September) , Asvina ( September-October )

and KaarthikA ( October to November ). SrIdharan , HrushikEsan ,

PadhmanAbhan and DhAmOdharan are the presiding deities of

the above four months.

 

There is a Veda Vakyam : " PakshA vai MaasA: " . Paksha refers to

the 15 days of the Month , Sukla and KrishNa pakshams. Since it may

be difficult for a SanyAsi to stay put in one place for 4 months at

a stretch and since sishyAs from other parts of the land would want

their AchAryan to resume SanchAram to bless them , Four Pakshams

instead of Four months are used to observe ChAthurmAsya vratham.

 

On the day of ChAthurmAsyam

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The nithya karmAs , abhigamana aarAdhanam ( the most important

for a SanyAsi) are done as on any other day. Afterwards , a small

amount of soil (earth) is consecrated(mruth SangrahaNam)

along with aavAhanam and aarAdhanam for BhU VarAha PerumAL

and BhUmi PirAtti . After that , the Yathi himself collects the soil

required for his anushtAnams during the ChAthurmAsya Vratham.

Next , the Yathi has Thirumudi ViLakkam ( shaving of the hair on

the head and face ) . The Yathi takes now a purifying bath

in preparation for the special aarAdhanam again . Pancha Saanthi

Manthrams are recited as the Yathi returns to the Matam from SnAnam .

At the Matam , the Yathi will take the sankalpam : " AshADa PourNamAseem aarabhya

BhadrapAdha pourNamAsi paryantham ChAthurmAsya Vratham sthaasyE " . The assembled

sishyas assembled

around their AchAryan ( Yathivarar) respond : " Nivasanthu sukeen athra

gamishyAmaha kruthArthAn yathA sakthi cha sisrUshAm

karishyAmO vayam mudhA " ( Oh AchArya! Please kindly stay in

this location with all happiness and bless us to have the opportunity

to perform kaimkaryams for You. We take the vow to serve You

to the best of our capabilities ). MaryAdhais from BhagavAn from

different dhivya dEsams are presented next to the YathIswaran to

bless him for successful observance of the ChAthurmAsyam .

 

Dietary restrcitions during ChAthurmAsyam

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During the ChAthurmAsyam , there are strict dietary restrictions

for the observer during each of the four months . Ten food items

- - root , leaf , shoot , tip , fruit , skin, sprout , stalk , flower and

skin of the vegetable- - - are prohibited. If any of them are eaten by

mistake , then chAndrAyana vratham has to be undertaken as

PrAyascchittham. After the completion of the ChAthurmAsyam ,

the SrImath Azhagiya Singar resumes His unrestricted sanchArams

( anuAthrA with MalOlan's yaathrA ) to bless His sishyAs .

 

AchAryAs are 'NadamAdum Dhaivam

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Let us conclude this essay with a quotation from Athri Smruthi :

" The Lord has two forms : moving and unmoving. The moving

form is the SanyAsi and the unmoving(sTira bhEram) is

the Lord in archA form worshipped at the temple " . In the case of

SrI Matam , both the forms merge into One . The AchAryAs of

SrI Matam noted for their Jn~Anam , anushtAnam and Aathma GuNa

Poorthy are anupravEsAvathAra BhUtharkaL , who are walking

and talking forms of MalOlan .

 

SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,

 

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan