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My recent One week trip to Tamilnadu & Andhra PradEsh: In the foot steps of Swamy Desikan : Part III---SaayamkAla Sevai at Thiruppathi and ThiruviNNagar(Oppiliappan Koil)

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • August 26, 2002 


SrI: 

Dear BhakthAs:

Continuing with the reflections on this journey , adiyEn had 
the bhAgyam of sEvai of Uhtsavars at Thirumalai ( Malayappa Swamy)
and ThiruviNNagar ( Ponnappan ) during the sandhyA kaalam on
two different days. Lord ParthasArathy at ThiruvallikkENi
and Lord RanganAthA also blessed adiyEn with their Saaya RakshA 
sEvai. adiyEn will describe those joyous anubhavams at 
ThiruvallikkENi and SrIrangam later. 

At Thirumalai , Lord SrinivAsan blessed adiyEn with His
SahasrAra DhIpa alankAra Sevai . At ThiruviNNagar , Lord
Ponnappan blessed me with His Tanga ratham sEvai and let me
pull that golden chariot across the inner prAkAram ( known
previously as Kaattu prAkAram ) with family and friends . 

Thirumalai DhIpa sEvai and Tanga RaTa sEvai at ThiruviNNagar
*************************************************************
As background for the SahasrAra DhIpa alankAra sEvai that
takes place between 5.30--6.00 P.M , adiyEn refers you to
the official web pages of of Thirumalaiappan:

http://www.tirumala.org/sevas-daily-disc.htm#sahasra
( if this is not accessible , please use www.tirumala.org
URL and click on daily sevas).

There You will have the sevai of the Param JyOthi against
the background of thousand lamps enjoying the Oonjal uthsavam
with His Ubhaya NaacchiyArs. This is at the Oonjal maNdapam 
outside the temple .Exactly at 6.00 P.M , He takes off like
an arrow and one can have anuyAthra upto the temple doors.
He has to attend to the bhakthAs awaiting Him inside .adiyEn
will write about this wonderful experience of Sahasra DhIpa Sevai 
and the thoughts that sEvai evoked.

The detailed anubhavam of Lord VenkatEsa as enjoyed by the AzhwArs,
AchAryAs and NaadhOpAsakAs is archived in the special web pages created 
for the Lord of Seven Hills by SrI Haresh Balasubramanyan and
adiyEn:

http://Srimannarayana.net/links.html

The JyOthirmaya sEvai of the Lord of ThiruviNNagar
in RathnAngi and His resplendent form filling 
His golden chariot can be enjoyed in yet another
URL created with the help of SrIman ShrEyas Sarangan:
http://oppiliappan.org

ThiruvEngadamudayAn and ThiruviNNagarappan are the 
same JyOthirmaya SrIman NaarAyaNan seated at the center of 
the orb of the Sun as the witness of all that happens .
He is " the Tath Savithu: varENyam Bharga: " He is at 
the center of Soorya MaNDalam as Soorya NaarAyaNan with 
His tEjomaya vigraham. Hence adiyEn's thoughts wandered 
around four Rg Veda manthrams celebrating that JyOthirmaya 
Purushan , whom we invoke for accepting our aathmaa as Havis in 
the Prapatthi Yaj~nam . These Rks are found in the following 
cantos:

1) Rg Vedam I.136.1-7 (particularly I.136.3)

2) UttarArchika Saaman: 1031(IV.I.1)

3) Rg Vedam III.39.5 and III. 39.8

4) Rg Vedam VIII.58.3

All of these manthrams commence with "JyOthi " sabdham.

Rg Vedam : I.136.3
*******************

This manthram salutes the Lord as full of luminosity
and celestiality. It recognizes the Lord inside the orbit
of the Sun as the ordainer (niyanthA ) and animator of 
the people.

The other companion manthrams (I.136.1-2 and 4-7)
salute the eternal nature of the Soorya NaarAyaNa 
Moorthy and salute Him in His Summer and Winter forms.
The manthram begs the Lord inside the Sun to accept 
the copious adoration of  the worshipper.The JyOthirmaya
Lord inside the thousand rayed Sun is comprehended as
the sustainer of the Cosmic law and as the law giver.

Saama Vedam UttarArchika Saaman:1031)
*************************************
jyOthir-yaj~nyasa pavatE madhu priyam 
pitA dEvAnAm janithA vibhUvasu:
dadhAthi ratnam svadhayOr apIchyam 
madhintamO matsara indriyO rasa:

(meaning): Here the Lord is viewed as the elixir
and as the brilliant light of the cosmic sacrifice 
(Yaj~nam).He is recognized as the parent of the nature's
bounties and as the generator of all and endowed with
immeasaurable wealth of every kind.This param jyOthi 
empowering the Sun is saluted as the most exhilirating ,
exciting and nourishing elixir (amrutham) that supports
the seen and unseen treaures of heaven and earth.

That is ThiruvEngadamudayAn seen amidst the 1000 points
of light at the evening swinging on the Oonjal.This is
ThiruviNNagarappan seated in His Tanga RaTam with BhUmi
DEvi.

Rg Vedam III.39.5
******************

JyOthir vrNItha tamasO vijAnann ArE syAma duritAdh abhikE
imA gira: sOmapA: somavriddha jushasvEndra purutamasya kArO:

(meaning): The persistent search of the JeevAthma for
the inner jyOthi resident in the heart cavity is being
described here. The resplendent Self (Jeevan) seeks to find 
the inner light (the Lord) with the help of nine devoted friends 
( the 5 vital breaths and the four tatthvams: mind,
conscience , intelligence and ego)and the other ten
helpful friends ( five organs of senses with their
five cognitions: color , taste ,smell , touch and sound).
Ultimately , the searching Jeevan attains success in 
discovering the true light of the Sun (Svayam PrakAsa 
ParandhAman on the top of the seven hills) lying so far
concealed in the darkness of the innermost cavity (Hrudhaya
guhai)as the same one shining on top of the seven hills .

Rg Vedam III. 39.8
*******************
jyOthir-yaj~nyAya rOdasI anu shyAd ArE syAma duritasya bhUrE:
bhUri cidh dhi tujathO martyasya supArasO vasavO barhaNAvath

(meaning): Here is a moving prayer to the JyOthirmayan 
amidst His thousand petalled seat of lustre: Let there be
(guiding) light through both the realms of body and mind 
for performing sustained worship . May we be far away from
evils that would overpower us! May Thou as the grantor
of prosperity (mangaLams) accept our offerings and increase
our spiritual affluence !

Rg Vedam VIII.58.3
*******************
jyOthishmantham kEthumantham thrichakram
sukham raTam sushadham bhUrivAram
chithrAmagA Yasya yOgE dhijaj~nE tam
vaam huvE athi riktham pibadhyai

(meaning): This is a splendid invocataroy prayer
to the SooryAnthargatha NaarAyaNa Moorthy:
" I invoke that One , who is radiant and bright,
rich in enlightenment , who possesses a comfortable 
chariot yoked with three wheels , that comes rolling 
lightly , and at whose yoking , the marvellous treasures 
are obtained ". I invoke that Supreme Being to join this 
Aathma samarpaNa yaj~nam  and enjoy the divine havis.

Next morning was SuprabhAtha and SaaRumuRai inside
the garbha graham at Thirumalai. The day after Tanga RaTam
at ThiruviNNagar was the day when the Moolavar had 
Summer (kOdai) Thirumanjanam.adiyEn will write about those 
anubhavams later. 

Punar Darsana PrApthirasthu 
SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam,
Daasan Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan 



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