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"Thiruvitthuvakkodu"

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sadagopaniyengar • January 27, 2003 


                                     
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

                    ThiruVitthuvakkOdu

          Nature, in its pristine purity, undefiled by man, is always beautiful. The air is fragrant with the scent of flowers in full bloom. The river down below flows quietly, unwilling to disturb the atmosphere of devotion and serenity that prevails. Even bees are muted in their buzz, sensing a need to preserve the soothing silence. The towering trees all round sway gently in the breeze, bowing their crowns in obeisance.

      This is the environment in which most of the divyadesams in Kerala are located. Matching the peace that prevails outside, inside the temple too there is an ambience of devotion, unspoilt by commercial considerations. The Lord's face is lit up only by a few oil lamps and not by the harsh glare of a halogen lamp. The archakAs speak only when they are spoken to, and then also, in muted tones. We are not invited to contribute to some cause or the other, either by word or by implication. There are no loudspeakers blaring out raucous "devotional" music. The devotees too adhere to this unwritten code of silence, and refrain from all secular discussion among themselves while inside the temple.

 This heady mixture of natural beauty, tranquillity and spirituality transports us to a wholly different and welcome world of devotion. The accent in these temples, as it should be, seems to be on devotion, unpolluted by other thoughts and devoid of all distractions. No distinction is made among devotees on economic, social or political considerations and temple rules are not relaxed for anyone, however mighty he is. Proper attire for both men and women folk is insisted upon for entering the temple, and men are required to remove their upper cloth as a token of respect and humility.


ThiruVitthuvakkOde, to which Sri Kulasekarazhwar has devoted all of ten pasurams in his Perumal Tirumozhi, is no exception to the scenario described above and lives up to the promised guarantee of spiritual satisfaction that one can expect from all MalainAdu divyadesams. The ubiquitous Bharatapuzha is present here too, practically washing the Lord's feet with its gentle waters. The river stretches away for miles in the distance, and a panoramic view is available from the temple precincts.

The temple is locally known as "anju moortthi" ambalam, due to the presence of different images of the Lord consecrated by the five PAndavAs, during their exile from Indraprastha. Dharmaputra, BhImasEna and Arjuna have contributed a shrine each, while Nakula and Sahadeva have jointly sponsored one.

True to His declaration in the Bhagavat Gita (" PAndavAnAm DhananjayOsmi"), the Lord's main shrine is that sponsored by Arjuna. In the semi-gloom, dispelled only by the unflickering oil lamps, we are barely able to perceive the Lord's form at first. Then, as our eyes get accustomed to the darkness, the magnificent tirumEni of the VitthuvakkOttu ammAn gradually unfolds before our eyes. We first notice the beautiful crown adorning the Emperuman's head, circled by a garland of red roses. The Lord's forehead, with an Urdhva pundram, His broad eyes commented upon by people of varied pursuits and persuasions, ranging from the VedaPurusha and Tiruppanazhwar to SUrpanakhA, the bewitching mouth below with the hint of a smile, the two upraised arms on which SudarsanAzhwan and PAnchajanyAzhwan rest with resplendence, the arm holding a beautiful red lotus and the other one with a mace------all these slowly swim into view. On His chest are a pendent on a golden chain and floral garlands too, and He is wearing a silken cl

Is it any wonder then that Sri Kulasekhara Perumal reserves his allegiance exclusively for this Emperuman and declares "un charaN allAl sharan illai"? Azhwar avers that VitthuvakkOttu ammAn is his sole refuge, and irrespective of whatever travails the Lord may subject him (Azhwar) to, Azwar would remain a staunch votary of Emperuman. To buttress this point, Azhwar furnishes numerous examples-

-That of a helpless infant who sticks to the mother, crying, even after being pushed away by her in temporary annoyance

-that of a faithful wife, who remains true to her husband irrespective of his deplorable conduct

-that of a loyal subject, who stays faithful to the King, though the latter might provide only misrule

-that of an ever-grateful patient, though the doctor might cut his flesh with the sharpest of knives for surgical correction of the malady

-that of a bird caught on a ship midseas , returning to the ship time and again, unable to find a tree to perch on in the solid expanse of water all around

-that of the green crop looking up to the dark cloud for sustenance, though the rain might play truant

-that of the lotus refusing to bloom but for the warmth of the Sun's rays

-that of mighty rivers ultimately ending up in the ocean, irrespective of the thousands of miles they might traverse.

All these examples serve to highlight one single, significant fact-that Sriman Narayana is our sole refuge, irrespective of the travails we may face in this world due to the bonds of Karma, and whether or not the Lord appears to make any effort to save us from this suffering. ChEralar kOn is only expanding the theme of Sri Nammazhwar's averment, "KaLaivAi thunbam kaLayAdu ozhivAi, kaLaikaN mattrilEn".

This Tirumozhi has so moved Sri Alavandar that he has incorporated a verbatim translation of the first pasuram-the one about the crying child and the indifferent mother-in his Stotra Ratnam

"rushA nirasthOpi sisu: sthanandaya: na jAtu mAtu: charaNou jihAsati"

Several of the descriptions attributed to VitthuvakkOdu in the aforesaid pasurams are true even today. The "virai kuzhuvu malar pozhil"(gardens filled with fragrant flowers), and "meen nOkkum neeL vayal" (vast, fertile fields filled with water, where fish swim about with pleasure) are all there, making the village a haven of peace and prosperity. However, the "viN tOy madiL" (protective walls touching the sky) has disappeared with time, as is to be expected. The Lord too has retained the colours as witnessed by Azhwar, and is still as dark as the rain-bearing cloud ("mikkilangu mugil niratthAi"). There also remains in full measure the immeasurable glory of the Lord, described by Azhwar as "Pukkilangu seer" and "andamil seer".

"Even if You totally ignore me, even if You don't display the least interest in my welfare, even if You just watch idly while I suffer from one malady after the other, in birth after tedious birth, I shall stand firm in my adherence to You and continue to regard Your lotus feet as my sole refuge"("mattru Arum pattrilEn endru avanai tAL nayandu") declares Sri Kulasekhara Perumal.

 The rolling hills, the sprawling fields filled with ripe crop, the innumerable "Kamugu" (PAkku) trees standing tall and straight, like ever-vigilant sentinels zealously protecting their Master  , the serene BhAratapuzha wending its way past the temple, the precious silence and tranquillity that pervade the place, the enchanting Deity who refuses to leave our mind's eye, ready to uplift us just for the asking- all these make a visit to Thiruvitthuvakkodu a spiritually rewarding and rejuvenating experience. When we leave, we do so reluctantly, leaving our minds behind, minds that have been held captive by the greatest thief of all times, who steals our hearts unbeknownst to ourselves.

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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