A recent happening at ThiruvahIndhrapuram

From the Bhakti List Archives

• June 6, 2000


Dear BhakthAs :

Last Saturday , there was a moving samarpaNam to Lord DevanAthA
(Moolavar ) . A beautiful Mutthangi was presented to
Lord DevanAthan by Sriamthi Padma VeerarAghavan of Oppiliappan
Koil on behalf of her parents. Kaimkarya Sri Padma Veeraraghavan
collected the funds for the creation of the Mutthangi ( Velvet
vasthram stitched with intricate patterns of pearls ) for the tall 
PerumAl of ThiruvahIndhrapuram .The funds were donated by 
various BhakthAs of Chennai , when Srimathi Padma VeerarAghavan  
sang GodhA sthuthi and Desika Prabhandham verses on invitation 
at the homes of BhakthAs in Chennai . Individual donations
ranged from 100 rupees to 1,000 Rupees. In six months , the needed
sum was collected. A famous craftsman by the Name of 
Sri KrishNAji , who has created Mutthangis for Lord Oppiliappan ,
Lord RanganAthan , Lord SrinivAsan of Thirumalai and Lord VaradarAjan
of Kaanchi designed the Mutthangi for Lord DevanAthA 
saluted by Swamy Desikan in the 50 exquisite slOkams of
Sri DevanAyaka PanchAsath. 

In this special dhivya Desam , where Swamy Desikan spent 
fourty plus years of his eventful life , originated his 
great sthOthra granthams (Sri DeavanAyaka PanchAsath ,
Sri HayagrIva sthOthram ,Sri Gopaala Vimsathi , 
Sri Raghuveera Gadhyam, Sri Garuda panchAsath ),
the Tamil Sri Sookthis ( MummaNikkOvai, Nava MaNi Maalai,
Parama Padha Bhangam ), Prakrutha sthOthram (Sri Achyutha
Sathakam ) were born.

HH the revered Jeeyar of Ahobhila Matam , adiyEn's
revered AchAryan , Sri NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA Desikan 
spent his last ChAthurmAsyam at this Dhivya Desam 
and had the daily mangaLAsAsanam of Lord DevanAthan,
HemAbhjavalli ThAyAr , Swami HayagrIvan and other
ArchA Murthys that Swamy Desikan saluted.Detailed
description of Lord DevanAthan and His dhivya dEsams 
has been assembled with reverence by Sri Mani VaradarAjan
in the Sri VaishNavA Home Pages under the temples
section ( http://www.ramanuja.org/SV/temples/tiruvahindrapuram/
index.html/ Please refer to them for further details.   

Here at this dhivya dEsam with the sacred foot prints of 
Thirumangai and Swamy Desikan , adiyEn is thrilled to
mention that my sister Sou.Padma VeerarAghavan was blessed to
lead the efforts to present the  Mutthangi for the Moolavar,
Lord DevanAthan . 

The eighty five year old BrahamachAri, Sri Ramaswami
Bhattar steeped in VaikAnasa Aagama kramam accepted 
the SamarpaNam on behalf of the Lord and performed 
the Archanai in his melodious voice blessed with 
the gift of karnAtic music . The dhivya naamAs fell 
at the Lord's feet as PushpAnjalis (Naama KusumAnjalis)
as different raaga dEvathAs . The Lord accepted this
samarpaNam by his children with affection and adorned 
the new vasthram on His ThirumEni saluted by Swami Desikan 
as the abode of all Tatthvams and Aayudhams :

tatthvAni Yaani chithachith pravibhAgavanthi
  thrayyantha vruddha gaNithAni sithAsithAni
dheevyanthi thAnyahipuranthara dhAma nAtha
  dhivyAsthra BhUshaNathayA thava vigrahEsmin
        ---Sri Deva Naayaka PanchAsath: SlOkam 13

(meaning ): Oh Lord DhaivanAyakA ! Learned people say
that the chEthana and achEthana tatthvams divide into
twenty five divisions ( Pancha bhUthams, Pancha TanmAthrais,
Five JnanEndhriyAs, Five KarmEndhriyams , Manas,
AhankAram, MahAnn , Prakruthi and Jeevan). Among these 
25 tatthvams ,some are self-luminous. All these are
present on Your dhivya ThirumEni as weapons ( Aayudhams)
and Jewelery (AabharaNams).

Here , the commentators have identified Jeevan
with Kousthubha rathnam , Prakruthi with Srivathsam 
(the divine mole), the pancha BhUthams and the pancha
tanmaathrais with the flowers of VanamAlai , the Mace 
KoumEthaki with mahath tatthvam , the AhankAram with 
the divine bow Saarngam and the conch, Paanchajanyam , 
Manas with Sudarshanam ,the ten Indhriyams with the arrows , 
Jn~Anam with the sword, Nandhakam and ajn~Anam with 
the arrow case . 

Swamy Desikan goes on to describe the PoorNa Soundharyam
of Lord DevanAthan this way:

bhUshAyudahiradhigatham nijakAnthihEthO:
  bhutham priyAbhiranimEsha vilOchaNAbhi:
PRATHYANGA POORNA SUSHUMAASUBHAGAM VAPUSTHE 
  DhrushtvA dhrusou ViBhudhanAtha na thrupyathO mE
      ---Sri Deava Naayaka PanchAsath: SlOkam 14 

(Meaning): Oh DevanAthA ! Every limb of Your dhivya
ThirumEni is steeped in soundharyam. Therefore , it is
impossible to fully describe Your beauty. The aabharaNams 
are not going to add anything new to the natural beauty
of Yours. There is no gain to You by Your weapons , since
the whole world is already under Your soverign rule.
Therefore , the AabharaNams and the Aayudhams join Your
celestial body to add lustre and beauty to themselves. 
Your Devis are drinking Your dhivya Soundharyam and 
do not even wish to close their eye lids for a second in
that delectable experience . AdiyEn's  eyes immersed
in the flood of Your soundharyam continue to enjoy
that matchless beauty without any satiation . 

At the end of the mangaLAsAsanam by Sri Raamaswamy 
Bhattar , the Lord has commanded the assembled BhakthAs
to offer a VajrAngi for the Uthsavar through archaka
Mukham . 

May the Natha Sathya PerumAl presiding over the tongues of
our AchAryALs ( asmath gurUNAm jihvA simhAsanE labdha
Prathishtan) bless every one involved with this and other 
future Kaimkaryams dear to Lord DevanAthan and Swamy
Desikan .

NamO NaarAyaNa YathIndhra MahA DesikAya,
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan      



  



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