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Re: ThirukkuRungudi& Kaisiki Natakam Revival: Srimathi Anita Rajyalakshmi Rathnams' mahOpakAram

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Sadagopan • November 16, 2001 


Dear BhakthAs: 

This year , Kaisika EkAdasi Falls on 
November 26 . Srimathi Anita Rajyalakshmi of
the TVS family and a leading dance artist/Teacher
of Chennai will be organizing the Dance drama
of Kaisika EkAdasi MahAthmyam at the Lord's Temple
at Thirukkurungudi, her family's ancestral home.

I wrote an article (Aug 26, 2000)about the background of 
this celebration,its connection to Swamy ParAsara Bahttar 
and the revival of this dance drama at Thirukkurungudi under 
the leadership of Srimathi Anita Rathnam.

Excerpts from that archived article (Bhakthi List )
is reproduced for memory jog.

Please attend this rare artistic and devotional
event at Thirukkurungudi this year . The performance
would last over 3 Hours with the particpation of
a large cast .

Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil V.SaThakOpan/Sadagopan 


From: Sadagopan 
To: bhakti-list@egroups.com 
;CC: anitaratnam@hotmail.com 
Subject: ThirukkuRungudi& Kaisiki Natakam Revival: Srimathi Anita
Rajyalakshmi Rathnams' mahOpakAram : Part I 
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 15:09:28 -0400 (EDT) 

Dear BhakthAs : 
Among the 108 dhivya desams dear to Sri VaishNavas, 
there is one in Paandya Naadu , which has deep links 
to Sri VaishNava sampradhAyam. This dhivya dEsam is 
27 miles from ThirunelvEli .It is not far from 
AzhwAr Thirunahari ( ThirukkuruhUr ) , where Swami 
NammAzhwAr , our Kula Pathy was born and blessed us 
with the four Dhivya prabhandhams . This dhivya dEsam 
is none other than Thirukkurungudi. 

The Mahimai of this KshEthram 
****************************** 

The KshEthram Deatails: 
************************ 


The TVS family 
*************** 
Srimathi Anita Ratnam has done a mahOpakAram by 
reviving(reconstructing) the ancient dance-drama 
known as Kaiski Natakam . Three years of tireless 
work led to ther first performance on the last 
Kaisiki natakam (November 19, 1999)based on 
NampAduvAn's unique worship of Thirukkurungudi 
Nampi on Kaisiki Ekadasi day. 

In the Varaha PurANam , our Lord tells MahA Lakshmi 
about His great joy in being worshipped through 
dance and music. The Kaisiki Natakam is a dance- 
music-drama going back to seven hundred years . 
The story of NampAduVan born in a chandaLA caste 
and his promise to the Brahma Raakshasan about 
being his food AFTER the worship of ThirukkuRungudi 
Nampi and the happy resolution with the intervention 
of the Lord is a pious story that transcends 
the divisions of class and caste, when it comes to 
the BhakthAs of BhagavAn. 

The Kaisika EkAdasi is as sacred as Sri Vaikunta 
EkAdasi ; AasthikAs fast that day and listen to kaisika 
PurANam being read at Srirangam or the Kaisika Naatakam 
performed at ThirukkuRungudi and listen to the music 
and dance in praise of Nampi PerumAL .There is an 
audio casette rendition of this kaisika PurAnam by 
the Sri Vaishnavite scholar ,Dr.VenakatakrishNan of 
ThiruvallikkENI. 

The great ParAsara Bhattar and Kaisika PurANam 
*********************************************** 
The precocious kumArar of KurEsar ,ParAsara Bhattar 
has written a commentary on Kaisika PurAnam , which 
forms the 48th chapter of Varaha PurAnam (VAP). 
This section of VarAha purANam celebrates 
the importance of singing the glory of the Lord 
at Brahma MuhUrtham . 
 
There are 92 slOkAs in the 48th chapter of VAP. 
On one Kaiski EkaAdasi day , ParAsara Bhattar 
recited and intrepreted the Kaisiki PurANam before 
Lord RanganAtha , who was immensely pleased 
and accorded the honor of Brahma ratham 
carriage in a palanquin by Brahmins) at 
the end of that recital. This tradition is 
carried out at Srirangam temple even today 
by the descendants of ParAsara Bhattar. 
 
May this tradition of Bhakthi thrive forever ! 

Daasan , Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SatakOpan 



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