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thirup pAvai - part 16 - Lord's para dEsa yAthrai kOlam in Srivillipputhur

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • December 24, 1998 


Dear bAgawathAs,                           mArgazhi day 9, 5:45 AM
ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

   It is said that in srivillipuththur even today this ceremony is 
practiced by  the  pen veetaar  (the clan of  periazwar). In HINDU 
marriage there  is  a  ritual  when the Bridegroom goes to Bride's house 
and have  his  first  food  (breakfast)  after the  viradham (fasting  
symbolising the brahma charaya thuvam or  staying  as  a sincere brahma 
chAri untill then) and soon sets out to go to "para dEsam",  popularly  
known  as  "kAsi  yAthrai" in  certain places.  
This  is practiced even today in the temple at Sri Villippuththur.
When  the   Lord   comes   to  Sri ANDAL sannithi  and  after  the 
prasAdhams are offered, Lord attempts to set out   on  para  dEsam 
and the pen veetaar (Periazwar's clan)   stop  the bridegroom  and 
"plead" HIM to marry their daughter. 

        The Bridegroom agrees to the pleading and accepts to marry  
the  bride. This is popularly known in   tamil  as   "thiru  uLLam 
paRRith thiru uLLam aakinAr"., ie.,  Lord accepted thiru's (Sri's) uLLam 
(pleading) and makes it as HIS own thiru  uLLam.  There  are  other 
meanings  derived  for  this.  ie.,  Lord's  made  HIS thiru uLLam 
(asking  jivan's  surrender)  as the "thiru uLLam" of jivan. 
ie., it is  Lord who brings a  thought in the mind of jivAtmA that 
it must surrender to the Lord.  HE  is  the  who   initiates  such   
thought or thiru uLLam itself. This  ritual  is   praciticed  even  
today in  Sri Villip  puththur,   it is very moving  and  emtional  when 
one understands the thAth paryam and have a darshan of this.

ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan


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