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Re: shOdashOpachAram : Part I

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 18, 2000 


Dear Sri Raama BhakthAs:

I had an excellent exchange of information 
with my fellow co-editor of SangItham , the Jouranl
of the Carnatic Music Assoication of North America (CMANA)
on the topic of Saint ThyagarAjA in general and
ShOdasOpachAram in particular. I would like to
share with you his note because of its posisble 
value to many of you .

The Sri VaishNavite AarAdhana Kramam and the various
Aasanmas and preliminaries are covered extensively 
in the recently released CD ROM on AchArya RaamAnujA 
(http://www.geocities.com/irscd). Please refer 
to that CD ROM for additional information on
the details of the UpachArams to the Lord 
offered in our daily AarAdhanam to Him 
as per our Ahnika Granthams .

I will continue with the dhivya Naama and
the Uthsava sampradhAya Krithis of Saint ThyagarAjA 
soon from where I left it off. 

Raama , Raama , Raama,
V.Sadagopan


Here is Sri Aravind Krishnan's input:

" QUOTE: " The main sixteen upachArams are:

Avahanam
Asanam
pAdyam
argyam
AchamanIyam

snAnam
vastrAlaN^kAram
upavItam
gandham
puShpAxadAni

dUpam
dIpam
naivedyam
tAmbUlam
nIrAjanam
pradakshiNa namaskAram (mantra puShpam)

Sri AnnamAcharya has composed a beautiful song in rAga LalitA 
incorporating all of these upachArams:

shODaSha kaLAnidhiki shODaShOpacAramulujADa 
tODa niccalunu samarpayAmi

alaru viShvAtmukuna kAvAhanamitE sarva nilayuna
kAsanamu nemminidE alagangA janakuna karkkiya pAdyaAcamanAlu

varapItAmbarunaku vastrAlangkAra midEsari 
ShRI mantunaku bhUshaNamulivE
dharaNI dharunaku gandha pushpa 
dhUpamulutitamidE kOTi sUrya tEjUnaku dinamu

amruta mathanunaku nidivO 
naivEdyamugamicandra nEtrunaku gapra viDemu
amarina ShRI vengkaTAdri mIdi dEvunikitamitO 
pradakshiNAlu daNDamulu nuvigO

In have given the puruShasUkta vidhAna 
shodashopachAra pujA below :

{1 Avahanam}
AUM sahasrashiirshhaa purushhaH sahasraaxaH sahasrapaat.h .
sa bhuumiM vishvato vR^itvaa atyatishhThad.hdashaaN^gulam.h ||

{2 aasanaM }
purushha evedagaM sarvam.h yad.hbhuutaM yachchha bhavyam.h .
utaamR^itatvasyeshaanaH yadannenaatirohati ||

{3 paadyaM }
etaavaanasya mahimaa ato jyaayaaga.nshcha puurushhaH .
paado.asya vishvaa bhuutaani tripaadasyaamR^itaM divi ||

{4 arghyaM }
tripaaduurdhva udaitpurushhaH paado.asyehaabhavaatpunaH .
tato vishvaN^vyakraamat.h saashanaanashane abhi ||

{ 5 aachamaniiyaM }
tasmaadviraaDajaayata viraajo adhi puurushhaH .
sa jaato atyatichyata pashchaad.hbhuumitatho puraH ||

{6 snaanaM }
yatpurushheNa havishhaa devaa yaGYamatanvata .
vasanto asyaasiidaajyam.h griishhma idhmashsharaddhaviH ||

{7 vastram}
saptaasyaasan.h paridhayaH trissapta samidhaH kR^itaaH .
devaa yadyaGYaM tanvaanaaH abadhnanpurushhaM pashum.h .
taM yaGYaM barhishhi prauxan.h purushhaM jaatamagrataH .
tena devaa ayajanta saadhyaa R^ishhayashcha ye

{8 yaGYopavItam }
tasmaadyaGYaatsarvahutaH saMbhR^itaM pR^ishhadaajyam.h .
pashuuga.Nstaaga.nshchakre vaayavyaan.h aaraNyaan.h graamyaashchaye

{9 dhivyaparimaLa gandham}
tasmaadyaGYaatsarvahutaH R^ichaH saamaani jaGYire .
chhandaa.Ngasi jaGYire tasmaat.h yajustasmaadajaayata ..

{10 axatAni}
tasmaadashvaa ajaayanta ye ke chobhayaadataH .
gaavo ha jaGYire tasmaat.h tasmaajjaataa ajaavayaH

{11 dhUpam}
yatpurushhaM vyadadhuH katidhaa vyakalpayan.h .
mukhaM kimasya kau baahuu kaavuuruu paadaavuchyete || 11||

{12 dIpam}
braahmaNosya mukhamaasiit.h baahuu raajanyaH kR^itaH .
uruu tadasya yadvaishyaH pad.hbhyaaM shuudro ajaayata || 12||

{13 naivedyam}
cha.ndramaa manaso jaataH chaxoH suuryo ajaayata .
mukhaadindrashchaagnishcha praaNaadvaayurajaayata || 13||

{14 tAmbUlam}
naabhyaa aasiidantarixam.h shiirshhNo dyauH samavartata .
padabhyaaM bhuumirdishaH shrotraat.h tathaa lokaa.nga akalpayan.h || 14||

{15 nIrAjanam}
vedaahametaM purushhaM mahaantam.h aadityavarNaM tamasastu paare .
sarvaaNi ruupaaNi vichitya dhiiraH naamaani kR^itvaa.abhivadan.h yadaaste || 
15|

{16 pradakshiNa namaskAram}
dhaataa purastaadyamudaajahaara shakraH pravidvaanpradishashchatastraH.
tamevaM vidyaanamR^ita iha bhavati naanyaH panthaa ayanaaya vidyate ||16||

{mantra puShpam}
yaGYena yaGYamayajanta devaaH taani dharmaaNi prathamaanyaasan.h .te ha 
naakaM mahimaanaH sachante yatra puurve saadhyaaH santi devaaH || 17||

SrisUkta 16 rigs can be used for Mahaa Lakshmi .

I don't think ThyAgarAja swAmigal has composed on these
shodasOpachArams as such . He is said to have used 
puruSha sUkta for his pUjA. He has some pushpArchana 
krithis like 'tuLasI bhilva mallikArjuna', 
'tuLasI daLa mulache sandOShamugA'..

Normally in bhajanOtsava sampradAyam to which 
thyAgarAja swami belongs to, follow only this vaidIka 
pUjA. That is one reason why thyAgarAja swamigal 
reinstalled rAmA in the vigraham using hOmam 
and other vaidIka karmA-s after he got him back 
from kAvErI.

BhajanOtsava sanpradAjam uses songs for events 
after these 16 upachArams.

Chatra chAmar vyagana sevas are performed with:
upachAra mula - bhairavi krithi.
kapaTa nATa .. - chatram
merugu tIkala .. - chAmaram
jAjulu .. - vyajanagam

and shyanOtsava kramam follows this " UNQUOTE ".






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