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thiruk kaNNan kudi - part 3 - dAmOdharan

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Sampath Rengarajan • April 15, 1998 


thiruk kaNNan kudi - dAmO udharan - the one who got tied up

My namaskArams to the thirup pAtha kamalangaL of the baktha  kOdi
bAgawathALs.

thAmam - means  kayiRu or rope or that which ties
         one or boNdage

utharam - means - hip or lower hip.

The one who  relieved  everyone  from their  bondage  gets tied up
around HIS hip by a rope that yashOdhA  tied around HIM.  Hence HE
is also known as "dAmOdharan".

Sri Vasishtar was very special in terms of HIS Sri Krishna bhakti.
It is even cited often as "Sri Krishna prEmi  VasishtAya  nAmA" by
learned  scholars in  literatures.  Sri Vasishta used to mould the
thiru uruvam or (statue) of Sri Krishna in "butter" and due to his
bhakti  kavacham  he will keep it  solidified  and will not let it
melt  down.  He  used  to  consider  such,  as his  divya  mangaLa
vigraham and worship Lord Sri Krishna in his dyAnam.  He was doing
such intense  worshipping  for a very long time.  Lord Sri Krishna
had HIS  thiru  uLLam  to  bless  his  worshipping.  One day  Lord
assumed the form of Sri nanda gOpalan, a small boy and visited Sri
VasishtA's  place.  While Sri  VashistA  was in his  dyAnam,  Lord
grabbed the divya mangaLa  vigraham (made in butter) and swallowed
it.  Sri Vasishta  realised  through his "thabO  valimai" that the
boy is none  other  and Sri  Krishna  HIMself.  However  Lord  Sri
Krishna in the form of the boy,  started to run after  seeing  Sri
VasishtA's  realisation.  It is said in purAnam that Sri  VashistA
started to chase him and run after HIM.

	While  this is going  on, in a nearby  place  known as Sri
Krishna  AraNyam (Sri  KrishnA's  jungle),  many Rishis were doing
penance  under the maghizam tree seeking the blessings of Lord Sri
Vishnu.  On seeing the chase through their nyAna drishti,  (divine
vision)  the rishis  realised  that it is Lord Sri  Krishna who is
coming  running  towards  their  place.  It is said in the purAnam
that  they  all  focussed  their  bakthi  and made it as a  "pAsak
kayiRu", ie.  "a rope made of love" and tied HIM up right there in
that place.  Is this agianst all the norms of the  sAshthram ?  It
is only HIS  "nirhEthuka kadAksham" that the Lord will bestow  HIS
"thiru aruL" to HIS seekers.  ('mAm "eKam" saraNam vrajA').  It is
reminded here of Sri nammAzhwAr's verses "piditthEn koL sikkanavE"
(I got you  entangled  with my grip of bhakti and pAsam and I pray
to keep as such or "koL"). It is Lord who made HIMself  bonded  by
yasOdhA's love, in Sri  Krishna  avathAram  due to HIS  nirhEthuka
kripA and it is Lord who got HIMself tied up by HIS own.

	Lord  explained  to the RISHIS that HE is being  chased by
Sri  VasishtA  and hurried  them to ask and get whaever  boon they
want atonce.  In an unanimous  voice all the rishis  prayed to the
Lord that HE stay in that place and give  darshan to  everyone  as
similar to how they were blessed with HIS darshan.  Lord consented
to their prayers and stood there and then.

	Sri Vasishta arrived at the place rapidly and saw the Lord
standing there in 'kattunda kOlam' (as dAmodharan ie as one who got
tied up) and  immediately  fell at HIS holy feet and grabbed  them
firmly. Within that moment of Sri VasishtA's saranAgathi here, the
raja  gOpurams and vimAnams  were  created.  Lord BrahmA and dEvas
rushed to this place to see the param  poruL being tied up in this
place as  daModharan.  On HIS command  they did  brahmOrsavam  and
other   festivites  to  this  kshEthram.  Since  Sri  Kannan  (Sri
Krishnan)  was tied up and had to stay here for ever,  this  place
earned the name "kaNNan  kudi" (kudi has many meanings but here it
means the place the Lord HIMself took refuge into the boNdage made
by the rishis).  This is a very sacred  kshEthram as this is where
Sri VasishtA  did  saranAgathi  at  the  holy  feet  of  Lord  Sri
dAmOdharan.


Sri Sri lOkanAyaki samEtha Sri dAmOdharan
thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sampath Rengarajan

note:  The flow of these  series  is laid out such  that the thala
purAnam will be covered  initially.  The reference to  thirumangai
AzwAr and his pAsurams on this kshEthram are dealt at the end with
a  continuation  to his thOndu  through  the  episode of HIS thiru
avathAram  thirup paNI in this kshEthram  that were related to Sri
Rangam temple  construction.  adiyEn will also deal in some detail
about the thirup paNi of thiru mangai in thiru  arangam at the end
of these series.