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Divya Dampathi's ThirukkalyANam : Part 7.4

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • April 19, 1998 


>Dear Sri RanganAtha PrEmis :
>
>In the old times , weddings went on for four days
>in contrast to today's one day affair . There were 
>opportunities to conduct all aspects of a Vaidhika VivAham 
>in a leisurely manner . The only ArchA mUrthy , who was in a hurry 
>to get married was the Lord of the Divya Desam ,
>Thiru Idaventhai , Sri Nithya KalyANar . He had promised 
>to marry the 360 daughters of Kaalava Maharshi one per day .

>The VimAnam of Thiruvidaventhai is aptly known as KalyANa
>VimAnam . At the end of His marriages spread over the year ,
>He united all His wives into one and named Her Akilavalli 
>NaacchiyAr and our Yenthai /EmperumAn placed Her 
on His left ( Idathu Pakkam ) . Thus arose the name of 
Thiruvidaventhai for this Divya Desam .
 
>This is the divya desam that Sri Venkatesh Ilayavalli
>of our prapatthi group visited recently . Welcome Back ,
>Sri Elayavalli and thank you very much for your Kaimkaryam
>to maintain the SaraNAgathi List Archives upto date .
>
>Returning to our narration of the happenings a t 
Sri VillipputthUr , Sri RanganAthA  was in  no hurry to
>rush His wedding with ANDAL . He was going to settle down 
>at His wife's birth place anyway . Hence , the MappiLLai Swami
>took his time and conducted the PradhAna Homam, Graha PravEsam ,
>Pravisya Homam and Sesha Homam without any hurry .
>
>PradhAna Homam
>****************
>
>After Sapthapathi , the newly married dampathis 
>sat on the western side of the sacred fire . ANDAL
>placed Her right hand on the left thigh of Sri RangarAjan ,
>while He performed the PradhAna homam . There are ten 
Homa manthrams and 16 AhUthis . At the end of each of 
the manthram >ending with SvAhA , a ladle of ghee was poured 
into >the sacred fire.Let us examine the 16 AhUthi manthrams :
>
>First Manthram :
*****************
 sOmAya janivithE svAhA ( This ladle of
>ghee is offered to Agni BhagavAn for transmittal to 
>Soman for his pleasure in recognition of his help to 
>the Kannikai earlier.
>
>Second manthram : 
******************
 GandharvAya JanivithE svAhA ( This
>ladle of ghee /AhUthi is offered to Gandharvan via Agni 
>to please him in recognition of his blessings to 
>the kannikai after Soman .
>
>Third Manthram :
*****************
 AgnayE janivithE SvAhA ( This particlar
>ladle of Ghee is presented to Agni to recognize his 
 anugraham to the kannikai after Gandharvan .
>
>DevathA Sambhandham of the kannikai referred to above 
>******************************************************
>
>Before Maangalya DhAraNam , there are two manthrams 
>that are recited , which describe the association of
>Soman , Gandharvan and Agni with the Kannikai prior
>to marrying a human being as her husband . That shows
>the daivAmsam of the Kannikai .Those manthrams are :
>
>Soma: PrathamO vividhE GandharvO vividha uttara:
>trutheeyO AgnishtE pathi:I
>thureeyasthE manushayajA : II
>
>SomO (a)dhath GandharvAya , GandharvO (a)dhath AgnayE 
>rayincha puthrAgumsccha adhAth Agnir MahyamathO ImAm 
>
>( Meaning ) : Soman became her first husband .
>Gandharvan was her next husband. Agni was the third
>husband of this Kannikai .The one born as a human being
>is the fourth and final husband. Soman handed you over to
>Gandharvan ; He inturn gave you to Agni . Latter blessed 
>you with wealth and progeny and gave you finally to me for
>my sukham . 
>
>The inner meaning is that Chandran ( Soman ) gave you strength , 
>Gandharvan blessed you with beauty and Agni gave you the boon
>of youth ( Youvvanam ) and then Agni BhagavAn gave you to me ,
>the human being ,as a present for my sukham . Thus , You have
>come to me as DaivAmsam .

 The Kaanikai's glories are celebrated through these 
 two manthrAs . The First three pradhAna Homa manthrams 
>are connected to this conception . You might recall ALavanthAr's
>defeating the arrogant scholar at the royal court based on 
 this Vedic reference . 
>
>Fourth Manthram
>****************
>
>kanyalA pithrubhyO yathee pathilOkam avadheekshAmathAstha svAhA
>( Meaning ) : I pour this ladle of ghee in the Agni as Homam 
>for the kannikai leaving behind the blemishes as she leaves
>her father's home to join her husband's home .
>
>Fifth manthram 
>**************
>
>prEtho munchAthi naamuthas supatthA mamu taskarath
>ythEyameendhra meetvas suputhrA subhagAsathi 
>
>(Meaning ) : O Indra , who blesses us with rain !
>Please release this kannikai from her father's house.
>Please make sure that she does not leave her husband's house.
>Please bless her to have deep attachment to her husband's
>home.Please bless her to be attached to her new home .
>Please bless her to have auspicious progeny ( suputhrA : ) .
>Please bless her to have al soubhAgyams in her new home .
>
>Sixth Manthram 
>***************
>
>imAm tvamindhra meetva saputhrAgum subhagAm kuru 
>dasAsyAm puthrAnAdehi pathim EkAdasam kruthi 
>
>( Meaning ) : O Indra , the king of rains and Subhiksham!
>I pray to you to make this kannikai full of
>auspicious progeney and wealth . May she be blessed  
>to bear ten sons and make me her eleventh one .
>
>Seventh manthram
>*****************
>
>agnirEthu prathamO devAnAgum sOsyai prajAm
>munchathumruthyupAsAth I 
>tathayagum RaajA VaruNO anumnayathAm yathEyagum 
>shtree pouthramakam na rhOdhAth II
>
>( meaning ) : May the first among DevAs , Agni 
>BhagavAn come here ! May he release her children 
>from the noose of Yama devA ( akAla MaraNam ) . 
 May Lord VaruNA >do what is needful to make her 
 not cry over her sons or daughters .
>
>Eighth Manthram 
>****************
>
>imAm Agnis tayathAm gArhapathya: prajAmasyai
>nayathu dheerghamAyu : I
>asUnyOpasatthA jeevathAmasthu mAthA pouthramAnandhamapi
>prabuddhyathAmiyam II
>
>( Meaning ) : May Lord Agni closely associated 
>with the Grahasthan protect her ( kannikai ) . 
>May he grant long life to her children !
>may she never be infertile and may she be the mother
>of live children ! May she wake up to the joy 
>of having children ! 
>
>Ninth manthram 
>***************
>
>maa thE gruhE nisi ghOsha uddhAtanyathra tvathrutatyas
>samvisanthu I
>maa tvam vikEsyura aavathishtA jeevapathnee pathilOkE 
>virAja pasyanthee prajAgum sumansyamAnAm II
>
>( Meaning ) :O KaanikE ! May there not be any loud noises in
>your house at night ! may any anger & sorrows behind those loud 
>arguments go elsewhere ! May thou not sprad your hair 
>in despair and beat your breasts in sorrow ! May there be 
>no occasion for such despair ! may thou shine in your
>husband's house with good will and take good care of
>your children ! 
>
>Tenth manthram 
>***************
>
>dhyousthE prushtagagum rakshathu , VaayurUrU , 
>asvinou cha sthanam , dayanthagum SavithAbhi rakshathu I
>avAsasa: paridhAnAth Bruhaspathir vivE dEvO 
>abhirakshanthu pascchAth II 
>
>(Meaning ) :  May the AkAsa devathA (dhyou ) protect 
your rear ! May Vaayu dEvan protect your two thighs ! 
>May AsvinI dEvAs protect your chest region ! 
>May SavithA ( sooryan ) protect your baby 
>nourished by your milk ! may Brahaspathi protect
>you until your wear your pudavai .Afterwards , May
>VisvEdEvAs protect you ( THis manthram is a kavacham 
>for the protection of the kannikai's body ) .
>
>Eleventh manthram 
>******************
>
>aprajasthAm pouthramruthyum pApmAnamudhavAkam I
>seershNa: srajamivOnmuchya dhvishdbhya:prathimunchAmi paasam II
>
>( meaning) : I  (the Kannikai) leave with my enemies 
  amnagaLams like infertility ,premature death of children , 
  other sins and sorrows just as I take the used flower 
  garland from my tresses .This way I remove the noose of 
  inauspiciousnes of the above four kinds that may bind me . 
>
>Twelfth Manthram ( Part of Saayam SandhyAvandhanam /Yajur Vedam )
>***************************************************************** 
>
>Imam VaruNa srudheehavamadhyA cha mruDyA tvAmavasyurAchakE 
>(Meaning ): Oh Lord VaruNA !Please hear my sthOthram  
>and make me happy right away !I salute you with 
 the intent of being protected by you ! 
>
>Thirteenth manthram ( Saayam SandhyA vandhana Manthrams)
>********************************************************
>
>tattvAyAmi brahmaNA vandhanAnastadhAsAsthE yajamAnO havirbhi: I
>ahEDamAnO VaruNEha bhOdhi urusagum samAna aayu: pramOshi II
>
>(Meaning ) : O VaruNA ! O supreme Lord ! I take refuge in your
>protection by singing your glory through recitation of Veda manthrams .
>It is for this type of protection by You , the kings make sacrificial
>offerings to Agni to reach You . Oh VaruNa dEva! please grant 
>the protection that I am seeking now without getting angry .
>Oh Lord of praise worthy attributes ! Please do not snatch
>away my life with your VaruNa paasam in a mood of anger !
>Please spare my life ! 
>
>Fourteenth Manthram 
>*********************
>
>tvannO AgnE VaruNasya VidhvAn Devasya hEDO avayAsi seeshtA I
>yajishtO Vahnitham sOsusAnO visvA dvEshAgumsi pramumulthyasmath II
>
>(Meaning) : O Agni DevA !May Thou as the omniscient one ,  
>intercede with the splendorous VaruNan and reduce his anger
>at us ! O Agni DevA ! You are the most praiseworthy and
>You carry all Havis to the DevAs from us in your resplendent
>form . May Thou remove all kinds of enimiites between us 
>fully ! 
>
>Fifteenth manthram 
>*******************
>
>sathvannO AgnE avamO bhavOthee nEthishtO asyA UshasO vyushtou I
>avakshvanO VaruNagum rarANO veehi mruteekagum suhavO na yEthi II
>
>( Meaning ) : O Lord Agni of above auspicious attributes ! 
>You stand in the front row of DevAs . Please come close to
>us to  protect us at the time , when the dawn's rays have 
>receded . Please stand next to us and save us from the anger 
>of Lord VaruNA for our misdeeds . Please bless us with 
>saamagriyAs and accept from us , what pleases you . Please
>be a supporter of our work in this world .
>
>Sixteenth Manthram 
>*******************
>
>tvamagnE ayAsyayAsann mansaa hitha: 
>ayAsann havya mUhishE ayAnO dEhi BhEshajam II
>
>( Meaning ) : O Agni DevA ! You have us as Your 
>servants ! For us , You serve as the object of 
>meditation and goal to atain . You are accessible to us 
>and carry our Havis to the other DevAs and the Lord .
>Please grant us what is beneficial to us just as 
>the appropriate medicine for a patient . 
>
>With these manthrams , PradhAna ( Primary ) homam 
>was completed by Sri RanganAthA as a bridegroom .
>
>Bride Standing on top of a Pestle ( Ammi ) 
>*******************************************
>
>The next ceremony was the Ammi mithitthal .
>This ceremony with its accompanying manthram
>is performed to pray for the resoluteness of
>the bride to stand firmly against any upsets
>in married life . 
>
>Sri RanganAtha held the toe of the right foot
>of ANDAL and lifted her foot to rest on the ammi 
(grinding stone) placed on the right side of 
 the sacred fire .He recited the following 
 manthram at that time :
>
>aathishtEmam asmAnam asmEva dheevagum sthirA bahva I
>apithishtta bhruthanyatha: sahasva bhruthanAyatha : II
>
>( Meaning ) : My dear ANDAL ! May Thou stand on this 
>rock of a grinding stone firmly . In your married life ,
>oppose those , who oppose you without flinching or
>wavering . May Thou bear with your enemies .Oh My dear 
>Wife ! When the violent winds blow during our married 
>life , Please stand firmly like you are standing on 
>this firm pestle and chase away those , who wish 
>to cause harm to You .Please stand firm until these 
>violent  winds blow away . Have courage and patience 
>to stand up to these unplesant and disturbing events .
>Please bear with those , who committ aparAdhams to You .   
>
>ANDAL herself has sung about Her experience of Ammi Mitthitthal
>ceremony assisted by Sri RanganAthA . We come across it in
>the 8th verse of Decad 10.6 of NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi :
>
>Immaikkum yEzhEzh piRavikkum paRRAvAn 
>nammai udayavan NaarAyaNan nambi 
>Semmai udaya ThirukkaiyAl thALL paRRi 
>AMMI MITHIKKAK kanAk kantEn thOzhi naan 
>
>ANDAL housed this description as the 8th
>paasuram to celebrate the Lord of AshtAkshara
>Manthram ( MUla manthram ) . This is a profound 
>paasuram and is a grand summary of the relationship
>between sEshi and sEshan just as " ChiRRam siru kAlE
>Vanthunnai sEvitthu -- " paasuram of ThiruppAvai . 
>There ANDAL declares majestically , " yeRRaikkum 
>yEzhEzh piRavikkum unthannOdu uRROmE aavOm ,
>unakkE naamAtcheyvOM , maRRai namm kaamangaL
>mARRElOrempAvAI " . In the Ammi mithitthal 
>paasuram , she reminds us of the same profound and
>central truth ( SaraNAgathi sAsthram ) with almost 
>the same words that are like echos to her Thiruppaavai
>paasuram . Here she says : " Immaikkum yEzhEzh
>piRavikkum , nammai udayavan NaarAyaNan nambi 
>paRRAvAn " .The usage of " nammai udayavan " is
 another thundering revelation . We can now understand why 
 Sri RanganAthA gave the title of "Udayavar " to
 Sri RaamAnujA .  
>
>ANDAL declares here that the relationship between 
>NaarAyaNan and us is " ozhikka ozhiyAthu " ( a relationship
>that lasts forever and can not be broken by any means ) .
>In this world ( Immai ) during the septads of births 
>and also in the other world ( MaRumai ) , he is the ONE
>to lean on as UpAyam and UpEyam to get MokshAnugraham .
 ANDAL reminded the sleeping Nanda GopAlan of His duties
 in this context ( paarArthyam ) in Her ThiruppAvai paasurams 
 and woke Him up to perform those duties ( EmperumAn 
 NandagOpAlA YezhunthirAi ; umbar kOmAnE , urangAthezhundirAi).
>
>ANDAL was born as the daughter of PeriyAzhwAr ,
>who declared , " yEzhAtkAAlum PazhippilOm--
 ThirumAlE! naanumunakku PazhavadiyEn ".
>She performed MangaLAsAsanam for Her Lord in 
 the ammi mitthitthal paasuram ( nammai udayavan
 NaarAyaNa nambi ) and reminded us that Sri RanganAthan 
 is sarva lOka >SaraNyan and Sarva sEshi .
 That primary principle ,Sri RanganAtha touched 
 Her toe with  His lotus soft hands 
>and lifted it along with the foot and placed it on
>the Ammi ( semmai udaya thirukkaiyAl thALL paRRi 
>ammi mithikka kanak kantEn ) .
>
>Laaja Homam (Offer of parched rice to Agni )
>********************************************
>
>The next ceremony is Laaja homam . This is the occasion ,
>when ANDAL like other brides prays for the state of
>auspiciousnes for Her Lord Sri RanganAthan and seeks 
>Her Lord's aaseervAdhams . 

In the ninth paasuram of VaraNamAyiram , ANDAL 
describes the laaja homam ceremony :

--- arimuhan achyuthan kaim mEl yennkai vaitthu 
poRimuham tattakk kanAk kantEn thOzhi naan  
>
>When the bride enacts lAja homam , she cups her hand 
>and the brothers of the bride place a handful of parched rice
>( poRi ) . Then bridegroom adds few drops of ghee to that
>parched rice . The bride and bridegroom together
>perform then the laaja homam and throw 
>the ghee-moistened popped rice into the fire as 
>aahUthi with the following manthram :
>
>iyam naaree upabhruthE kulpAthyAvapanthikA I
>dheerghAyurasthu mEh pathir jeevAthu saradas satham II
>
>( Meaning ) : O Agni ! My wife is praying for 
>long life to me. She prays for me to have hundreds
>of years of life as her husband .
>
>After the Laaja homam , the dampathis went around 
>the fire thrice to the  accompaniment of three more
>Veda manthrams .These manthrams house prayers for 
>long married life , suprajAs and strength to bear
>with all difficulties that one might come across 
>in married life .
>
>Another Ammi mitthitthal and three laaja homams are 
>conducted with appropriate veda manthrams.One of 
>the laaja homa manthram prays to Agni to release 
>the wedded kannikai to be released from the grip 
>of her household of birth and appeals for firm
>links to the house of the husband .The other laaja homa 
>manthram is addressed to AryamA and prays for unison
>in thought and  action among the dampathis in 
>their married life .
>
>Release of VaruNa paasam as the concluding act of marriage
>**********************************************************
>
>Now , the darbhaa rope tied around the bride's waist is 
removed with the recitation of two manthrAs . The meaning 
of these manthrAs are : " Oh My dear wife! I release you
now  from the paasam tied by Lord VaruNA of benevolent 
disposition . I will strive to create a happy home for you 
in the land , where puNyasAlis live in this world created 
by BrahmA . 

The graha PravEsam ceremony follows and the bride
travels to her husband's home to become the queen of 
that household . In the Rg vedam , there are elaborate
manthrams of the dampathis travelling with HomAgni
on  a canopied cart to the groom's house .These are 
beautiful and powerful manthrams that seek auspiciousness
in married life .We will be hard pressed in time to cover them
here .  We will include the tenth paasuram describing 
the happy state of mind of ANDAL , when she as the bride of 
Si RanganAtha goes around the thiruveethis ( streets ) of
Sri VilliputthUr on the back of a well caparisoned
elephant and concludes her dream of marriage to 
Her Lord in the manner prescribed by the ancient VedAs :

kumkumam appik kuLir sAntham mattitthu
mangala veethi valam seythu maNa neer 
angavanOdumudan senRu angAnai mEl
manjanamAttak kanAk kantEn thOzhi naan 

In Her palasruthi paasuram , ANDAL informs us
that those , who recite Her VaraNamAyiram paasurams
dealing with Her marriage to Sri RanganAthan 
with Bhakthi would have suprajAs in this world .

" thUya Tamizh maalai eerainthum vallavar
vaayunan makkaLaip peRRu mahizhvarE "

At the end of NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi , she points 
out that those , who recite Her prabhandham with 
devotion would get some thing superior to just
getting suprajAs , (Viz., ) the refuge at the sacred
feet of Her Lord Himself :

" ----Godhai sol , marunthAmenru tamm manatthE vaitthuk
kondu vAzhvArgaL , PerumthALudaya pirAnadik keezh
piriyAthu yenrum IruppArE "

ANDAL out of Her love for us as Her dear children 
reveals that Her Prabhandham is like"Marunthu" for us 
suffering from the disease of SamsAram ( marunthAm yenru
manatthE vaitthuk kondu vAzhvArgaL ) . She elaborats further
the fruits of such observance : " perumthALudaya 
PirAn adik keezh piriyAthu YENRUM iruppArE . The shade
of the Lord's gigantic feet/ perumthAL  ( Thiruvadi Nizhal )
is the fruit ( palan and prasAdham).ANDAL states that 
the BhaagyasAlis , who recite Her Prabhandham with Bhakthi ,
will remain united with the comforting shade of Her Lord 
Thrivikraman's sacred feet and will never ever br separated
from them ( anthamil pErinbam adaivAr ) .

May the divya karuNA katAksham of 
the newly married divya dampathis  
( nithya kalyANa mUrthys )of Srirangam 
fall on ALL of us to permit the performance 
of Graha  pravEsam for them in their 
new home at Pomona , New York before 
too long . 

Meanwhile , May I recommend that you browse
the Sri RanganAthA temple home page 
( url --http://www.geocities.com/~ahobilam/ranga.html )
and get acquainted with the excellent information
assembled there and join in this mahA kaimkaryam .

DaasAnu Daasan , 
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan