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SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi day Release of audio Casette on Ranga-Raama Bhakthi

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • Sun Dec 15 2002 - 17:15:00 PST 


SrI:

SrI RanganAtha ParabrahmaNE Nama:

Today is the SamvathsarOthsavam (annula festival )of 
SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi PuRappAdu at SrIrangam . The Lord emerges 
out of His aasthAnam and goes thru the special Vaikunta Vaasal
(Tavittari Vaasal) followed by the blessed throngs of devotees
(Thiruvaranga KoottatthAr)after following some ancient rites
relatable to yOga Saasthram .

The Vaikunta EkAdasi Celebrations at SrIrangam
***********************************************
This is  a Naataka roopa Uthsavam , where the Lord Himself
enacts the very stages of a Mumukshu's (one who is desirous of 
gaining Moksham ) travel via archirAdhi mArgam (dEvayAna maargam),
the enjoyment of the MaryAdhais  by adhivAhikAs on the way , 
a dip in the virajA river, welcome by the nithya sooris and welcome
by divine damsels thereafter with poorNa kumbhams and the climactic
entry through the gOpuram of SrI Vaikuntam to reach the inner court ,
where the Lord welcomes the Muktha Jeevan ;there the liberated 
jeevan enjoys the supreme bliss of being with the Lord 
and performing nithya kaimkaryam there for Him and
His Devis (vide: Parama Padha sOpAnam of Swamy Desikan).

The Vaibhavam of SrIrangam
***************************  
SrIrangam is saluted as Thiruvarangam Periya Koil 
( the grandest and the holiest temple of SrIrangam ).
It is ancient and its illustrious Vaibhavam is indicated 
by Swamy  VedAntha Desikan in his Tamil Prabhandham :

aarAtha aruLamudham pothintha kOil
ambhuyatthPn AyOddhi mannarkkaLittha kOil
thOlAtha taniveeran thozhutha kOil
thuNaiAna VeeDaNaRkku thuNayngkOil
sErAtha patyanellAm sErkkum kOil
sezhumaRayin mudhal yezhutthu sErntha kOil
theerAtha vinai anaitthum theerkkum kOil
Thiruvarangam yenat-thikazhum kOil thAmE

--AdhikAra sangraham: Paasuram 42 

(Meaning): The dhivya dEsam of Thriuvarangam 
is the permanent  abode of the KaruNA moorthy ,
Lord RanganAthan , who is like the insatiable nectar
for His dear devotees. This temple (VimAnam and
PerumAL ) was given as a present by BrahmA to 
the Emperors of IashvAku Kulam to which Lord 
Raamachandra belongs. The Lord of this temple was
worshipped by Lord Raamachandran Himself during His 
Vibhava avathAram at AyOddhi.This Lord resting under
PraNavAkAra VimAnam became the protection for 
VibhIshaNan , who served the Lord during His
RaamAvathAram. This Koil has the uniqueness of
conferring boons that can not be obtained 
elsewhere. It is united with the VimAnam shaped 
in the form of PraNavam. Visit to this koil destroys
all of our sins.This Koil therefore stands on top 
of every dhivya dEsam.

The Moola and Uthsava BhErams at SrIrangam
*******************************************
The Moola BhEram ( Moolavar or the stationary deity)
is the Lord who is resting on AdhisEshan . He has the rope
marks on His waist arising from the days , when His mother
YasOdhA bound Him with KaNNinuNN SiRutthAmpu ( small knotted
rope), to punish Him for stealing butter . He got the name
of DaamOdhara KrishNan from that day onwards. Thus the Moola
BhEram at Srirangam is recognized and saluted as Krishnan .

The Uthsava BhEram (Uthsava Moorthy or processional deity)
wears His Paadhukais and goes on SanchAram . He is recognized 
as Raamachandran . He gurantees all those who seek His protection
by granting abhaya pradhAnam (Freedom from fear of any kind):

SakruthEva PrapannAya TavAsmIthi yaachathE 
abhayam sarvabhUthEbhya: dhadhAmyEthath vratham Mama

Even for those who surrender only once to Him for protection ,
He assures them complete freedom from fear of any kind .
He says that it is His vow (Vratham)to protect them. 

That RangarAjan as Raamachandran enjoys sanchAram on 
SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi day wearing His Dhivya MaNi PaadhukAs 
and Special RathnAngi  to enter SrI Vaikunta Vaasal. 
Of this sanchAram adorning His Paadhukais , Swamy Desikan
has this to say in SrI RanganAtha PaadhukA Sahasram:

Saradha: Sathamambha ! PaadhukE ! syAm
    samayAhUtha-pithAmaha-sthuthAni
MaNI MaNDapikAsu Rangabharthu: 
    ThvadhadhInAni gathAgathAni pasyan

--262 SlOakm of Sri RanganAtha PaadhukA sahasram

(meaning): Oh PaadhukE! During Uthsava Kaalams 
at SrIrangam , the dEvAthas are invited to enjoy
the Lord's darsanam.They have all arrived now .
PerumAL starts His sanchAram to the various gem-
studded MaNDapams adorning You. As he travels to
these selected locations , the dEvathAs eulogize Him .
adiyEn has the desire to enjoy that unique sEvai
for a hundred years and stay right here at SrIrangam.

Such is the SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi RathnAngi sEvai
at the Thiruvarangam Periya Koil today .

A special Audio Tape for this Occasion
***************************************
To celebrate the RaamAvathAra Uthsava Moorthy of
SrIrangam , adiyEn is releasing a special tape about
Saint ThyagarAjA's Naatai pancha Rathnam : 
" JagadhAnandha KaarakA ". This Pancha rathnam 
has 108 NaamAvaLis incorporated in 10 charaNams .
Each of the NaamAs are the Naama kusumAnjalis 
placed at the Lotus feet of the Lord by one of
the greatest Raama BhakthAs , the VaalmIki amsar,
ThyAga Brahmam of Panchanadha KshEthram (Tiru IyyARu). 

This Naattai Pancharathnam is different from the other 
Pancha Rathnam known as SrIranga Pancharathnam sung by
him , when he attended the ChaithrOthsavam at SrIrangam .
Latter are the crystallization of the waters of the sweet 
river of Bhakthi that flowed , when the Saint had the darsana 
soubhAgyam of Lord RanganAthan during another Uthsavam . 
The Nattai Pancha Rathnam however is part of AarAdhanam at 
ThiruvayyARu for Lord Raamachandran adorning the special MaNi 
ManTapam that he built for the Lord at the poojA gruham of 
his home . 

The Saint chose the majestic Naattai Raagam to perform
the Naadha KusumAnjali in the form of AshtOtthara Satha
(108) NaamAvaLi . Nattai , GambhIra Naattai, MallAri are 
the raagams chosen for PuRappAdu of PerumAL during
the Uthsavams at our temples. The other 4 of the Pancha 
Rathnams have different moods and are set in the RaagAs of 
GouLai, Aarabhi, VarALi and SrI . The present tape deals
exclusively with the Naattai pancharathnam and the Naadha
naivEdhyam of this great Raama BhakthA.

The Content of the special Audio Tape
**************************************
The deeper meanings of each of the NaamAs adorning
the Naatai Pancharathnam are explained in a mixture of
Tamil, Samskritham and Telegu. The main text is in
Tamil admixed with Sanskrit (MaNi PravALam). The quotations 
from PurANams , Veda Manthrams ,Upanishads ,IthihAsams , 
Kambha RaamAyanam ,SrImath BhAgavatham ,SthOthrams like 
SrI Raghu Veera Gadhyam , Raama KarNamrutham , AzhwAr
Paasurams are included to illustrate the Vaibhavam of
each of the NaamAs chosen by Saint ThyagarAjA in a mood
of Parama Bhakthi . Copious quotations from the other 
Krithis of the Saint are also included to experience 
the echos of the NaamAs belonging to Naattai Pancha rathnam .

The Nattai Pancha rathnam is a Thodaya MangaLa Krithi ,
where the full power of the Rishabha svaram in its sharp
(mjaestic) and upward striving form is brought in to play.
This pancharathnam is also celebrated for the dignity of
its DhAthu and Maathu . It is a brilliant and moving
eulogy and at best a heroic praise for a Hero without
any match. The SvarAlankArams found in this Naatai 
Pancharathnam are evidences to the genius of this
composer , who had the anugraham of the peripatetic
Saint Naaradha ,the great bard singing the glories of 
SrIman NaarAyanan to the accompaniment of his VeeNA .

On this SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi of ChithrabhAnu ,
adiyEn is fortunate to share with you the news 
about the special ( Home recorded ) audio Tape 
along with the recordings on the other Ghaana
Raaga Pancharathnams . The second pancharathnam ,
" Duduku gala nannE " is in a mood of Naicchiyam 
and aathma garhanam ( mood of repentence and 
recount of his shortcoings).The third pancharahtnam
(samayAniki) is the dialog with KrishNan (Moola BhEram of 
SrIrangam)while worshipping Him as Raamachandran(Uthsava
BhEram of SrIrangam ) in the ChAyalaka raagam of Aarabhi. 
The fourth Pancharathnam ( Kana Kana RuchirA) is set
in (Jaala) VarALi raagam to celebrate the Roopa Mahimai
of SrI Raamabhadran. The fifth Pancharathnam in the auspicious
Raagam of SrI (YentharO MahAnubhAvulu) celebrates 
the darsana mahimai of Parama BhAgavathAs. 

AdiyEn has written about them in English in Bhakthi List.
These recordings however follow the original Tamil Text 
of a Book that adiyEn wrote in 1990 with forewords from 
SangItha KalAnidhis Semmangudi SrInivAsa Iyer and
PaalakkAdu K.V.NaarAyana Swamy Iyer . 

adiyEn concludes this special SrI Vaikunta EkAdasi
essay with three salutations to SrI Ranga Raaman:

NeelabhadrEsa! NikhilEsa ! JagannivAsa! RamaNIya-guNAbhirAma!
SrIdhAma ! Dhaithyakula mardhana! Raamachandra! 
Thvath pAdham anisam kalayAmi chitthE !

DasaraTa-varaputhram  JaanakI-sathkaLathram 
Dasamukha haradaksham Padma PathrAyAdhAksham 
Karadhrutha Sara chApam chAru-mukthA-kalApam
Raghukula NruvarENyam RaamamIdE SaraNyam

--BhOdhEndhrAL's SrI Raama KarNAmrutham

vadhathu vadathu VaaNi RanganAthEthi Nithyam
Japathu Japathu chittham RangaEsa paadhAravindham
Namathu namathu dEham santhatham RanganAtham
na bhavathu mama pApam janma-janmAntharEshu 

SrI BhUlOka Vaikunta ChakravarthinE nama:
Daasan , Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan 



 


  







  

 

   


         
  



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