Bhakti List Archives

thirup pAvai - part 16 - "pOthminO nErizhaiyeer - Lord's para dEsa yAthrai kOlam in Srivillipputhur temple"

From the Bhakti List Archives

Rengarajan • Thu Dec 25 1997 - 06:32:55 PST 


ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam


        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  and soon sets 
out to go to "para dEsam", popularly known as  "kaasi  yAthrai" in 
certain places. This is practised 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 
that and accepts to marry  the  bride.  This is popularly known in 
tamil as "thiru uLLam paRRith thiru uLLam aakinaar".,  ie.,   Lord 
accepted  thiru'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 in the mind of jivAtmaa 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