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thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 22 - athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham !

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • December 5, 1999 


Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 22 - athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham !

Dear bAgawathAs,

nalliravil thuthikkum eerath thuLigaL
nalluRavil uthikkum vennira paLingu
azhagain thEvaiyE vizhAkkal palAyiram
athiyayana sEvaiyE aranganin pErAnandham

meaning:

The stars that are winking during the clear night sky are sending
its rays to Sriranganm to do the prayers during  the   thiruvizhA
every  day and night. This is  similar to the wet rain drops that
are falling at Sriranga kshEthram to witness the thiru  vizhA  as
well.  The common thing  is  that  they both dampens the Sriranga
boomi and makes it a pleasant place for  the  vAsis of Srirangam.
Thus they  also  serve the  adiyArs  of  Sri  Arangan.  The  full
moon that appears is a   wonder  and  is  similar to a pure white
marble in the sky. It is coming  out in its full  beauty  only to
be a "play toy" for Sri Krishna in Srirangam  to  play  with  it.
There are   thousands  of  uthsavams  that  are  required  to  be
conducted in  Srirangam to celebrate the  "athi  aRputha  Azhagu"
of  Sri  Arangan. The adhyayana sEvai is the  ursavam  that gives
the most joy to Sri Arangan.


Simple reasoning as to why this is the best uthsavam of all:

Sometimes this episode  is interpreted in a different way as well.
The fact that perumAL did not show the deepam alone  but  as well
the  bearer Sri utthama nambi,  it  could  be  understood that it
clearly implies  the  saranagathi  or  prapatti  mArga through an
AchAryA. The "deepam" cannot  have  come to the garba gruham  all
by itself.  Sri  Utthama  nambi  has  to  carry it. Similarly the
jivAtama jyothi cannot attain mOksam all by its own  efforts.  An
AchAryA has to carry it to perumAL and such  carrying is  nothing
but the prapatti or saranAgathi  or baranyAsam done by an AchAryA
on behalf of us. This being the case thirumangai  could  not wait
to  show  this  mArgam  to  the  entire world. Hence  he  pleaded
to  perumAL that  he  brings  Sri nammAzwAr  and  do  a pArAyanam
of his pAsurams that show the saranAgathi mArgam to  attain  HIM.
AzhwAr wanted to make the  chanting   of   these  pasurams  as  a
mOksha uthsavam or saranagathi upAya viLakka uthsavam itself.

In all, we have  mentioned (*) a purpose  for  each  uthsavam  in
Srirangam so far.  All  these  uthsavams are  done  for  bagawath
preethi only. However the parama preethi for perumAL  is  derived
by perumAL HIMself when HE gets  back  what  belonged  to HIM all
along. ie jivAthmAs. Such "getting back" is done through prapatti
or saranagathi through an AchAryA. Due  to  perumAL's  own  thiru
uLLAm it was revealed to thriumangai. Then  subsequently  through
thirumangai himself this uthsavam was shown to the jivAthmAs that
prapatti  upAyam  is  a  uyvikkum  sAdhanam  for  jivAthmA. Since
through  this  upAyam  perumAl  gets back HIS  possession that is
always dear to HIM, (that is  jivAthmAs), and   since this is the
only uthsavam that facilitate jivAthmAs to know about it, this is
the best of all uthsavams. There is no doubt about it. Even today
this is the most highly  attended  festival  in  Srirangam.   Sri
nAthamuni and Sri  udayavr themselves created even more elaborate
arrangements to demonstrate the  anubava rahasyasm of  AzhwAr and
make jivAthmAs understand this important concept of Srivaishnavam
namely  saranagathi  or  prapatti.  Every  temple   has  its  own
uthsavams. Many are different from temple to temple. But  when it
comes to thiru  adhyayana  uthsavam  it  is  the  most  important
festival adopted by almost all  Srivaishanava  temple symbolising
the  importance  of prapatti.

Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam
thiruk kudanthai Rengarajan

(*) adiyEn  is  writing  the  uthsavams  in   a  sequence  from
chitthirai  to  panguni.  Though  there  are   very   important
uthsavams that come  during  the  period  after thiru adhyayana
Sevai , no one gives so mush pleasure for Lord and thAyrAr than
this thiru adhyayana sEvai. adiyEn will continue  to  write  on
the other uthsavams after writing about thiru adhyayana sEvai.

*****************************************************************

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