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thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 23 - thennarangam madaippaLLiyin thiru viLakkE !

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • December 6, 1999 


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

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 23 - thennarangam madaippaLLiyin thiru viLakkE 
!

Dear bAgawathAs,

sirikkum mel vAzham nAnamurum
virikkum pal vEzham sAmaramum
thEnarunthum thadaiveLLiyin  peru ilakkE
thennarangam madaippaLLiyin thiru viLakkE

meaning:
That plantain tree  known as vAzham or vAzhai is smiling in nAnAm
or it is shy that it is going to goto  the Sriranga kshEthram and
serve the madapalli of Sri Arangan.  It  is  similar  to  a newly
married girl feeling shy to look at her husband. This "vAzhai" is
going to be served to the parama purushan.  Though  it  is a very
joyous occassion, the vAzhai is feeling shy. It also reflects its
tendersness and riped state. ie a vAzhai will feel shy when it is
fully ripe. The  state of "nazhuval" or slipping out of  the hand
when being grabbed is similar to slipping out of shyness. That is
why when a vAzhai is referred to as feeling shy it  means  it  is
fully ripe. The vEzham or the sugar cane plant is showing off its
beauty  by spreading its leaves like a sAmaram. The vEzham wanted
to be served to Sri Arangan for the thai pongal.  However  it  is
ready in mArgazhi itself for harvest and it is  expecting  to  be
ending  up  in  the madapalli  in  mArgazhi  itself by  doing  an
impressive sAmaram. Those vaNdu or bees that  always  are  taking
sweet honey from flowers (known as thEn arunthum vaNdu) are doing
an upavAsam on friday. ie They are  self  imposing a "thadai"  or
restriction  to its clan on all fridays such that the flowers are
taken for peria perumAL and thAyAr kainkaryam.  They  also impose
this "thadai" on themselves and stay out so that on fridays their
honey hives can be taken  to  the  madapalli  to be both used for
thiru manchanam and  as  well  served  for  Sri Arangan. It is as
though every one of the jivArAsi wants to  endup  in   madappaLLi
sampradhAyam.  It is due to the fact that the tradition  was  set
by Sri AndAL and  Sri  peria  AzhwAr  that  the  thiruk kArthigai
deepam is to be lit  up in madappaLLi. It  looks as if  both  the
AzhwAr and  Sri ANdAL knew in advance  of  the  emergence of  Sri
madappaLLi sampradAyam.  Hence  they  made this  thiru  kArthigai
deepam begin its  journey  to  peria   perumaL  from  madappaLLi.
Those jivArAsis knowing this  tradition  want  to  endup  in  the
madapaLLi  and  be  a part of the deepam in one way or the other.

The festival of thiru kArtthigai deepam:
      Since "perumAL HIMself" showed the "pramAnam" for  prapatti
through  this  episode to "AzhwAr HIMself" this episode paved for
mother  of  all  uthsavams  for  SrivaishnavAs known   as "mOksha
uthsavam"  or thrindeunthAndagam thiru  mozhi and  thiruvAy mozhi
thiru nAL or thiru adhyayana sEvai. This is one way of conception.

This episode is done on thiru kArhtthigai. A  letter  is dictated
by a priest to the temple scribe  representing  perumAL's  voice.
Thus Sri nammAzwAr is invited to come and conduct the festival of
thamizh vEda adhyayanam  during  the  brahma muhoorttha  kAlam of
dEvas ie in mArgazhi. The  ceremony  in  the temple is started by
calling the names of  Arayar  or  the heriditary  singer  of  the
temple   singer.  The  sthAnikar   calls,  "aruLappAdu   madiyAda
daivangaL manavALap perumAL arayar". The Arayar steps forward and
he  is  honoured with theerttham,  sandal  paste,  garlands,  and
parivattam. He then recites few verses from Sri peria thiru mozhi
of Sri  thirumangai AzhwAr. perumAL hears them and is reminded of
AzhwAr.  Then  on  behalf of the perumAL the sthAnikA says again,
"aruLappAdu  Sriranga nArAyanappiriyan". The kanakkupillai or the
accountant comes forward and  receives  the  honours.   Each time
this  divine  command of Lord known as "aruLappAdu" is issued the
commanded responds by saying, "nAyandhE, nAyandhE". The script or
epistle is  roughly  translated in english as follows.


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

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