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(Fwd) Pancha Krishna aaraaNya shekthrams and other such shEkthrams

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • February 1, 1996 


 Thiruk kaNNankudi is popularly names as "THE" "Krishna aaraNyam" (like how
Sri rangam is known as THE kOil) and there are 5 such Divya dEsams that are
also classified in a group as Panch Krishna aaranYam (dark forest area or Sree
Krishnaa's forest) . They are

1. Thiruk kaNNan kudi (The Krishna aaranYa shekthram)

2. thiruk KaNNa mangai ( oldest of all the shekthrams, as "thirumakaL" or kaNNa
mangai came directly here soon after the ocean churning episode during koorma
avathaaram and stayed here )

3. Thiruk KaNNapuram (ashtaakshara manthra sidhdhi shEkthram)

4. kabisthalam (gajEndra mOksha shEkthram)

5. thiruk kOviloor (thiruvikrama avathaara shEkthram)

There are also an elite club of pancha naaraayaNa shekthrams that are situated
around thiruk KaNNan kudi.  which are

south - aaparaNathaari or aananda naaraayanan
south west - periya aalaththoor varatha naaraayanan
south west - thEvoor thEva naaraayanan
south west - keevaLoor yathava naaraayaNan
south west - thiruk kaNNankudi thaamOthara naaraayaNan (one of 108 DD)

 In addition to these , there are seven cities known as mukthitharum nagar or
mOksham offering cities, and 12 thalams known as mukthi tharum thalams or
mOksham offereing thalams (most of them are Srinivaasa perumal kOils) , and
seven shEkthrams known as "mukthi tharum shEkthram" or (the shEkthrams that
offer mukthi or mOksham) and the shekthrams are listed as follows.

1. Thiru vEnkatam
2. Sri mushnam (not one of 108 DD, however, current periyaasramam Srimath
andavan is from here)
3. thiruvarangam or sri rangam
4. thoth thaathri
5. saalak graamam
6. Bathrik aachramam
7. naimi saaranyam (43 jeer attained parama patham here)

These are listed in padma puraaNam as

\
srirangam vEnkaaathrincha mushNam thOtha parvatham
saaLakraama pushkarancha nara naaraayanchramam
naimisam sEthimE sthaanaa nyashtav mukthi parathaaniva
rathEsh vashtaasa sharai kai varNumurmuthir, vasaamyakam
thishtaami krishna shEthra puNya spathaka yOkatha
ashtaach charasyai mantharsya sarvaatch chara mayanthsathaa.
\


It is beleived that each of these shekthrams has one "aksharam" or syllabal of
the ashtaaksharam conatined in it. The constituents of these independant
shEkthrams cannot be discussed in detail here as they are part of the mukya
manthram.However since ashtaaksharam is publically known, an insight can be
given, encouraging the readers to seek their own answers, themselves. Everyone
knows by now that Sri Rangam has the first letter "praNavam" (amala naathi
piraaN) . One of the aksharam or letter is repeated or appears twice in
ashtaaksharam and hence the number of shekthrams that carries the letters of
ashtaaksharams are seven and were also classified as "saptha mukthi
shEkthrams".

However, there is one shEkthram that offers the combined effect of all these
aksharams ie.. the essence of ashtaaksharam. The sookshmam or the clue is
that the shekthrams that have all the following surroundings situted together
will have the essence of "ashtaakshara manthram" in it. Such  shekthram
will have the following


1. Thalam
2. Vanam or aaraNyam
3. nathi or river
4. kadal or sea
5. nagaram or township
6. theerththam
7. vimaanam

The only shekthram that has all these, and qualified as "ashtaakshara manthra
siddhi shekthram" is Thiruk KaNNapuram which is also one of the panch krishna
aaranYa shekthram. Thirumnagai was initiated with astaaksharam in "Thiruk
kaNNapuram" by the Lord HIMself.

Sri KaNNapura naayaki SRi Sowri raajan thiruvadikaLe saraNam

Sampath Rengarajan