Reflections on Sri HemAbjhavalli SamEtha Sri DevanAtha PerumAL of Thiruvaheendhrapuram following Swamy Desikan's dvine footsteps: Part I-> MummaNikkOvai

From the Bhakti List Archives

• January 17, 2000


Dear BhakthAs of Sri DevanAtha PerumAL :
During December 2 and 3 , 1999 adiyEn wrote about 
the greatness of ThiruvhIndhrapuram in our sampradhAyam
resulting from Kaliyan's MangaLAsAsanam and Swamy Desikan's
Sri Sookthis in Tamil, Sanskrit and PrAkrutham . AdiyEn
posted then an introduction to Swamy Desikan's Sri Sookthis
and had an extended commentary on NavamaNi Maalai .Today , 
adiyEn will pick up where the discussions were left and
focus on another great Prabhandham of Swamy Desikan 
revered as MummaNikkOvai . We have only ten of the thirty
verses that Swamy composed in adoration of Sri DevanAyakan
and the rest of this prabhandham has been lost . 

Why Now ThiruvahIndhrapuram ?
******************************

AdiyEn is planning a trip to Chennai and Melkote 
by the first week of February following the route of 
AchArya RaamAnujA and Swamy Desikan's KshEthrAdanam .
The two main events of this trip are : (1) SatAri SamarpaNam 
(MudaliaaNdAn) at Melkote RaamAnujA's sannidhi 
and (2) RaajA Vasthram samarpaNam to Sri DevanAthan 
of ThiruvahIndhrapuram . 

This trip should take adiyen thru MadhurAnthakam first
(with the rathna SatAri) and to the famous Jn~Ana Vruksham 
under which Sri RaamAnujA received initiation into 
Sri VaishNava fold from Mahaa Poornar as per the 
command of Sri AlavandhAr.Next stop there will be 
the sannidhis of RaamAnujA and Sri Yeri Kaatha Raaman .
This kshEthram is known as the dhvayam ViLaintha 
Thiruppathi because of the residence of so many 
Sri VaishNavite AchAryAs.

After MadhurAnthakam , the next stop would be
ThiruvahIndhapuram , which was the abode of 
Swamy Desikan for many years. There , a special
RaajA Vasthram ( Velvet dress for the Moolavar 
with special embroidery work by experts from 
MaharAshtrA ) will be presented for the winter season. 
The Muthangi project for Sri DevanAthan will take 
some time and that effort and is estimated to cost
one and half lakhs of Rupees .The RaajA vasthram will 
hence be presented to the Lord until the Mutthangi 
is ready .The RaajA vasthram will be  placed 
at the hands of Swamy Desikan first to symbolize 
the samarpaNam through His hands .

After that halt , adiyEn plans to be in 
Oppiliappan Sannadhi on this SravaNa dwaadasi 
day (Feb 5) .From then on the journey will
continue to Thirukkudanthai, Srirangam ,
Azhagar Koil , SrivilliputthUr and culminate 
in Melkote following the route of AchArya RaamAnujA.
A special akkaara vadisil samarpaNam to the Lord of
ThirumAlirumchOlai would precede the visit to 
Srivilliputthur . Both at Thirukkudanthai and
SrivilliputthUr , adiyen is looking forward to  
perform my dhaNdavath PraNAmam to our AchAryan ,
Sri MalOla PaadhukA Sevaka Sri NaarAyaNa yathIndhra
MahA Desikan .

May the dhivya dampathis bless adiyEn to complete
this trip without vignam ! AdiyEn will share
some thoughts on how Swamy Desikan enjoyed
the Lord of ThriuvahIndhrapuram in the next
few postings and start with the MummaNikkOvai .

Swamy Deikan ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam ,
OppilA-appan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan