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thirup pAvai - part 29 - "namperumAL"

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • Sat Jan 09 1999 - 05:29:53 PST 


thirup pAvai - part 29 - "namperumAL"

Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam

Dear bAgawathAs,

	     It  is  a  known fact that bagawAn's  divya mangaLa vigraham has 
the "ubAyathuvam", ie the ability  to  stand as the 
sAdhya upAyam  HIMself. Some people  may  question   as to   how 
prapatti or baranyAsam  is performed  in  front  of   the  divya
mangaLa vigraham. ie., One may ask as to how a prapatti  (nOnbu) 
is  offered  through  an  AchAryA  in  front of a "divya mangaLa 
vigraham  and not the "arcchA rupam" is acceptable ? ie., It  is  widely 
acceptable that the archhA rupam is one of the five forms 
of the Lord.  So  one  can  assume  that Lord  is present in any 
archhA rupam as similar to  how HE is present  in  Srivaikundam. However 
one may get confused when divya mangaLa vigraham is also considered  in   
par  with  the "archhA rupam" and  prayers  and prapatti are offered at 
the  holy  feet  of  the  divya  mangaLa vigraham.  

	To begin with, many of the divya  mangaLa  vigrahAs  are
all provided by Lord HIMself during yAgam or through vibavam  ie
during HIS avathAram, eg Sri ParthasArathy perumAL divya mangaLa
vigraham was  given  to  Sri vyAsar by Sri Lord Krishna Himself. 
It is said that  Sri Venkadan's and Sri Varadhan's divya mangaLa 
vigrahams came out of yAgam.    Sri  mAlOlan   and   Sri Lakshmi 
Hayagreevar   are  all blessed by lord to HIS devotees directly.
When  we  are  in the  presence  of Sri namperumAL of Srirangam, 
Sri Sarangapani  of  thiruk   kudanthai,  Sri Azhagar (aparanchi 
perumAL), Sri Oppiliappan and Sri Ramar of Vaduvoor  our  hearts 
melt and eyes  water  down   with   a   feeling  of a "radiance"  coming  
from  them enveloping us.  Even  our  voices  choke ie., 
in tamil it is said "kural thazhu thazukkum". These feelings are  
born  due to our sambandam with these perumAL as our Lord stands 
in front of  us  in these divya mangaLa  vigrahams  and  we  are 
able to realise HIS presence.

	Howvever, there are references from our  poorvAcchAryArs
that explains us the validity of the divya mangala vigraham  and 
its role in accepting our prayers. It is further said that divya
mangaLa vigraham has the ubAya swaroopam of  the  Lord.

Sri thirumangai  AzhwAr delivered pAsurams on Sri theLLiya singa 
perumAL's divay mangala Vigraham at Sri pArtha sArathy  koil  in
thiru allik  kEni  and dedicated a whole deacde on  Sri Ramar of 
vaduvoor (when HE   was   in  thiruk kaNNa puram). Swami desikan 
delivered a  sloKam  on  Sri  namperumAL of Srirangam   in   Sri bagwath 
dyAna SOpAnam.  Since  this  reference  of  Sri ANDAL is referered to 
the divya mangaLa vigraham of Sri NamperumAL in her
nOnbu (upAyam)  it  is  important  to  deal  this verse of Swami 
dEsikan.

	kAnthO thArairayamiha bujai: kangana jyA kinAngai:
        laksmee thAmna: pruthala parihailakshithAbeethi hEthi:|
        agrE kinchithbujaga sayana: swAthmanaivAthmanaha: san
        madyE rangam mama cha hrudayE vardhathE sAvarotha:||

Simple meaning:

  Sri Arangan who is also known as  the "Aravanaip paLLiyAn"  or 
the one  who is lying  down on  His serpant  bed,  incaranted  a 
little in  front of HIM in  another  rupam or thiruk kOlam. Such 
rupam has all the beautiful  jewlerries and weapons  and appears 
as  a temple for pirAtti in HIS chest (chest of Sri NamperumAL). 

The four  hands of this thiruk  kOlam (of Sri namperumAL) appear 
to be  standing guard, with all  the holy weapons in them.  This
thiruk kOlam (of Sri namperumAL)   also  appear  with  HIS ubaya 
nAcchimAr.  Such thiruk  kOlam is  doing nityA vAsam in this Sri
rangam that is  in the  middle  of  the  ubaya kAuveri. (kauveri 
and kollidam garlands Srirangam  and as  such  Srirangam  is  an  island  
between these two branches of thiruk kauveri river. Such 
thiruk kOlam  (of Sri namperumAL   incarnated   in  my  hrudayam 
as well and is dwelling in my hrudayam as well.
     	
Sri ANDAL thiruvadikaLE saraNam 
Sampath Rengarajan      



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