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Two Articles by Sri Rengarajan on Periya PerumaL Vaibhavam .

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • March 22, 1996 


Dear Members of the Bhakthi Group:

Sri Rengarajan "s timely articles on Periya PerumaaL
and his Vaibhavam:  One can focus on the Tattvam and
legend  associated with SRI  Ranganatha and spend 
a big chunk of our life time on it. Thank you Rengarajan for 
giving us lately a lot  to think about the majesty of 
the Svayam Jyothi engaged in Yoganidra at the banks of 
Cauveri .

Vijay Srinivasan's thought provoking l summary  and
 Sundar"s response are equally timely 
and are  most welcome to distill the essence of our struggle ,
which we act out to different degrees in our lives everyday .
Vijay"s summary of the two schools of thought  is brilliant. 

Yesterday being the Yugadi Celebration day, my mind wandered over
the Sundara Telengu language and the Mahans like Saint Thyagaraja,
Shyaamaa Saastry, Narayana Teerthaa and others , whose ancestors
migrated to the villages of Cauveri Delta . Especially, Saint Thayagaraja"s
Pancha Ratna Keerthanaas on Sri Ranganatha arising from his visit 
to Srirangam moved me. I have a wonderful recording of Bombay Sisters
with the 44th Jeeyar"s Anugraha Bhashanam in my collection of tapes .
The mellow mood of the Divine bard and his appeal to Sri Kasturi Rangan
in the Kambhoji piece is unforgettable.

 Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar"s classic rendering of Thodi piece
 (Rajuvedaleh) and Semmangudi"s rendering of Vinaraadhaa
 in Devaghaandhari , Maharajapuram Viswanatha
Iyer"s emotional appeal and sukham  thru his rendering of the Sarangaa piece ,
Karuna Joodumaiyaah , Kaavedi Rangayaa , Srimati M.S.Suubulakshmi"s 
rendering of the Kambhoji piece in 1966 before the UN General  assembly
with all the many Sangathis that Sri Thyagaraja SwamigaL  are treasures of
memory. 
Sangathis  were introduced by Sri Thyagaraja for the first time to embellish the

emotional and Bhakthi content of the divine pieces he composed. 
Sangathi is intrepreted as Messages. He had indeed many messages to the Lord 
of Srirangam in his Pancha Ratna Krithis of Srirangam.

Kasturi Rangan in our tradition celebrating on Pancha
(Pancha Samskaaram, Pancha Seela,
Pancha Bhootham,Pancha Saara Kshetram  et al ),
also includes the tradition of PANCHA RANGAN.

 These Pancha Rangans are Archa Murthys of Temples
located on the banks of Cauveri river as she moves from the mountains of 
Coorg to the plains of Chola Desam. The first Rangan in the count is 
Adi Rangan , the Lord resting at Sri Ranga Pattinam in Karnaataka.
Even Tippu Sultan worshipped him. 
The second Rangan in count is Appakudatthaan of Thiruppernagar
or Koviladi. The third of the Pancha Rangan is Kasturi Rangan
of Srirangam. The fourth is AarAvamudhan of Thirukkudanthai.
As Cauvery reaches the Sangamam with the Ocean, we find
Parimala Rangapathy of IndaLur as the fifth Rangan
 blessing us . There are many 
other Sayana Murthys on the banks of Cauveri, but the Ones 
with the Name of Rangan assocaiated with  them are the 
Adi Rangan, Madhya Rangan, Kasturi Rangan, Hema Rangan and 
Andhya Rangan. Our Azhwaars have conducted mangaLAsAsanams on 
the four Rangans except the Adi Rangan of Sri Ranga Pattinam.

May the thoughts about Sri Ranganatha bless our minds!

Sadagopan