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Sri ParthasArathy of Thiru AllikkENi

From the Bhakti List Archives

V. Sadagopan • March 8, 1997 


Dear Friends :

Today is the day of TeppOthsavam for
Sri ParthasArathy at ThiruvalliKKeni . Like the waves
wafted by the sanchAram of the Teppam , 
my mind is soothed by the memory waves of my
days as a resident of this Divya Desam . 

I was a resident of 31 Hanumantha Rayan 
Koil St , while I was studying at VivekAnandhA 
College , Mylapore. This street is on the south side of 
the KairavaNi pushkaraNi  .My father(Poundarikapuram
S.Varadachariar )  resided at Car St
for a few Years and for a  few more at PeyzhwAr Koil St ,
which is right next to the temple of GeethAchAryan . 

I taught Science for the twelfth grade students at 
the National High School for a semester before 
starting my Master's degree in Chemistry at 
ANNAmalai UNiversity . The school is at T.P .Koil
Street ( TuLasingha PerumAL Koil /TeLLiyA Singha 
PerumAL Koil Street ) . From my class room on the top
floor , I had the darsanam of the Vimanam of TeLLiya 
Singha PerumAn . The morning prayer at the School was 
" Krupai Koorndhu Yemmai Kaakum DayALA ,
Geethayai aruLiya ParthasArathE --ThiruvallikkENi
vaazh MaNivaNNA , nitya KalyANaa---- " .  

My memories of ThruvallikkENi and Sri RukmaNi ,
Vedavalli Sametha ParthasArathy are very special .
Sri S.Rengarajan"s informative and deeply-researched 
postings stirred up my memory of
my boyhood  years at ThiruvalliKKENi . I want
to share with you some of my memories related 
to the Naadha Naivedyam offered to Sri ParthasArathy 
by three  illustrious composers of Carnatic music tradition .  

Sri Thyagabrahmam came here and offered his homage
and composed a krithi . I forgot the name of this Krithi
composed during the occasion of AiyyarwAL's visit to the temple
during  his stay with his key disciple , VeeNai Kuppaiyer . 
Perhaps one of the musical scholars of this group 
can refresh my memory .

Sri Mutthuswamy Dikshithar composed a krithi in Raagam 
Suddha  DahnyAsi , a Janya Raagam of nata Bhairavi ,
the 20th MeLa Ragam.  Suddha DanyAsi is an upAnga
Raagam that can be sung at all hours . This Samashti krithi 
(Krithi without Anupallavi ) is made up of  simple 
but evocative Sanskrit phrases:

Pallavi :         Sri PaarthasaarathinA  Paalithosmyaham sadhaa

CharaNam : Gopasthree Mohitha VeNu ghAnEna 
                        Sri RukmiNi manOllasakaaraNena
                        prapanchArthi hara dhAna nipuNa Vaikunta sthithEna
                        Tumburu Naarda NuthEna , Guru Guha SammodhithEna
                        ( Sri ParthasArasArathinA Paalithosmi Aham Sadhaa)

In a companion posting of this day dealing with the slokams of 
RanganAtha PaadhukhA Sahasram , I made reference to NaradA
reciting Saama Ghaanam on his VeeNa (slokam 451 of RPS) 
and the Gopa Sthrees being enchanted with the VeNu GhAnam of 
Sri KrishNa at Thiru Aaypaadi as a seven year old child (Slokam 460).

Sri Dikshithar"s charaNa  vaakyams connect to both of the above
incidents ( gopasthree Mohitha VeNu ghanEna , Naarada Nuthena ) .
Sri Dikshithar also salutes the naipuNyam (mastery ) of the 
Lord who gave us the Sarama Slokam ( Sarva DharmAn 
Parithyajya --) as the Prapancha Arthi Hara Dhaana NipuNan .
Sri Dikshithar declares that he is always protected by 
the Lord , who creates Joy in the mind of His consort RukmiNi
in His role as  the one who responded to the message of
RukmiNi sent through the Brahmin to come to Her father's
capitol and take Her away . KrishNa came as His own Saarathy
and swiftly took Her away to DwarakA and married Her there .
This is waht Dikshithar is referring to , when he says , 
Sri RukmiNi manOllAsa KaaraNEna . As Her consort ,
ParthasArathy is also the source of RukmiNi's eternal joy.
     
The doctrines behind the goal of obtaining the Lord's lotus 
feet as UpAyam and palan through performance of SaraNAgathi 
are profound and closely linked to the Lord , who blesses 
us with the kolam of PaarthasArathy at ThiruvallikkENi .

Sri Dikshithar"s pallavi  statement that he is devoid of fear and that 
he is always  protected ( Paalithosmi Sadhaa ) by ParthasArathy 
hints that he took refuge at the lotus feet of GeethAchAryan at 
ThiruvallikkENi and felt comforted ny the Lord"s acceptance of  
his SaraNAgathi . 

Although we can easily cover  volumes about the doctrine
(tattvam ) of ParthasArathy as the one and only SaraNyan for 
the suffering (arthi ) jeevans , I will quote only one slokam 
from Swami Desikan"s Rahasya Traya Saaram :

upanishadhAm anthE yasmAdh anantha dayA ambhudhE :
trutitha janathA soka: sloka: svayam samajAyatha I
tham iha vidhinA KrishNam dharmam prapathya sanAthanam 
samitha durithA: sankA aathanka thyaja: sukham aasmahE II

(Meaning ) : We have performed SaraNAgathi in the proper way 
in this birth and are devoid of doubts, sins  and fears and are blessed 
with peace and tranquility ; This came about because of our 
saraNAgathi to that ocean of mercy who is the object of the 
salutations of the upanishads . The Sarama slokam that 
removes the samsAra bheethi and sorrow of the populace arose 
out of its own accord from that limitless ocean of compassion ,
PaarthasArathy .

Those PrapannAs in the words of Swami Desikan 
become immortal and attain Parama Padham , the 
supreme abode of the Lord ( tEpi mruthyum athikramya 
yaanthi tadh VaishNavam padham ) . Sri Dikshithar 
must have felt that way , when he declared that he 
is always protected by ParthasArathy .

The next two krithis on ThiruvallikkENi ParthasArathy 
are by the talented composer Mysore Sadasiva Rao.
He was a disciple of the prime disciple of Saint ThyagarAjA ,
Walajapet VenkataramaNa Bhagavathar. he is well known for 
introducing beautiful svara saahityAs in his krithis. 

The two compositions on the presiding deity of ThiruvallikkENi
by him are : (1) " Sri ParthasArathE " in Bhairavi Raagam , another 
janya Raagam of the MeLa Raagam , Nata Bhairavi . This
Bhairavi krithi is set in Khanda Jaathi Triputa TaaLam .The guru
of the Guru of Mysore SadAsiva Rao (Saint ThyagarAjA ) has 
given us 18 krithis in raagam Bhairavi . Mysore sadAsiva Rao 
followed in the path of his PrAchArya and dedicated the krithi
on ParthasArathy in Bhairavi raagam  with Panchama svara eduppu .
He placed the svarasaahityam in the sthala mudrA of the krithi,
" ThiruvallikkENi nagarisa ". This krithi is in Sanskrit like 
that of Sri Dikshithar.

The second krithi by Mysore Sadasiva Rao on ParthasArathy 
is set in Raagam AtANA and TaaLam , Adhi . It is composed 
in Telugu and starts with the pallavi , " Vaachaamagocharaundunai ".
As Swami Desikan visualized ParthasArathy as the supreme one 
at the top of Upanishads , Mysore SadAsiva Rao visulaized 
GeethAchAryan as the one beyond words and speech 
(  Yatho VaachA nivarthanthE , aprApya manasA saha ) .
This composer' s sahitya Vaakyams are known 
for their powerful picturization . He composed another Krithi 
on Lord NarasimhA ( TeLLiya Singham ) in Raagam KamalAmanohari ,
which is a powerful depiction of NarasimhAvathAram . KamalA is
MahA Lakshmi . Her Manoharan is Sri Lakshmi Narasimhan .
It is apt that Mysore SadAsiva Rao chose this Raagam to offer
his homage to TeLLIyasingha PerumAn .

Asmadh GurubhyO nama :

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan