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divya dEsam - thiru attabuyakaram

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varadhan • November 10, 2000 


srImathE saTakOpAya namaha
srImathE rAmAnujAya namaha
srImathE anantArya mahA guravE namaha
srIman vara vara munayE namaha

November 10, 2000

dear bhAgavathAs,

the following is on thiru ashtabujakaram in kAnchIpuram. the temple
is about 2 kilometers west of dEvarAjap perumAL temple in kAchIpuram.
this divya dEsam has already been adopted.

{background posting on the divya dEsam support project can be located
on  http://www.egroups.com/message/bhakti-list/10011 . Another
recent update on the divya dEsam support project is on
http://www.egroups.com/message/bhakti-list/10985}

{Note: Most of the details are from the book "108 vaiNava divya dEsa
varalaaRU published by srI vaiNava sidhdhAntha nUl padhipu kazhagam".
Any pAsuram paraphrasing/rough translation is adiyEn's English 
rendering of srI. prativAdi bayankaram aNNangarAchAriAr svAmi's 
divyArtha  dIpikai - mostly the padavurais - Needless to say, any 
mistake in this posting is adiyEn's and adiyEn's alone}

divya dEsam: ashtabujakaram - derivative of ashtabuja gruham
mUlavar: AdikEsavap perumaL, gajEndra varadan, ashtabujakaraththAn
thAyAr : alarmEl mangai, padmAsani
thIrtham : gajEndra pushkaraNi
vimAnam : gaganAkruthi, also called chakrAkruthi, vyOmAkara vimAnam

sthalap purANam:

this divya dEsam is mentioned in numerous purANAs.

when brahmA was performing a yAga for Lord vishNu, there were 
numerous disturbances to stop that yAga. emperumAn was indeed helping
brahmA by removing all such obstacles to the yAga. One such obstacle
was kALi. kAli was sent along with countless asurAs to destroy the
yAga. To remove that obstacle, perumAL came with 8 hands, with a 
weapon in each hand, and destroyed kALi and all of the asurAs that
came with her. That is why perumAL in this divya dEsam is called
ashtabujan. This is the ONLY divya dEsam where perumaL has eight
hands.

important points about the temple:

1. on the right side, perumAL has the discus, sword, a flower and
an arrow in the four hands; on the left side, He has the conch, bow,
shield and the mace in the four hands.
2. the day of rOhiNi in the month of chittirai is when perumAL is
said to have destroyed kALi and her army; even to this day, as if to
confirm the sthalap purANam, there is a kALi temple near this
divya dEsam
3. this is the only divya dEsam in the thOndai nAdu area that has
a paramapada vAsal
4. it is said that pEyAzhvAr once wished to see perumAL in the same
rUpam when He gave mOksham to gajEndra. this perumAL, in accordance
with pEyAzhvAr's wishes gave darsaNam to him as gajEndra varadan.
5. piLLaip perumAL iyengAr in his 108 thiruppathi andhAdhi, sings
about this perumAL as kaNNan.

AzhvAr mangaLAsAsanams:

thirumangai AzhvAr, periya thirumozhi 2-8-1 to 2-8-10
thirumangai AzhvAr, in periya thirumadal
pEy AzhvAr, mUnRAm thiruvandhAdhi 99

periya thirumozhi - 2nd century, 9th decade

this decade is completely on ashtabujan; this is a very very beautiful
decade. thirumangai AzhvAr, in the previous decade sings about 
thiruvidavendhai as the mother of parakAla nAyaki. In this decade,
AzhvAr continues as parakAla nAyaki. After he (she) sees ashtabujan,
AzhvAr is spellbound by the beauty of the perumAL. AzhvAr has never
seen perumAL with 8 hands before. This perumAL, even though He has
8 hands and weapons in each one of them, is beautiful and smiling.
AzhvAr cannot understand who this perumAL is. So, in each pAsuram,
he describes perumaL and asks the question "Who is this". AzhvAr
does not even ask the question to perumAL Himself. However, perumAL
answers AzhvAr's question in each pAsuram with "ashtabujakaraththEn" -
i.e. the ruler of the place called ashtabuyakaram. i.e. perumAL
did not want to directly say who He is, at the same time He did not
want to lie - so, he says "ashtabujakaraththEn". Each pAsuram
in this decade has the following general format -




periya thirumozhi - 2-8-3
sempon ilangu valankai vALi thiNsilai thaNdodu sangam oLvAL *
umbar iru sudar AzhiyOdu kEdakam oNmalar paRRiyeRRE*
vempu sinaththu adal vEzham vIzha veN marupponRu paRiththu * iruNda
vamputham pONRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE*

In the right hands, He has arrows made of gold, majestic bow, gadhA
and the conch; He also has the sword, the glowing chakkara, shield and
a beautiful flower;  He also has killed the raging elephant
kuvalayApIdam and has one of its white tusks with Him; He is similar
to a kALamEgam; On seeing such a One, I asked "Who is this" and He
Himself said "I am the one who is the ruler of the place called
attabuyakaram"

periya thirumozhi 2-8-1 to 2-8-10
1. ari uruvaam ivar aar kol enna atta buyakaraththEn enRArE!
2. andaNar pONru ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
3. iruNda vamputham pOnRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
4. anchudar pONRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
5. alaikadal pONRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
6. anngaNam pONRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
7. azhagiyadhu aam ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
8. en aavi oppaar ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
9. anjuvan maRRu ivar aar kol enna attabuyakaraththEn enRArE!
10. than vali than pugazh sUzhnda kachchi attabuyakaraththaadhi thannai

periya thirumadal
ooragaththuL annavanai attabuyakaraththu emmAnERRai

mUnRam thiruvandhAdhi (96)
thotta padai ettum thOlAdha venRiyaan
attabuyakaraththAn agnygnyAnRu


------
AzhvAr emperumAnAr jIyar thiruvadigaLE saraNam,
adiyEn madhurakavi dAsan,
thirumalai anandAnpiLLai varadhan

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           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
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