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shocking news, thala puraanam, and an appeal for a prayer+

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • November 20, 1995 


[Beginning omitted at the request of the Sender]

             Sri kOmaLa vaLLi thayaar Sri Amuthan  thiruvadikaLe Saranam

The proposed 108 DDD (Divya DEsam Document) is based on the 108 holiest
 temples
of Sriman Naaraayanan.  The "108" temples are collectively referred in "4000"
by
12  aazhwaars.  In other  words  the  holy and  specific  grouping  to  "108"
is
derived,  termed and  attributed  to these  dEsams  only and only by the
Thamizh
MaRai  "4000".  There may be other  literature  referring to any of those in
the
list of "108".  But the "108"  together is in other words  coined or grouped
due
to their reference collectively in "4000".  That brings the importance to
"4000"
as the main literature support for these "108" DDD.  This "4000" was
unavailable
untill Sri man Naatha muni heard Sri Nammaazhwaar's

"Aaraa  vamuthE  adiyEn  udalam  nin  paal  eNpaayE
 Neeraay   alainthu   kaRaiya urukkukinRa  nedumaalE
 seeraar  sen  nel  kavari  veesum  sezhu  neerth  thiruk kudanthai
Eraar  kOlam  thigazhak  kidanthaay  kaNdEn  emmmanE"

and ten other paasurams on amuthan being sung at Sri Amuthan's  sannithi.  It
is
at this moment that Lord Amuthan Induced sriman Naathamuni's thiru vullam
(mind)
to find the rest of the 3989  paasurams.  Ever since  AMuthan  is also  known
as
"Amuthaazhwaar"  as HE is the sole reason for  seeking and revival of the
"4000"
through Sriman Naatha munikaL.

	7 aazhwaars  have sung 51 songs on Lord  Amuthan and most of them
called
on Amuthan next only to "Arangan" and so he is also  considered  the second
most
important perumaal of the "108 DD".  Thiru mazhisai aazhwaar the 4th aazhwaar
in
chronology,  when the "4000" was  offered, is a  "sidhdhar"  earlier  lived as
a
Jain, and Budhdhist before he surrendered to Lord amuthan and went to
thirunaadu
or obtained moksham through "amuthan".  It is believed that "sidhdhars"
mastered
the longevity of the life and learnt to live like the turtles (some of the
giant
turtles live on average 650 to 1000 years in south american  islands as
reported
officially)  is  believd  to have  lived for  "4000"  years  and  realised
 lord
"amuthan" as the causes of all causes.  His brindaavanam is at saathaarath
theru
west of the temple (he is also known as  saathaatha  iyengar).  He is best
known
for  commanding  the Lord to come after him bag and  baggage, at kaanchi.
 Being
tired of seeing HIM in yoga nishtai or (deep sleeping stage)  aazhwaar
 appealed
to the Lord amuthan to wake up and talk to him through

Nadantha kaalkaL nonthavO nadunga  NYaala  mEnamaay
idantha mey  kulungavO ?  ilangumaal  varaich  churam
kadantha kaal parantha kaavirik karai kudanthaiyuL
"kidanthavaa Rezhun thirunthu pEsu",  vaazhi kEsanE !

so did the LORD !  The lord  rose  from his snake  bed and  opened  his eyes
and
spoke to HIM.  This sayanam is known as "kidantha  sayanam" (easy chair pose)
or
uthiyOga  sayanam.  There are 7 other  sayanams  of perumal  seen among the
"108
DD".  We all know that Lord Ranganaatha is in yoga nishtai also known as
bujanga
sayanam.  Thiruk  kudanthai  is the only place where one can see the lord in
his
snake bed in a half risen  posture,  wide awake and  looking at you.  33000
kodi
devars and 7 (saptha)  kannikais, 16 theerthaas or rivers including  kauveri
and
gangai,  and 11  rudraas,  bramhaa  and  all  others  are  present  at his
 feet
worshipping  HIM in his sannithi.  It is also believed that the LORD came in
his
chariot down from heavens, and decided to reside here for ever.  This is
evident
from the  sanctom  sanctorium  which is by itself  situated  on a charriot
 with
several giant wheels and horses and elephants  mounted for pulling it.  It is
in
this context that thirumangai  aazhwaar offered a complete  chapter on
"amuthan"
known as "thiru  ezhuk kooRRi  rukkai".  This paadal is an unique  matrix
 order
with numbers 1 to 7 as attributes of Lord, arranged in twice as many coulmns
and
rows to  symbolically  represent a stack of the "thiruth thEr" or "car" the
lord
is staying in kudanthai.  This temple also has the second largest car or thEr
of
the entire universe (next only to thiruvaiyaaru).  Thiruk kudanthai  aandavan
of
periyaasramam  mobilised  enormous  support  to pull  this car  after a lapse
of
several  decades,  with new iron wheels and axle  replaced by the BHEL,
 Trichy.
His  Holiness  also  arranged  to depict  this  unique  paasuram  "thiru  ezhu
k
kooRRirukkai"  on tha wall near the Swami  dEsikan  sannithi in a pictorial
 way
similar to "amuthan residing in his thiruth thEr".

	There are also other unique thala  puraanmas  available for this
temple.
Perumaal once did "vaitheeka  kaaryam" for a deceased  bakthaa who has no-one
to
perform  his last rites.  The entire town had  witnessed  a stranger
 performing
this rites and the next day  "amuthan" was in a costume as if one had
 performed
such kaaryam.  From this day, every year perumal is costumed in this way on
that
particular  thithi.  incidentally  The  vimaanam  of the temple is also known
as
"vaitheeka  vimaanam"  and  "vEda  vEda  vimaanam".  Thayaar  incarnated  as
the
daughter of hEma  maharishi for whom amuthan has offered his sEvai
 (appearance)
and got married to thayaar  kOmaLa  vaLLi.  The marriage  ritual of the lord
and
thaayaar  is also  known as "kodu  mudi  sErvai"  is a classic  one.
 Thaayaar's
pinnal (back combed mudi or hair) is tied to  perumaal's  angavastharam  in
this
sErvai to depict the  togetherness  of these  dampathigaL.  Ursavar  is known
as
saaranga  paaNi with the holy  weapon  "saarngam"  in his hands.  ursavar  is
so
"expressive"  like  vaduvoor sri raamar and one is sure to feel his divine
grace
at the very sight of HIM.  Thaayaar  is seated on the lotus  flower.  Thayaar
is
also known as "padi thaandaap  paththini" as she never crosses the steps of
this
temple for car festival or anyother such holy processions  known as
"puRappadu".
Even  during  the holy kanu  festival  of  sumangalis,  Thayaar  offers  kanu
at
poRRaamarai  kuLam or tank,  being  inside the temple at the west end door
step.
The  potRRaamarai  kuLam is also known for stationing  the "gene" in a kumbam
or
container  (hence known as kumbakOnam in short  kudanthai) made out of the
"sEr"
or "wet-sand"  taken from "thiruch  chErai" (also one of the "108 DD", the
abode
of "thiru  saaranaathan  and saara naayaki" few miles away from here) during
the
"pralayam"  or (also  referred by other faiths as D day or judgement
 day,etc..)
and was later un-earthed for subsequent  "shrustis" or creation within a
"kalpa"
or the "great cycle of universe".

prathayksham   "  hEma   maharishi

punya   theertham  :  kauveri,   hEma   pushkarani (potRRaamarai),  arasalaaru

thiru vimaanam :  vaitheeka  vimaanam

temple face :  east
town :downtown  "kumbakonam"

important hints for bakthaas :  Every  srivaishnavaa  couple around this area
on
getting  newly  married  will have a photo of perumal and  thaayaar  in
kodumudi
sEvai to bring harmony into their matrimony.  Since  "amuthaazhwaar  is the
sole
reason for  reviving  the  "4000" on "108"  shEkthraas,  it is also  believd
 by
analysts  that those 11  paasurams  of  nammaazhwar  that revived the "4000"
are
equated to "4000" in total and if one would think of amuthan and and chant
these
11 paasurams are blessed with the same yields of chanting  "4000".  And
visiting
this sthalam that was the sole reason for the revival of the  prominance  of
the
grouping  through  "4000"  worship,  also yields the same effect or punniyaas
of
visiting all the "108 DDs".

[Edited at the request of the sender.]

uhalai yenpin pEychchi mulai yoo
davaLai yuyiruNdaan
kazhaLkaL avaiyE saraNaak koNda
kurukoorch sadagOpan
kuzhalin maliyach sonna Oraa
yiraththuLip paththum
mazhalai theera vallaar kaamar
maanEy nOkkiyarkkE

	Namaazhwaar thiruvadikaLe saranam