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thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 7 - mugilgaL meeNdum meeNdum piRappathu arangatthil

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sampath Rengarajan • November 27, 1999 


Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam

thiru adhyayana sEvai - part 7 - mugilgaL meeNdum meeNdum piRappathu 
arangatthil thEngavO !

Dear bAgawathAs,

mugilgaL meeNdum meeNdum piRappathu arangatthil thEngavO
ponniyin perukkum Ottamudan puRandanaippu aranganaich chEravO
pookkoottam pOttiyil punmuRuval poorippathu aranganai thazhuvavO?
varudamum mAthamum nAtkaLum uthippathu Aranganin vizhAviRkO ?

Meaning:
Those dark clouds are  born  and again. ie They are born and they
give their  lives  for  the  benefit of pouring and soon they are
born  again  and  so  on. Are these clouds taking birth again and
again only to get  clogged  in  the  thiru  pushkaraNi  of  thiru
arangam such that one day or  the  other  they  get  to serve Sri
Arangan during HIS theppa uthsavam ? The ponni or  kAuveri  river
is flowing in its full spate and   is   rushing,  and superabound
through the closer circuit (*) only to join SriArangan during HIS
thirumanchanam ?  Those flower buches are blossoming in abundance
and with their most plesant smile.  While doing  so  they compete
with each other and try to excel each other so that each onw will
get to  be picked up for adorning the Lord. Those flowers compete
to be best so that they can become the garland  for  perumAL  and
embrace HIM? Are those years, months, and days are born again and
again in cycle only to celebrate Sri Arangan's Uthsavams ?

(**) During mAhAthsovams these parvOtsavas merged  into  them  on
those  days.  Hence  a  brief  account  of  these  uthsavams  are
presented here.  The  parvOthsvams  are  simple  one  day  events
celebrated  inside  the  temple  during the pancha parvas such as
mAsa piRappu, amAvAsya,  Pournami, 2  ekAdasis  and  the  rEvathi
nakshatthira thiru nAL.  On  these  days, namperumAL comes out of
garba gruham and goes around the mandapam and through the western
steps past dwAra bAlagAs, and into the Sri Raja mahEndran circuit,
and goes in pradakshinam and comes back through the eastern steps
back into the mandapam.

The ascending of the steps is called "padi ERRam" and it is done
as per the set music and in a very spectacular way. This is very
unique to Srirangam only.   Each and every move of Sri Rangantha
has an inner significance. The inner meaning  of  some  of these
will be disucssed as a part of the thiru adhyayana  sevai.    On
entering this hall perumAL and nAcchiyArs are seated in a sandal
wood pavilion, known as santhana mandapam.  PoojAs are performed
here and after such, namperumAL descends down again through  the
eastern steps  and  completes  the  circuit  and  ascends  again
through the western steps and go back to the garba graha.

Srimadh Azhagiya singar thiruvadikaLE saraNam
Sri RanganAyikA samEtha Sri RangarAjan thiruvadikaLE saraNam
thiruk kudanthai Rengarajan

note:  (*) There  is a small beanch of kAuveri that comes inside
Srirangam  and  is  known as "thirumanchana kAuveri". adiyEN had
the bAgyam to visit to this inside Sri thAthAchAryAr gardens. We
had a  gathering  there  in  that  most  "ramayamAna  idam" that
is surrounded by mango plants. In good old days,  perumAL  thiru
manchana dhErttham is used to be obtained from  here on elephant
tops. Later this practice is shifted to Sri AmmA mandapam.

(**) -  There may or may not be some *small* variations in these
in  the  current  days  in  the  way  these  puRappAdu  is being
celebrated. This is how it used to be in the olden days.

*****************************************************************

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