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Centenary celebrations at NAIMISARANYAM

From the Bhakti List Archives

rkalyani • October 28, 2001 


Srimate  Sri Lakshminrisimha Divyapadukasevaka Srivan satakopa Sri Narayana
Yatheendra Mahadesikaya namaha.:
Dear bhagavatas,
Adiyen  was one of the very fortunate ones to witness the centenary
celebrations of the thirunakshatram of 43rd jeer of Ahobhila mutt,
Srivansatakopa Sri Veeraraghava Satakopa Yateendra Mahadesikan [Sri
Devanarvilagam Azhagiyasingar]  last week.
It was celebrated in a very grand scale by prakrutam Srimad Azhagiyasingar
at Naimisaranyam.I would very much like to share our experience with  our
list members.

Expecting the Divyadesam to be a remote and desolate village, we reached the
place on 22nd morning for Abhigamana aradhanam; to our surprice and
pleasure, the whole village was reverberating with festivity! People from
all over India had gathered in the kshetram not only for the thirunakshatram
celebrations but also for Navarathri and Dassehra which is a very important
fesitival there.
Sri Ahobhila mutt premises is renovated at the cost of Rs. 10 lacs  to
receive the expected crowd for the function.Veda parayanam and
divyaprabhanda parayanam had started five days prior to the main
thirunakshatram day. On 22nd we could see as many as 300 devotees from all
over India, having darshan of Sri Prahlada varadan and Srimad
Azhagiyasingar.
After aradhanam and thaliyaradhanai, we took rest for nearly two hours. Then
the newly done up  photograph of Sri Devanarvlagam Jeer along with his
beautiful panchaloga idol were taken in a procession along the streets of
Naimisaranyakshetram. More than 300  to 400 devotees [both ladies and gents]
followed the procession barefooted [for 3 to 4 km.] with Nadaswaram and
local band in the front and with scholars chanting vedam  and
divyaprabhandam. It was really a rare sight to see Srimad Azhagiyasingar
following  his predicessor's idol  as long as he could  by foot and then
opted  to follow by bus.He was visibly happy to see so much response from
his sishyas. No words can express the feelings of the devotees who were
present there. The whole atmosphere was filled with  chanting of the Vedas.
The procession reached the 'marwadi chatram' where, 43rd jeer attained
Paramapadam.
Then both the idol and the photo were taken into the room where the sad
event took place. It is still maintained by our mutt. Then, only the idol
was brought out  and placed on a small cement rostrum with tulasi madam.
Srimad Azhagiyasingar also seated himself there and all the devotees
collected around and sat on the floor.
As Jeer was  not keeping good health, Sri Vaduvoor Lakshmi Narasimhachariar,
one of the seniormost  Aradhakars in the mutt spoke about the last days of
the great Jeer whose Thirunakshatram was being celebrated. God! He narrated
the whole sequence of events which took the great Acharya  away from his
disciples with so much emotion and heartrending tone that we all were in
tears !
Sri vaduvoor swamy had  been in the mutt's kainkaryam  for long and has
served four Jeers now. He was almost weeping during the whole event!
Especially when  he was mentioning about a small incident on the great
acharya's last day in this mortal world, the whole crowd was in tears!
It seems, his nephew and another sishya were sitting near the acharyan's
bed; seeing the silent suffering of the Mahan, they started shedding tears ;
the tears fell on his body and at once he opened his eyes.  Seeing his
weeping sishyas, he slowly wiped their tears with so much Vatsalyam and
Karunyam that everybody started weeping again!
Here, I want to mention humbly  about my late father, Vaikuntavasi, Sri
Sayee Chakravarthy Iyengar, who was an ardent sishya of Sri Ahobhila mutt
and  Sri Devanarvilagam Azhagiyasingar.
He celebrated his Acharyan's 75th thirunakshatram at Naimisaranyam along
with a group of around 30 sishyas and with  blessings from Sri Mukkoor
Azhagiyasingar at his own expence. He strived hard in his life time to
renovate the Brindavanam at Naimisaranyam. This was remembered and mentioned
by Sri Vaduvoor Swamy and acknowledged by prakritum Srimad Azhagiyasingar.
..Then Srimad Azhagiyasingar spoke about the greatness of  the great acharya
for  few minutes. He was overwhelmed with joy to see so many sishyas from
different parts of India and blessed them all.
After  distribution of prasadam [kesari], the idol was taken around the
'chakra theertham' and  kept in Sri Malolan's sannidhi.
Next day, after satrumurai, which was attended by a overwhelming crowd of
around 700 devotees, [which included many VIP's and sixteen members of
Devanarvilagam Azhagiyasingar's family in poorvasramam],all scholars who
attended the veda parayanam and the kainkarya paras  who  made  the function
a  great success were honoured by prakrutham jeer; and the function ended
with the distribution of prasadam.
The sambhavanai expenses which  amounted to around Rs. 4 1/2 lacs was
contributed by Sri Jagannathachariar  who had come down from United States
to attend the function. He was honoured by Jeer  and the collector of the
district was also honoured by him.Sri Desikan  of the Mutt who had made very
good arrangements to accommodate a big crowd in the kshetram was also
honoured in the function.
As it was already 11 am,  some of the devotees including our group left
immediately , towards Ayodhya and other Divyakshetrams .But the memory of
those few days will remain with us for ever!
Though this report is a bit long, this is inadequate to express our
happiness  and the sense of  fulfillment  we experienced!  Adiyen seek
pardon  for any mistakes in the narration.
Smt. R.Kalyani,Mumbai.





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