Sri Vegaa Sethu Stotram -- Part 1

From the Bhakti List Archives

• October 27, 1996


Dear Sri SarangapaNi & Fellow Bhakthas :

It is good to be reminded of the Kaimkaryam at 
ThiruvehhA . I will forward my small contribution.
As a commemorative for this occasion, I will also
seek Swami Desikan's blessings to translate his
stotram on YathokthakAri PerumAL .

Swami Desikan ,  anative of Thuppul or ThiruttaNgaa
 lived not too far from the 15 divya desams 
in and  around Kanchi and has composed illustrious stotrams 
on the presiding deites of  number of these divya desams .
Following are the storams dedicated to the  individual Kshetrams : 

1. VARADARAJA PANCHAASATH-- LORD OF ATTHIGIRI
2. SARANAAGATHI DEEPIKAA-- THIRUTTANGAA DEEPA PRAKAASAN
3. VEGAA SETHU STOTRAM--YATHOKTHAKAARI
4.ASHTABHUJAASHTAKAM--ADHI KESAVA PERUMAAL
5.KAAMAASIKAASHTAKAM--MUKUNDA  NAYAKAN / NARASIMHAN
6.PARAMAARTHA STHUTHI-- VIJAYA RAGHAVAN

The other 9 divya desams in and around Kanchipuram that did not
receive direct Mangalaasaasanam from our versatile Achaaryaa are :

1. THIRU OORAGAM--ULAGALANTHA PERUMAAL
2.THIRUKKALVANOOR--ADHI VARAHA PERUMAAL
3. THIRUKKARAHAM--KARUNAAKARAN
4. THIRUKKAARVAANAM--KALVAR
5.THIRUNILATTHINGAL THUNDAM--THIRUNILAATTHINGAL THUNDATTHAAN
6. THIRUNEERAGAM--JAGADEESAN
7. THIRUPPARAMECCHURA VINNAGARAM---PARAMA PADA NAATHAN
8.THIRUPAVALAVANNAM--PAVALA VANNAR
9. THIRUPPADAKAM --PAANDAVA THOOTHAR

I join with Sri SarangapaaNi to encourage you to visit the Thiruvehhaa Ksethram
made famous by Thirumazhisai Azhwaar and the other 14 Kshetrams
in Chinna and Periya  Kanchipurams. It is my hope that the 108 CD  ROM 
project that we started an year  ago would come to fruition soon 
with the blessings of the Divya Dampathis presiding over all these
Kshetrams in Archaa form .

At Thiruvehhaa , The Lord is resting looking westward under 
Veda Saara Vimaanam . He is pratyaksham to Brahmaa and  Kani Kannan ,
the disciple of Thirumazhisai Azhwaar and obeyed the command of 
Kani Kannan and Azhwaar . Poygai Azhwaar , whose birthday we celebrated 
this week was born in the temple tank known as Poygai PushkaraNi here . 
The Lord of this Divya Desam blocked the anger and  speed (Vegam )
of Saraswathi , who took the form of a powerful river to wash away 
the Yajnam that was being performed by her husband at Atthigiri. 
Bhagavan became a Sethu (dam) for Vegavathi Saraswathi  
and stretched himself across the floods and prevented Saraswathi 
from venting her  anger. She feigned  insult by her consort in the context 
of the performance of the Yajnam that resulted in the appearance of 
Lord Varadaraja from the sacrificial fire of Hasthigiri (Atthigiri ) . Hence ,
the temple of Yathokthakaari is older than the Varadaraja temple .
Infact , the Lord of Thiruvehhaa is considered the Upayam for 
Brahma to attain the Palan(Fruit)  of Sri Varadarajan . Such is the 
hoary nature of this temple , where the Lord showed how much 
control the Bhakthaas have over Him by obeying the order of two 
devout Bhakthaas.

V.Sadagopan