Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Thiru Adyayana Uthsavam at Srirangam ( December 19,98 to Jan 8,99 )

From the Bhakti List Archives

Sadagopan • November 26, 1998 


1998 Thanksgiving Day Salutaions
*********************************

NamO NaarAyaNA ! NamO NaarAyaNA ! NamO NaaRAYanA !

Dear BhakthAs of Sri RanganYaki and NamperumAL :

Professor VasudhA NaarAyanan in her scholarly 
book , " The Vernacular Veda: Revelation , Recitation
and Ritual " has the 8th Chapter entitled , " Recreating
Heaven on Earth " .This chapter deals at great length 
the Pahal Patthu and the Iraa Patthu festival leading
upto NammAzhwAr's Moksham ( Thiruvaimozhi ThirunALL
SaaRRumuRai day ).Srimathi RanganAyaki KaLLappirAn 
in her recent book "AchArya Vaibhavam " has a chapter on
Sriranga Vaibhavam , whre she describes the different
aspects of the Thiru adhyayana Uthsavam . 

I have brought back from Srirangam additional 
detailed information on this and other annual 
Festivals at Srirangam ( the Sacred Arena ) 
from my October 98 trip . I have also had the benefit of 
discussions with the Arayar of SrivillipputthUr during 
the visit to ANDAL ThirumALigaai . I will assemble these
materials over the uthsavam period leading upto Sri Vaikunta
EkAdasi and post them as a series of articles that benefit
from the scholarly works that I have referred to .I will
add intrepretative Texts to provide additional relevant 
details.A great Sri Ranganatha Bhakthar , Sri Sampath
Rengarajan and a Tamil Scholar is an authority on these 
Pahal Patthu-Irraa Patthu  festivals as a UpayakArar . 
He has posted beautiful arrticles earlier 
in Bhakthi list on the glories of Sri Ranaganthan and 
His ThirukkOil . A wealth of Infromation has been 
assembled by him there , that you would like to refer to .

May I request Professor NarAyaNan , Sri Rengaraajan 
and other BhakthAs familiar with this glorious festival 
in Srirangam to join with me and add missing details 
and clarify particular passages of the posting as 
I venture forth on this Thanksgiving day to 
offer my salutations to the divya dampathis of 
Srirangam with humility  and pray to Them to bless
us all with dhruva smruthi of Their anantha KalyANa 
GuNAs that are enacted on the divine stage of 
Srirangam ?

We also look forward to the detailed commentaries on
the ThiruppAvai Paasurams during the Thiruppaavai
season coinciding with the Thriu Adhyayanam 
festival from the pen of Sri Anbil Swamin
for the benefit of our access to the NirvAhams
of our AchAryAs on the individual paasurams of
ANDAL in the spirit of excellence housed in
his posting on the second verse passage of 
Thiruppavai. These can be added to the Home Page
for ANDAL so lovingly put together by Sri Venakat
Iyengar from his base in Kharagpur . Andal"s 
NaachhiyAr Thriumozhi commentaries are taking 
their excellent shape from the pen of Srimathi
KalyANi KrishNamaachAri .All in all ,it will be a
feast during this special season . 


ThiruAdhyana Uthsavam starts interestingly 
enough on " the Aazhi Mazhaik KaNNA " day 
(First day of Pahal Patthu,Marghazhi 4 ) 
and porgresses to :

Sri Vaikunta EkAdasi( Dec 29): "UmkaLL PUzhakkadai" day
NammAzhwAr Moksham day (JAN 8):"anRivvulaham aLanthAi" day
IyaRppA SaRRumuRai day(Jan 9): "Orutthi MahanAi PiRanthu" day 

The inspiration to write these articles arose from
my last posting on the Patthu Vaarthaikal of EmpAr 
to his disciple Parasara Bhattar , the expert in
ThirunedumthAndaka Saasthram that he used to win over
the great scholar from Melokote , who is revered in 
our AchArya paramparai as Namjeeyar .Pahal Patthu
Uthsavam is preceded by Thirunedum ThANdakam
on December 18 this year .The Thiru Adhyayana 
Uthsavam statrs with the recitation of ThriunedumthAndakam 
at the garbha graham of Sri RanganthA on Friday ,
Dec 18 at 7 PM and continues at Santhanu Mantapam
from 7.45 to 9 PM . Araiyar Abhinayam and vyAkhyAnam
( Dance and "performative Commentaries" ) take place 
during these 75 minutes . ThiuppaNiyAra naivEdhyam
takes place next ( 9-9.30 PM ) .Ghoshti (9.30 to
10.00Pm ) , ThiruvArAdhanam ( 10-10.30 PM ) is followed 
by the special alankAram from ThirukkottAram 
(10.30-11.00 PM ).The theertha Ghoshti follows
(11.00-11.30 PM ) and then return to the AasthAnam 
to commence next day ( Dec 19th ) the Mudal Pahal
Patthu ThirunALL uthsavam in Dhanur Lagnam at 7 AM .

Every thing is big in Periya Koil . Inside the Ranga 
VimAnam blessed by the Para VaasudEva Vigraham ,
the Garbha gruham is big ( 30 feet long ) and
the Lord's subhAsryam is big (21 feet long Sayana
ThirukkOlam ) , area of the temple is big(156 plus acres),
number of mantapams are big (108) ,SuRRuk Koils
are big( 51) , Gopurams are many ( 22) , PrAkArams
are big (7) , Garudan is big (35 feet high ) and
the Southern goPuram built by the 44th Azhagiya 
Singar is tall (236 feet high ) .

I conclude this first posting with the Vaazhi ThirunAmam 
excerpts for Periya PerumAl and Periya Piraatti :

Peruhi Varum Ponni NaduppiThuinRAn VaazhiyE
Periya perumAL YengaL pirAN adikaL vaazhiyE 

Panakayap PooviR piRantha paavai nallAL VaazhiyE
Panguniyil Utthara Naall paaruthitthAL VaazhiyE 
MangayarkaL Tilatamena vantha selvi VaazhiyE 
Maalarangar MaNi Maarpai MannumavaL VaazhiyE
YengaLezhi SENAI MANNARRkk ithamuraitthAL VaazhiyE
Irupattanjutp poruL maal iyampuvaL VaazhiyE 
Senkamalc cheyyarangam Sezhikka vanthAl VaazhiyE
Sri Ranga NaayakiyAr ThiruvadikaL VaazhiyE 

AchAryAL AzhwAr ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan       



Every thing is 
big in Periya perumAL's temple including the 
ThiruppaNiyAram . Our Lord , Periya PerumAL 
is revered here as "NithyOthsava SamAyukthar ".
At      

Today is BhaudhAnya Kaarthikai 10th day , Sukla Paksha 
Sapthami day .