sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org Our Sincere Thanks to the following for their contributions to this ebook: Images contribution: Sriman Murali Bhattar Swami, www.srirangapankajam.com Sri B.Senthil Kumar, www.thiruvilliputtur.blogspot.com Ramanuja Dasargal, www.pbase.com/svami Source Document Compilation: Sri Anil, Smt.KrishnapriyaSanskrit & Tamil Paasurams text: Mannargudi Sri. Srinivasan NarayananeBook assembly: Smt.Gayathri Sridhar, Smt.Jayashree Muralidharan sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org Section 1 Sri Ranganatha Mahimai and History1 Section 2 Revathi - Namperumaans thirunakshathiram37 Section 3 Sri Ranganatha Goda ThirukkalyaNam45 Section 4 Naama Kusumas of Sri Rnaganatha87 C O N T E N T S sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org PraNavAkAra Vimanam - Sri Rangam 1 sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 2 NamperumAL sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 3 + ~l-+ II INTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION DHYA A NASLO KA MO F SRI RA NG A NA THA P GP-((lB+G-lBTl6 4B Bl|94-H =\H4+=\+lP( -4( 4+ P-4+ P-4 + MukhE mandahAsam nakhE chandrabhAsamkarE chAru chakram surEsApivandyam | bhujangE SayAnam bhajE RanganAthamHareranyadaivam na manyE na manyE || A ZHWA R A RULIC C HEYA LG A L adiyEn will focus here on the 245 paasurams on Sri RanganAthA by the eleven AzhwArs. The individual AzhwArs paasurams are as follows: Poygai Mudal ThiruvandhAthi1 BhUthamSecond ThiruvandhAthi4 PEyThird ThiruvandhAthi1 ThirumazhisaiNaanmukan ThiruvandhAthi4 Thirucchanda Viruttham 10 NammAzhwArThiruviruttham1 sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 4 Thiruvaimozhi11 PeriyAzhwArPeriya Thirumozhi 35 ANdALNaacchiyAr Thirumozhi10 ThiruppANarAmalanAdhi pirAn 10 KulasekararPerumAL Thirumozhi31 Tondardipodi ThirumAlai45 ThirupaLLIyezucchi10 Thirumangai Periya Thirumozhi 58 ThirunedumthAndakam8 ThirukkurumthAndakam4 Siriya Thirumadal 1 Periya Thirumadal1 ThirumangaileadsinthecountofPasuramswith72tohiscreditfollowedby the Ranganatha Pathivrathai (Thondaradipodi) with 55 paasurams. PeriyAzhwAr andKulasekarartakethethirdandfourthplaceinthecountwith35and31 paasuramsrespectively.RestofthesevenAzhwArsshare52paasurams between them. Each of the 245 paasurams brim however with beauty and deep devotion. BHULO KAVA IKUNTA MA ND A ZHA G IYAM A NA VA LA NTheobjectoftheeulogyoftheAzhwArsisthehandsomebridegroom (AzhagiyamaNavALan)orNamperumAL.Herestsintheverdantislandof SrirangamformedbythetwobranchesofCauveriRiver.Herestsonthe sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 5 t i mel ess( Anant han) AdisEshanundertheshade oftheVedaSrunga VimAnam with the shape of PraNavam.Heisthe ParavAsudEvansungbythe DevAsandworshippedby ourAchAryAsforavery, verylongtime.Heis anAthi.Hedescendedon thisearthinresponseto the prayers and penance of IshvAkudynastykings;He is the kula dhanam of Surya V a m s a m o f S r i Ramachandra;Infacthas beenworshi ppedat A y O d h y A b y S r i RamachandraHimselfwith His consort SitA Devi. A f t e r S r i R a m a PattAbhishEkam,Hewas given as a present to VibhishaNa by Sri Ramachandra for permanent residence in Sri Lanka. During transit, Sri Ranganatha looked over the verdant island of Srirangam and decided to stay right there permanently to the disappointment of VibhishaNa.Since,LordRanganAthaprefersSrirangamasaplaceofresidenceoverSri Vaikuntamandthemilkyocean,SrirangamiscelebratedasHisBhOga mANdALam. NamPerumAL in Sesha Vahanam(Image Courtesy: Sri.Murali Bhattar,www.srirangapankajam.com) sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 6 A C HA RYA S WHORESIDED A T SRIRA NG A M Srirangam is one of the 8 svayamvyaktha (self-manifested) KshEthrams and is oneofthemostimportantamongthe108divyadesamscelebratedbythe12 AzhwArs. Naatha Muni, ALavandAr, Periya nampi, RaamAnujA, EmbAr, KurEsar, AmudanAr,GarudaVaahanaPandithar,ParasaraBhattar,Namjeeyar,PiLLai LokAcchAr,VadakkuThiruveethipiLLai,VedanthaDesikan,MaNavALa Maamuni,AdiVaNNSatakOpaYatheendhraMahADesikanandhisAcharya paramparai,thetwobranchesofAndavansandagreatmanySvayamAchArya PurushAs(TaatAchArsetal)havespentasignificantportionoralloftheir lives at Srirangam G RA NTHA M S THA T WERE BO RN HEREHerewereborntheimmortalSaraNaagathiandtheothertwoGadhyamsof SriRaamnujA,SriSthavamofKurEsA,RangarAjaSthavamofParAsara Bhattar and a host of other sacred granthams of Swami Desikan such as: 1.Sri PaadhukhA sahasram,2.Sri Bhagavd DhyAna sOpAnam,3.Sri Abheethi Sthavam,4.DasAvathAra sthOthram,5.tattva muktha kalApam,6.SarvArtha Siddhi,7.nyAya Parisuddhi,8.nyAya Sidhanjanam,9.nyAsa tilakam,10. Satha DhUshaNi,11. tattvaDeepikai,12. Sankalpa SUryOdhayam,13. YaadhavAbhudayam, andsadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 7 14. Hamsa SandEsam.That is why, Srirangam is known and revered as Periya Koil and the EmperumAn is known as Periya PerumAL . He inspired and blessed them all. STHA NAVISESHAA DHIKA RA MO F SRIRA NG A M InourSriVaishNaviteSampradhAyam,Koil,ThirumalaiandPerumALKoilare known for their highest sthAna VisEsha adhikArams (reputation and reverence as the highest among divya desams).These three fit well with the three rahasya manthrAs dear to Sri VaishNavAs. Swami Desikan has therefore prayed for uninterrupted ArAdhanam for Sriman naarAyaNaa at these three special divya desams: ~l\ |6 4 9l| 9 4 T 9 Fl+ 9|F6 |44 46B94l HlT-94( ! |4 6 4 | 9l 74 46+ T94 4 4l6 + Sriranga dvirata vrushAdri pUrvakEshu sthAnEshu stira vibhavA bhavat saparyA | aakalpam Varada ! vidhUta vairi pakshaa bhUsyA bhavatanukampayaiva bhUyAt || SwamiDesikanpraysfortheaarAdhanamandservice(saparyA)fromkalpam to kalpam without let at these three special divya desams. InsthAnavisEshaadhikAram,SrirangamisconnectedtoashtAksharam, Kanchipuram to Dhvayam and Thirumalai to Charama slOkam. Therefore, Swami Desikan prays for UttarOtthara aarAdhanam without interruptions. Here on the beautiful banks of Cauveri River, Lord RanganAtha rests in one of HispanchAkruthisasKasthUriRangan.TheotherfourareCauvEriRangan, KalyANaRangan,HemaRanganatThirukkudanthaiandParimaLaRanganat sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 8 Thiru IndaLUr, where Cauveri joins her Lord, Samudra Raajan. SRI RA A M A NUJA S REC O G NITIO N O F THE STHA NAVISESHA MSriRaamAnujA,whowasbornclosetoKanchiVaradarAjanstemplegot instructionsinThirumalaifromhisuncleandspentmostofhistimeuntilthe endofhislastmomentonthisearthatSrirangam.Hisphysicalbodyrests insidethetempleofSrirangameventodayasperthewishofSriRanganatha (athraiva SukhamAsva). SriBhashyakArarchangedtheArAdhanaprotocolsfromVaikAnasamto PaancharAthram.HeconductedKaalakshEpamatthegreattempleof Srirangam. On a Panguni Uttaram day, hecomposedhisthreeGadhyams (Sriranga,SaraNaagathiandSri VaikuntaGadhyams)hereand performedhisSaraNaagathiatthe feetofthedivyadampathisontheir annualdayofbeingtogetheron Ekapeetam.Theextremelypleased di vyadampathi sbrokethei r archAvathAramounamandspoketo SriRamAnujAandacceptedhis SaraNaagathi.TheyinstructedSri RamAnujAtostayrightthereat Srirangamuntilheshuffleshis Mo r t a l c o i l s ( y a a v a c c h , sareerapaatham,athraivaSrirangE sukamAsva). TheyaskedSri RamAnujAtoperformkaimkaryam forthemandstayrightnexttothemuntilhislastmomentsandthereafter too! That is the glory of Sriranga KshEthram. Acharya Raamaanujar - SrI Rangam Thanks : Sri.Murali BaTTar sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 9 SriRanganAtharecognizedthecontributionsofonesuchAchAryanandgave him (Swami Desikan), the title of VedAnthAcchAryar. His consort was so proud ofherchilds(SwamiDesikans)accomplishmentsinmanyfieldsandhence recognized her son proudly as Sarva Tantra Svatantrar. SriRanganaathaattendedthekaalakshEpamofanotherachAryanand recognizedtheoutstandingservicesofthisAchAryan(MaNavALa MaamunigaL)andcomposedaTaniyanforhim(SriSailEsaDayApaathram---). Such is the sacredness of Sriranga KshEthram. SriRanganaathahadspecialaffectionfortheeldersonofKurEsA,the precocious ParAsara Bhattar and made him His PurOhithA. He conversed with Bhattar and had a wonderful relationship with him. PA RA SA RABHA TTA R A ND HIS UNIQ UE RELA TIO NSHIP TOTHE LO RDParAsaraBhattarwasbornoutofdivine intervention of Sri RanganAthA as the son of KuratthAzhwAn and his wife ANdAL, an extraordinarywoman.Hewastheelderof thetwinsborntoKurEsAandhiswife. AchAryaRaamAnujAhimselfgavethe nameofParAsarAtotheelderchildand VedaVyAsAtotheyoungertwin.Parasara Bhattardidnotlivelong,buthisimmortal contributionstoSriVaishNavismare profoundandcouldhavehappenedonly becauseofthespecialblessingsofSri RanganAthaandHisdivineconsort,Sri RanganAyaki.Thespiritualauthority invested in him by AchArya RaamAnuja is a direct consequence of the Srirangam Divya Dampathis wishes. Sri Parasara Bhattar sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 10 TheelatedRaamAnujAthankedtheDivyadampathisfortheirkrupAandwas immersedinanoceanofbliss.Outpouredtheincomparableeulogyofour AchAryA to the Lord in his Sriranga Gadhyam: H9lT6Tl4 ! H+ll |6|4H 9 HH 9l TH'4 ! 9T6l|6 ( !Hl|~64ltB-4 T P(l (! H+46|4|(6 |+|G 6=l6 4llt4 !Bt4TlP ! Bt4 B-9 ! Hl9tBG ! TlT tF ! ~lP+! +ll4T ! 9 69l P ! ~l\ +l ! PP +l ! +Pl5 F66 + apArakaruNAmbudhE!anAlocitavisEshaasEshalOkaSaraNya! praNatArtihara! aasrita vAtsalya yEka mahOdadhE ! anavarata vidita nikila bhUtajAtayAthAtmya!satyakaama!satyasankalpa!Aapatsakha kaakutstha!Sriman!naarAyaNa!purushOttama!SrIranganaatha!mama naatha! nama: asthu tE AchAryaRaamAnujAperformedSaraNaagathidirectlyinSaraNaagathi GadhyamandthankedtheLordforacceptinghisSaraNaagathiinSriranga Gadhyam.Afterthat,hewantedtoremindpeoplethatitisSRI VAIKUNTANAATHANATHANHimself,whoispresentatSrirangam.For thatpurpose,hecomposedSriVaikuntaGadhyam.WithhisJn~Anadhrishti (soulseye),hewitnessedtheunparalledbeautyandthesacrednessofSri Vaikuntam.HereceivedthebhAgyamofhavingtheLord'sholyfeetonhis siras(head)andwasimmersedintheoceanofaanandham.Thereafter,he returned to BhUlOkam (Srirangam, the BhOga mANdALam) and was blessed to perform nithya kaimkaryam to the divya Dampathis of Srirangam. Such is the sacredness of Srirangam, where AchArya RaamAnujA's feet traveled. OtherAchAryAswhofollowedSriRaamAnujAfertilizedandmaintainedthe vitalityofthetreeofVisishTadvaithamplantedbyhimandmadeityield abundant fruits. sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 11 PA RA SA RABHA TTA R A ND A SHTA SLO KI Parasara Bhattar in his own way paid tribute to the sthAnavisEshAdhikaarams of Srirangam, Kaanchi and Thirumalai in his illustrious work: AshtaslOki. ThefirstfourversesdealwithSrirangam(associatedwithashtAksharam), thenexttwodealwithdhvayam(Kaanchi)andthelasttwocoverCharama slOkam(Thirumalai).ThethreerahasyAsandtheirassociationswiththe three sthAnams of the Lord are thus celebrated . BHA TTA R A ND SRI BHA G A VA DG UNA DA RPA NAAtSrirangamwasbornthisscholarlycommentaryonthethousandnamesof theLordimmortalizedinSriVishNuSahasraNaamam.Hecelebratedthe Tattva-Hitha-PurushArthamsaccordingtotheVaishNavitedarsanam.His commentary is a celebration of the SaguNa aspects of the Brahman that rests in the state of YoganidrA at Srirangam. BHA TTA R A ND SRI G UNA RA THNAKO SA M Through the 61 verses of this devotional poem, Bhattar pays exquisite tribute toSriRanganAyakiandsalutesthespecialrelationshipShehastoerring jeevansfromtheintercession/mediacy(purushakAra)pointofviewasoneof theSaraNyadampathis.ThedetailedcommentaryonSriGunaRatnaKosam can be accessed at : http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/ebook38.htm BhattarrelatesSriRanganAyakitoSitApirAttiandvisualizesherasan adolescentgirlsomewherebetweenthethroesofchildhoodandbrimming youthful state. The Lord has been celebrated as ILamkumaran or Nithya YuvA byAzhwArs(ThiruviNNagarPaasurams).Here,BhattarsalutesSri RanganAyaki as Nithya Yuvathi. BhattarhadaspecialclaimtoSriRanganAtha,theMaapiLLai(Azhagiya MaNavALan),whomarriedSriRanganAyaki.HeusedtotellSriRanganAthA sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 12 that he(Bhattar) is the Sri dhanam that came with His divine bride. He used to describe his special claim as NaacchiyArkku nallavar yenru yennai ThiruvuLLam PaRRavum This was his clever appeal to the beautiful son-in-law of Srirangam (Sundara JaamAthrA /Azhagiya MaNavALan). BHA TTA R S TRIBUTE IN A BSENTIAFRO MTHIRUKKO TTIYUR Bhattaraccordingtohagiographyhadtoexilehimselffromthesweet proximity of the Divya dampathis of Srirangam due to a disagreement with the then ChOLA ruler. He spent that voluntary exile at ThirukkOttiyUr dear to Sri RaamAnujA. From there, he pined for the darsanam of the divya dampathis and thedailylifeamidstSriVaishNavAsatSrirangamandtheholywatersof CauvEri.The eight verses composed in a state of longing to be near his ishta Daivam are moving.SuchisthehauntinggloryofthesacredcityoftheLordtoHis bhakthAsandBhagavathAs.TheeightslOkamsofSriRanganAtha SthOthramareamongthetreasuredkulaDhanamsofSriVaishNavAsfar from the home of Srirangam. SriRaamAnujAsanguish,whenhewasawayfromhisbelovedSrirangamand SwamiDesikanssorrowduringhisownexileduringthetroubledtimesat SrirangamcometoourmindwhenwereadBhattarsSriRangarAja SthOthram. BHA TTA R A ND SRIRA NG A RA JASTHA VA MInthismagnumopuscontaining232slOkamsonHisishtaDaivamandthe defense of Sri VaishNava darsanam over the others, Bhattar follows the path ofhisfather,whocomposedthefiveSthavams(athimAnusha,SundarabAhu, VaradarAja,VaikuntaandSriSthavAs).Extraordinarilybrilliantpoetryin celebrationofhisishtaDaivam,theChakravarthyofSrirangam,isusedto criticallyestablishthesoundnessofSriVisishtAdvaithamasthegreat sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 13 darsanamthatitisfollowingthetraditionofSriRaamAnujAandhis predecessors. TherearetwoSlOkAsofSriRangaRaajaSthavamthataDiyEnwouldliketo include here to illustrate the deep devotion of Bhattar to Sri RanganAthA. 9l69T6l4l|44PB(|4 B(l 9l4 l|4HtB +- ~l\+l4T- paathu praNata rakshAyAm vilambamahasanniva | sadA pancAyudheem bibratsa na: SriranganAyaka: || --- Sri Rangarajsthvam, Poorva Satakam, SlOkam 12 M EA NING :May the Lord RanganAyaka , who always stands quite ready with five weapons onHispersoncometoourrescueandgrantusprotection.Hecarriesthese panchAyudhamssinceHecannotbeartohaveanydelayinrespondingtothe cries for help from His BhakthAs (Bhaktha Vaatsalya Rangan). F4B FT 6l|474 (B - l-6P P |+lTl|6 ~l\4P- TT 94 F+lt4l5|9 |=|BT|+9 &l+ svam samskruta drAviDa vedasUktai:bhAntam maduktairmalineekarOti | Srirangakrama: kalabham ka yEva snAtvApi dhULirasikam nishEddhA || --- Sri Rangarajsthvam, Poorva Satakam, SlOkam 16 M EA NING :ThebeautifulLordofSrirangamwaswelladornedbytheSanskritVeda ManthramsandtheTamizhpaasuramsofAzhwArs.WhenHeiseulogizedby thetwoVedAs(TamizhandSanskrit),herevelsasone,whojusthadhis sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 14 Thirumanjanam. If that is so, why would He like to tarnish His clean image by mypraise?Bytheway,whocansucceedinpreventingthefree-willed elephant?Frompouringdirtandmudoveritscleanbodyafterafreshand cleansingbathintheriver(Eventoday,TheLordofSrirangamhears PurushasUktham first during His thirumanjanam, then PeriyAzhwArs neerAtta paasuramsnextandfinallytheBhattars28Thirumanjanaverses,whichisa most interesting dialogue between Jivan and Parabhramam, where the latter is seekingthehelpofarefereetosettletheirargumentinHisfavor).The familyofParasaraBhattarstillrecitestheseThirumanjanaslOkams,which havebeenblessedwithaMaNipravALacommentarybyBhattarhimself.The commentaryonthesepreciousKattiyaslOkamscanbeaccessedat:http://www.sundarasimham.org/ebooks/ebook52.htmSuchisthegreatnessofSrirangam,whereParasaraBhattarssacredfeet hurriedtothesideofSriRanganAthadailytodohisassignedPurOhitam (going ahead of the YajamAnA to assure hitham) TheThiruvaimozhi(entire1,000plusverses)areconsideredbyone pUrvAcchAryAr(NampiLLai)tobededicatedtoSriRanganAthaalone.The individualtens(paattus)forThiruvenkatamudayAnandotherarchAmUrthys ofotherdivyadEsamsareconsideredasmeasureddistributionsbyPeriya PerumAl(namperumAL)HimselftoHisfellowarchAmUrthys.Whatasweet anubhavam by NampiLLai! ThethoughtsaboutSriRangEsaPurOhithA,SriParAsaraBhattararestill swirling in adiyEnshead and adiyEn will dwell some more on this extraordinary devotee of Sri RangarAja . Accordingtooneanecdote,duringthelastmomentsofhislifeonearthat Srirangam,Bhattarwasaskedbyoneofhisgrief-strickenshishyAs,whether hewouldindeedliketogotoSriVaikuntam.ThegreatdevoteeofSri RanganAtha replied with feeling: Yes, I will first travel to Sri Vaikuntam and havethedarsanamofSriVaikuntanAthantheretosatisfymycuriosity sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 15 whetherheisasenthrallingandcaptivatingasourRanganAthA.IfSri VaikuntanAthan does not match up, I will return right back to this bhUlOkam andcontinuetoserveourRangan.Idonotreallypaymuchattentiontothe SaasthrAs declaring that there is no return to this earth for one, who reaches SriVaikuntam.ThatspeaksvolumesaboutthedevotionofBhattarforSri RanganAthA. Inasimilarspirit,ThiruppANaAzhwArdeclaredthatyennamudhanaik-kandakaNNgaLmaRRonrinaikkANAvE(Amalanaathipiraan-http://www.ibiblio.org/sadagopan/ahobilavalli/amalanathipiran.pdf)inoneofhisten paasurams. AzhwAr declared here that his eyes will not care to see any one or anything after soaking in the nectar of the beauty of Sri RanganAthAn.ItispertinenttopointoutthatSwamiDesikanchosethetitleofSri BhagavadhDhyAnasOpAnamforasthOthramhecomposedinhonorofSri RanganAthA.Hedidnotnameit,SriRanganAthaDhyAnasOpAnambecause hewantedtoemphasizethenatureofRanganAthaasthesupremeBhagavAn with the six auspicious attributes. ComingbacktoParasaraBhattarsenjoymentofAzhagiyaMaNavALan,the wholepUrvasathakaofSriRangarAjasthavamofBhattarinstructsusabout theblessingsandgrandeurofworshippingSriRanganAthaatSrirangam.The kramam (sequence) is as follows: taking a sacred bath in Cauvery, entering the grandtemple,takinganotherpurificatorybathinchandrapushkariNi, worshipping the AzhwArs, offering salutation to Sri Ranga VimAnam, and then standing next to the special pillar inside the garbha graham known as KalyANa sthambham(MaNat-thUNN)andbeinglostintheblissarisingfromthe darsanam of the Sesha sAyee with His divine consorts. WorshippingtheAzhwArsandparticularlyNammAzhwArthroughthe recitationofhispaasuramsonSriRanganAthA(Thiruvaimozhi7.2)wasvery importanttoParAsaraBhattar.Inthesepaasurams,NammAzhwArdescribes his pathetic state of existence resulting from his separation (vislEsham) from sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 16 hisLord.HecriesoutinvirahatApamasParAnkusaNaayaki.Accordingto traditionalaccounts,Bhattarwasovercomebythedepthoffeelingsof NammAzhwAr for Her nAyakan in these paasurams and used to say: WearenotfittoappreciatetheAzhwArsintensityoflovenorcanwe fathomhisyearninganddesirefortheunionwiththeLord.Wearesimply recitingthesepaasuramswithoutunderstandingevenaniotaofheAzhwAr's true feelings. SriRanganAthaeulogizedbyelevenAzhwArs(pathinmarpaaDiyaPerumAL) residesintheaarAthaaruLamudhampothinthaKoilaccordingtoSwami DesikansdescriptioninAdhikAraSangraham.Helistenstothethousand verses dedicated to Him by NammAzhwAr (vaan thihazhum solai mathiLarangar vaNNpuhazhmElaanRaTamizhmaRaigaLaayiram)andallocatesthat naivEdhyamtothearchAmUrthysofotherdivyadEsams.Theadoptedchild ofSriRanganAthan,ParasaraBhattarreferstothisallocationof Thiruvaimozhi paasurms by Sri Rangapureesan. ParasaraBhattarsnirvAhams(interpretations)ofThiruvaimozhiarefamous. HewasfondofquotingThiruvaimozhiPaasuramrelatingtotheLordreclining on AdhisEshA: pamf p^]ya[fcI afklnft ecalf ni^[tf T Epakf kaErlf , Vzfvi^[yi[f~zfTyAr'[fni^[nf T Epakf Kvaaf;pf EpaT PAmpaNayAn seer kalantha soll ninainthu pOkkArEl, soozh vinayin aazh thuyarai yen ninainthu pOkkuvar ippOthu M EA NING :Howarethey(People)goingtobanishthesorrowsoftheirsamsAric afflictions,ifnotbyreflectingonthewordsglorifyingtheananthakalyANa guNAs of the Lord reclining on his serpent bed at Srirangam now? ThatiswhytheAzhwAr/AchAryAsdivyasUkthisareimportantforusto sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 17 recite instead of saying something onour own .The power of their anubhavam lastseventodayandwilllastforever.TheLordrelatestoit,whenwerecite them.One such divya sUkthi is the Sri RanganAtha SthOthram of Parasara Bhattar consistingof6mainslOkAsandtwomorestrayverses.Asaresultofhis displeasureovertheBhAgavadhapacharamcommittedbytherulingking (VeeraSundaraBhrammarAyan)ofSrirangam,Bhattarreluctantlyleft SrirangamandsettledatGOshtipuram(ThirukkOttiyUr)forashorttime. There,hemissedthesevaiofSriRanganAthanandthenithyOthsavamsat Srirangam.HepinedforthedarsanamofSriRanganAthanandmentally invokedtheLordrecliningonthefive-headedAdhisEshaninthemiddleof Cauveri and KoLLidam in the first slOkam of his Sri RanganAtha sthOthram in an evocative manner: B89lTlP\4B|B= P T =l lBPl+|4Pl+Tl4 l P\4( HP 6T|Tl7 l 94 l |+lP l|lPT||+T|H- 9lH |4-4F6(F69TlllTl-4l9||6T\l== 5(P + sapta prAkAra madhyE sarasija- mukuLodbhAsamAnE vimAnEKaavEri madhya dEsE mridutaraphaNirAt- bhOga paryanka bhAgE | nidrA mudrAbhirAmam kaTinikaTa- sira: pArsva vinyasta hastam padmAdhAtree karAbhyAm paricita- caraNam rangaraajam bhajEham || sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 18 M EA NING :InthecenterofUbhayaKaauvEriandinthemiddleofthesevenramparts (prAkArams)andundertheSrirangavimAnamresemblingagiantlotusbud restsourbeautifulLordRanganAthAonHisbeautifulbedofAdhiSeshAin the state of Yoga NidhrA with His right hand close to His crown and the left handontheleftsidepointingtoHissacredfeet.Ipaymyobeisancetothat SaraNyan, Sri RangarAjan. Cauvery river and SriRangam Vimanam alongwith the seven prakaarams Courtesy:wikimapia.org Now,Bhattarisovercomewithsorrowoverthethoughtofbeingseparated fromhisLordandpinesforthedarsanasoubhAghyamofSriRanganAthanin his second verse: TF6 lT|6l \4 9 '7 |6TTTl -6l TP FP P+l (l(=P l |Tll =4P sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 19 974-Pl+B 9746l (6|94l 4 9 6(~l\l|96 - T(l +4(+B 4 4 4l 5-4(P + kastUree kalitOrdhva punDra- tilakam karNAntalOlEkshaNammugdha smEra manOharAdharadaLam muktA kireeTOjjvalam | pasyan maanasa pasyatOhara- rucim paryAyapankEruhamSrirangAdhipatE: kadA nu vadanam sEvEya bhUyOpyaham || M EA NING :WhenamIgoingtohavetheblessingsofenjoyingthebeautifulfaceofthe mind-stealer (chitthApahAri), Sri RanganAtha adorned by the fragrant urdhva punDratilakammadeupofkasthUriparimaLam,possessingthesteadyeyes thatextenduptoHisears,havingthelipsenrichedbythemostnatural captivating smile, the shining pearl crown and the face resembling in softness and beauty of a just-blossoming lotus? InthethirdslOkam,BhattarlamentsabouthisdurbhAgyamandasksthe Lord,whenhe(Bhattar)isgoingtostandnexttoHimandsingaboutHis names: T(l5(Tl4 l69|B\+H4l+l l-H6PGP|T 74lP=6|P 79lBl+- 4l H+P P+ ! +ll4T ! (! sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 20 P l! l |4-( t4|+HH9+ !4l|P |(4Bl+ + kadAham kaavEreetaTa parisarE RanganagarESayAnam bhOgeendrE SatamakhamaNi syAmaLa rucim | upAseena: krOSan madhumathana! naarAyaNa! harE! murArE! govindEtyaniSam apanEshyAmi divasAn || M EA NING :When am I going to have the bhAgyam of standing next to that Lord with the hue of Indra neela gem resting on Adhi SeshA and have his darsanam and sing rapturously His names, Madhumathana naarAyaNa! HarE! MurArE! Govindha! and spend the days of my life this way? SuchlongingscontinueandinthenextslOkam,Bhattarlongsforthedayof returntoSrirangamandtakinghispurificatorybathinthesacredwatersof KaavEri River: T(l5(Tl4 l|4PB|4l6T 9l4 46l~PP |9 4B 4+4+ T(l 4l 669 '4P(|6 9 |=+P\= T= 4\ HTP+4+H 9H4+P + kadAham kaavEri vimala salilE veeta kalushO bhavEyam tatteerE Sramamushi vasEyam ghanavanE | kadA vaa tat puNyE mahati puLinE mangaLa guNam bhajEyam rangEsam kamala nayanam SEsha Sayanam || M EA NING :WhenamIgoingtohavetheblessingsofsevaabhAgyamofthelotus-eyed sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 21 Lord,SriRangEsan,restingonHissoftandcomfortableserpentbed?When am I going to be blessed to take my snAnam in the cool and sacred waters of KaavEri River and become sinless? When am I going to gainthe boon of living intheverdantgrovesonthebankofthissacredriverandworshipmy bewitching Rangan? InthesubsequentslOkam,Bhattarisdeeplyworriedabouthisgoodfortune that would permit him to return to the kshEthram of his beloved Lord and he laments: 9 lT'4 BBB|F+ +ll 9T'lHl|4Pl( |F6|P6HT +l + |(6 Ol 9lP Pl Pl 9|T|+4( - 7-7Pl+l94l974 46l9 +|9 9 l~lP6l\lV-+ pUgee kaNTha dvaya sasarasasnigdha neerOpakaNThAm aavirmOda stimita SakunA nUdita brahmaghOshAm | maargE maargE pathika nivahai: uncyamAnApavargAm pasyEyam taam punarapi pureem Srimateem RangadhAmna: || M EA NING :WillIeverhavethesoubhAgayamtoreturntothesacredSrirangam,where the waters of KaavEri flow up to the neck of the areca nut (kamuhu) trees with itssweetandpleasantwaters?WillIeverhavethedarsanasoubhAgyamof thehappybirds(SaarikAbirds),whichrepeattheVedamanthramsintheir stateofJoyasresidentsofSrirangamandwherethethrongsofthe bhAgyasAlisgathertogethertheassemblyofwealth(sampathSamriddhi) knownasMokshamasaresultoftheirvisits?WillIeverhavethegood fortune to visit that KshEthram of Sri RanganAthA? sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 22 LikeKulasekaraAzhwArbeggedSriVenkatEsAofThirumalaitobebornas anything on the sacred hills, Bhattar asks in the next slOkam to be born even as a lowly dog in Srirangam. Here is his prayer: + =l69l6lP 6 P |7 6l+l+lTl TBl+-(+4l|TlB \ H ! t4t9 Pl|~6l+l4lH +lP-46Pl4 4P + na jAtu peetAmruta mUrchitAnAm nAkoukasAm nandanavATikAsu | RangEsvara! tvat puram aasritAnAm rathyaaSunAm anyatamO bhavEyam || M EA NING : Oh, RanganAthA! I will never want to be one of devAs, who drink nectar in the gardensofIndrAandfeelinebriatedwithjoyfromthatkindofexperience. May I be blessed instead to be born as a dog in the streets of Your Sriranga KshEthram(tobenearyouandhaveyourdarsanamasyougoaroundthe streets of your rajadhAni during Your Uthsavams)! WiththeaboveslOkam,theSriRanganAthaSthOthramisover.Thereis however two more stray verses (Mudhagams), which are always recited. These twomighthavebeencomposedatanothertimebyBhattar.Thefirstofthe two has connections to the wish to be born as a lowly dog in Srirangam. Onemorning,Bhattarwasrushingtothetempletoexecutehisdutiesas SrirangEsa PurOhithar. A devotee came out of the temple and told the passing Bhattar that a dog strayed into the Sannidhi and therefore a group of people wereconductingSaanthihomamandpuNyAhavAchanamtopurifytheinner precincts.Thisdevoteewassomewhatskepticalaboutthemotivesofthoseperforming sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 23 thehomamandmentionedthatthegroupwasdoingthehomamfortheirown personalbenefit.Onhearingthat,theamusedBhattarcomposedthisslOkam and placed it at the feet of His Lord: HB|T 7F4 |+T 7=-6l - |P4l94l( + Tl |9 Hl|-6P 66l|+T 7P|4 B|T 7Tl|+!T |6\96Tl |9+ asannikrushTasya nikrushTajantO-mithyApavAdEna karOshi Saantim | tatO nikrushTE mayi sannikrushTE kaam nishkrutim RangapatE karOshi? || M EA NING :Oh,RanganAthA!Youarehavingthesaanthihomamperformedunderthe pretextofadogthatenteredyoursannidhi.Thateventhoweverdidnot happen. What are you going to do now, when the lowliest of the lowliest, myself has arrived at your side? What kind of santhi homam are you going to get done tosanctifyyoursannidhi?ThisisthecontextoftheoriginofBhattars seventh slOkam that we recite. IntheconcludingslOkam,BhattarlistsanumberofDivyadesamslike Srirangam dear to AchAryA RaamAnujAs heart: ~l\T|H PV+||6l4l | |B (ll~lT P9 69l P 4(|+ll4T+ |PHP ~lP(l46l 94lP l4l \4l4l- 9 !TBllP|| |+9 -4 P6 lPl+ =l 54P |+-+ Srirangam kariSailam anjanagirim tArkshyAdri simhaacalouSrI kUrmam purushOttamam casadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 24 badareenArAyanam naimiSam | Srimad dwAravatee prayAga- mathurA ayOdhyA gayA: pushkaram saaLagrAma girim nishEvya ramatE raamAnujOyam muni: || M EA NING :Our great AchArya RaamAnuja had stayed with affection (uhandhu yezhunth-aruLinAr)atSrirangam,Hasthigiri(Kaanchi),ThiruVenkatam,AhObilam, SimhAchalam,SreekUrmam,PurushOtthamam(pUriJagannatham), BadrikAsramam,NaimisAraNyam,SrimadDwArakai,PrayAg,VadaMadhurai AyOddhi,Gaya,PushkaramandSaalagrAmamagiri.Thegreatnessofthe mukthi kshEhtrams is saluted here with Srirangam at the front end. HISTO RY O F THE SRIRA NG A MTEM PLE Thehistoryofthetempleisveryancientone.Onecansplitthehistoryinto the pre-historical and the historical period. PRE-HISTO RICPERIO D Underthepre-historicperiodcometheavathAramofSriRanganAthAunder theRevathiconstellationinresponsetoBrahmAstapasasSvayamvyaktha mUrthy.KingIkshvAku,thesonofVaivaswathaManuperformedanaustere penance towards BrahmA and as a result, he was blessed to have the Sriranga Vimanam housing Sri Ranganaathan move to a new home in AyOddhi, his capital. Thisbecamethefamilyasset(Kuladhanam)ofalloftheSooryaKulakings that followed IshvAku down to Sri RamachandrA. AfterHiscoronation,SriRamachandrangaveSriranganAthanwiththe SrirangavimAnamasagifttoKingVibheeshaNAandcommandedlatterto sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 25 performArAdhanamtoSriRanganathan.OnthewaytoLankhA,theLord changed His mind about settling down in LankA and decided to stay forever in the verdant island of Srirangam formed by the rivers CauvEri and KoLLidam. THE HA ND G ESTURES O F THE LO RD O F SRIRA NG A MHereatthepuNyabhUmiofSrirangam,Herestsonthefive-headed AdhisEshan facing south towards LankhA. He is giving Darsanam to His votary, VibheeshaNAandislookingsouthwardsatSrivilliputthUr,theplaceofbirth of his dear consort, ANdAL. In His reclining position, His right hand points to His crown to indicate that He is the Emperor and the origin of all chEthanAs and AchEthanAs. His left hand points to His charaNa kamalams (lotus feet) with the Divya MaNi PaadhukhAs saluted by Swami Desikan. He seems to suggest that His ThiruvadigaLs are the only refuge for those, who wish to cross the fearsome ocean of SamsAram. Ranga! Ranga! HISTO RIC A L PERIO D O F TEM PLE C O NSTRUC TIO N TheChOLAking,DharmaVarmanbuiltthetempleandMantapamaroundthe vimAnam left behind by VibhishaNA. After his time, the sands from the floods sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 26 ofCauveriburiedtheVimAnamandPerumALforquitesometime.Another ChOLA king known as KiLLi ChOzhan was traveling by the banks of CauvEri and waswonderstrucktoheartheincessantwarblingoftwohymnsonSriman NaarAyaNA by a parrot perched on a tree near by. He dug the place and to his greatsurprisefoundtheSrirangaVimAnamandBhagavAnrestingon AdhisEshAunderthesands.Hecarriedoutmanyrenovationsandmaintained the worship of the Lord at His temple. RA JAM A HENDRAA ND NA NDAC HO LAKING S ThedevoutbhakthAofSriRanganAthanbythenameofRajaMahEndra ChOlan followed and added many features to the temple including a PrAkAram named after him. That prAkAram stands even today. Next, Nanda ChOLan, a descendant of Dharma Varman ruling over NisuLApuri (WorayUr)prayedtotheLordtoblesshimwithprogeny.TheLordanswered his prayer and the king found a baby girl on the top of a giant lotus in the lotus pond.HenamedthechildKamalavalliandraisedherashisownchild.When Kamalavallireachedtheageofmarriage;shedesiredtomarryonlySri Ranganathan.TheLordofSrirangammarriedherandshebecameWorayUr nAcchiyAr.Thekingbecamethefather-in-lawoftheLordandcededhis wealth to his son-in-law and built many mantapams and nandavanams. KULA SEKA RAPERUM A L O F KO LLINA DU HeruledoverthechEra,chOLaandPaandyAkingdomsandwasagreat bhakthAoftheLordofSrirangam.LikeNandaChoLA,KulasEkharaPerumAL marriedhisdaughter,ChEraKulaVallitoSriRanganAthanandspenthislast daysatthefeetoftheLord.ChEraKulavallisitsathesacredfeetofthe LordinthegarbhagruhamandonSriRamaNavamidaysdeartoHerfather comes out with the Uthsavar and blesses us with Serthi sevai of Her own ;the arayarrecitedthePerumALThirumozhi PaasuramsofHerfatherbeforeHer and Her Lord . sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 27 FIFTH C ENTURY A .D. AkingfromBengalcametovisitSriRanganAthAandbroughtwithhim enormouswealthtocedetotheLordforHisArAdhanam.Thejealous administratorsofthetemplerefusedtoaccepttheofferedwealth.Theking left the wealth that he brought with him at the threshold of one of the gates and posted some of his soldiers and Brahmins to protect it and returned home.TheLordwasverypleasedwiththekingsBhakthiandinstructedHistemple adhikAristoaccepttheofferedwealth.Thatgate,wherethewealthofthe king rested is known today as Aryapadal Vaasal. THIRUM A NG A I M A NNA N A ND HIS C O NTRIBUTIO NS TOTEM PLE EXPA NSIO N Inthe9thcenturyA.D.,Thirumangaimannanbuilttherampartsaroundthe temple,raisedtheheightofthetemple,createdDasAvathAraSannidhiand developed many nandavanams. THE KA IM KA RYA MO F THE C HO LA AA ND PA A NDYAKING S ChOLENdra Simman, Gangai ThEvan Singan, ThANda Naicker, AgaLangan alias VikramachOLan,SundaraPaandyanaliasponnvEynthaPerumAL,KulOthunga ChOLAwerethenextgenerationkingswhopresentedtheLordwithmany AabharaNams,goldenpUjAvesselsandthegoldcovereddhvajasthambham.Dr.A.GopinathofBishopHeberCollege,ThiruchirapaLLIhaswrittenavery informativearticleonthetempleconstructionatSrirangamoverthe centuries. SULTA N O F DELHI A ND HIS DA UG HTER ( TULUKKANA A C C HIYA R)Afterthetimeoftheabovekings,theDelhiSultanplunderedtheSrirangam templeandtookwithhimthearchAmUrthy,SriRanganAthA.Hisdaughter fell in love with the beauty of the Lord and kept the Lord in her bed chambers andadoredHim.AgroupofscholarsfromSrirangamcametothesultan's courtandappealedtothesultantogivethempermissiontotakeSri sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 28 RanganAthA back to Srirangam. The Sultan agreed andthevisitorstothecourtrushedbackbefore thesultAnibecameawareofherloss.Thenext morning, the sultAni found about the travel of her beloved Lord back to Srirangam and she left Delhi immediatelytojoinherLord.Shearrivedat Srirangamwithherfatherandcouldnotfindher belovedLord.Shediedthereheartbroken.Her devotion has earned her a sannidhi for her .She is saluted as Tulukka NaacchiyAr. Her sannidhi is now at the King Raja MahEndran veethi (N.E.Thirunadai palace).SriRanganAthanpartakesrhotiInthe morning to show His links to Tulukka NaacchiyAr. Thesultanwasveryunhappy.Hetriedtolocate the site, where the temple authorities had hidden Sri RanganAthan and finally gave up his search and returned to his capital. Three kodavars guarded the image of the Lord at the foot of a waterfall in Thirumalai. For nearly 60 years, the Lord stayed at Thirumalai and finally the word leaked thattheLordiskeptatThirumalai.GoppaNNaUdayAr,theministerofthe VijayanagarAkingHarihararAyarandChenchirulercametoThirumalaiand carried Sri RenganAtha and Sri RenganAyaki back to Srirangam. The year was 1293AD(TamilyearParithApi).InthatYear,onMay17th,thetwokings performedconsecrationceremoniesatSrirangamandinstalledSri RanganAthA and Sri RanganAyaki in their ancient home. AKING S DO UBT A ND THE BA NISHM ENT O F THA T DO UBT ThereweresomedoubtsinthemindofthethenkingRajendraChOLA whetherthereturnedarchAmUrthywasindeedtheoriginalAzhagiya MaNavALan. A dhObhi used to doing laundry kaimkaryam for the Lord partook Tulukka nAcciyAr (Courtesy: Sri.Murali BhaTTar) sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 29 theThirumanjanajalamwrungfromthewetvasthramoftheLordand identifiedtheauthenticityofthereturnedLordastheoriginalSri RanganAthan. TheLordwaspleasedwiththeKingssevaiandappearedinhisdreamand blessedhim.Heistheking,whocreatedasannidhiforSuratthAni(Tulukka NaacchiyAr), the daughter of the Delhi Sultan. This king also left endowments for offering bread, sweet dhAl, Kicchadi and milk to Saanthu nAcchiyAr. ThedivyadEsamofSrirangamisa600acreislandtown.Thetownof TiruchirAppaLLilocated5kmsfromSrirangamhasbeenthecitadelofthe early ChOLAs. It fell into the hands of PallavAs, who ruled from their capital of Kanchi. The PallavAs could not however retain control of this strategic city of TiruchirAppaLLi and the temple town of Srirangam. They (the PallavAs) lost themtothePaandyAs,whoruledfromtheirnearbycapitalofMathurai.The later ChOLA kings asserted their power around the 10th century and drove out the PaandyA kings. They (ChOLAs) held Tirucchi, MalaikkOttai (83 meter high rockfort)andSrirangamuntilthetimeofthepeakperiodofVijayanagara Kings. PO ST-VIJA YA NA G A RA MPERIO D The Vijayanagar Empire collapsed in 1565 A.D and the ensuing weakness of the powerofthosekingsledtothecontrolofthetownofTirucchirAppaLLiand SrirangamdivyadesamunderasuccessionofrulerssuchastheNayaksof Mathurai,theMarAthAs,theNawabsofCarnatic,theFrenchandfinallythe British.OurLordRanganathAhaswatchedalloftheseempirescomeandgo acrossmilleneums.CountlesskingshaveservedHimandhavebeenblessedby Him.ApreciouslineofAchAryAshavesurrenderedtoHimandspreadHis message. THE M A NY G O PURA M S O F SRIRA NG A MTEM PLE Therearenolessthan22gOpuramsherebuiltoverthecenturiesbythe sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 30 Kings,AzhwArandAchAryAs.Thetallestofthemisthe13-tieredSouthern Gopuram(72Metershigh)builtin1987bythe44thAhObilaMuttJeeyarof blessed memory. He built that southern gOpuram eleven years ago and involved moviestars(ILayaRaajA),thetwoAndavans,KanchiKaamakOtipeetam AchArya, Sri VaishNavaas and BhakthAs of Sri RanganAthA from every corner ofIndia.SriRanganAthAappearedinthedreamoftheAchAryAand commanded him to complete the south gOpuram, which was a mottai gOpuram until then. It was only at the foundation level without any tier. The many gopurams of Sri Ranganaatha Swamy Temple Complex TheblessednameofthisAhObilaMatamJeeyarisSrivaNNSatakOpaSri VedAnthaDesikaYatheendhraMahADesikan.Heinvolvedeveryoneinthis GopuranirmANaKaimkaryamirrespectiveoftheirdarsanamorAchArya Paramparaiorstatusinsociety.Theresponsetohiscallwasuniversal.They pouredin108lakhsofrupeestocompletethiskaimkaryam.Threethousand tonsofconcrete,52tonsofironbarand115lakhsofbrickswereusedto sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 31 realizethistallesttowerinthewholeofIndiatoproclaimthegloryofSri RanganAthA.WhatwasleftincompletebyAchyuthaDevarAyaof Vijayanagaram line was completed by the 44th Jeeyar of AhObila Mutt. THE PRA NAPRA THISHTA I FO R THE SRI RA NG A NA THAVIG RA HA MThe Mahan from MukkUr, the 44th Jeeyar of blessed memory performed the lifeinculcation(PrANaprathishtai)totheSriRanganAthaandSriMahA Lakshmi Vigrahams that have taken their homes in the new temple at Pomona, NY. This Prathishtai was done by him, two years after completing the construction of the Southern Gopuram for Sri RanganathA at Srirangam.Such is the origin ofthepoweroftheseArchAmUrthys,whichhavebeenworshippedbythe great soul and then sent our way to North America. Sri PraNavaakaara Vimaana SamprokshaNam - Pomona, New York NA A THA M UNI, A LA VA NTHA R A ND RA A M A NUJA S TIM ESriRanganAthaMunifromKaattumannArKoil(Circa824-924A.D)had NammAzhwAr as his spiritual Guru; his sishyA was UyyakkondAr (826-931 A.D) thegreatdialectician;hissishyAwasMaNakkAlNambi(832-937A.D)and sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 32 YaamunAchAryAaliasALavanthAr(916-1041A.D)becamethediscipleof ManakkAl Nambi.All of these AchAryAs had their residences in and around Srirangam and spent asignificantportionoftheirlivesservingSriRanganAthAandrefiningthe ArAdhana Kramams for the Lord. SriRamAnujA(1017-1137A.D)wasbornnearKaanchipuramandwasagreat devotee of Sri VaradarAjan. After his sanyAsam, he settled down in Srirangam exceptforthetimeshewasawayinKarnAtakA,ThiruveLLaraiandDigh Vijayam in North India. His devotion to Sri RanganAthA had no match. Hemademanyreformsinthetempleadministration.NazhIkEttAnVaasal (where the clock run by the flow of water was used to mark the time for the various rituals of the temple) was created by AchArya RaamAnuja.HeconvertedthemethodofworshipfromVykAnasatoPaancharAthra Aagamam. KurEsA (1010-1116 A.D), KurukEsA (ThirukkurukaipirAn PiLLAn), the authorofthe6000-Padi,ThiruvarangatthuAmudanAr(authorofRaamAnusa NooRanthAthi),NadAdUrALvAn(SisterssonandpupilofRaamAnuja)and therestofthe74simhAsanaadhipathisappointedbyAchAryaRaamAnujA lived at Srirangam and enriched the devotional service to Sri RanganAtha and Sri RanganAyaki immensely. ParaasaraBhattar(born1074A.D)becamethechiefpriestofthetemple afterRaamAnujAstime.Hisbrother,VedavyAsaBhattartookoverthepost of PurOhithar of Sri RanganAthA and read Saathvika PurANAs in the temple. Nanjeeyar (born 1054 A.D), the author of the 9000 - padi, NampiLLai, Vadakku ThiruveethiPiLLai,PeriyaVaacchANpiLLai,MeganAdhaSoori,Azhagiya MaNavALaJeeyar(sishyaofPeriyaVaacchAnPiLLai),PiLLaiLOkAcchAr (SrivachanaBhUshaNam,arthaPanchakamfame),SudarsanaSoorilivedat Srirangam and thrived from offering their services to the Divya-Dampathis of Srirangam temple. sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 33 SWA M I DESIKA N S TIM E ( 1268-1369 A .D)A ND SRI RA NG A MSwami Desikan spent a significant portion of his life at Srirangam .His disciple andson,NayinAchArya(1316-1401A.D),theotherwellknowndisciple, BrahmatanntraSvatantraParakaalaYathiI(1286-1386A.D),ANNan (PrathivAdhibhayankaram--1300to1410A.D)alternatedbetweenSrirangam and Kaanchipuram. ManavAlaMaamuni(1370-1444A.D)wasbornayearafterSwamiDesikan ascendedtoparamapadham.HewasanardentdevoteeofSriranganAthaand washonoredwithaTaniyanbySriRanganAthaforhispravachanamon Bhagavadh Vishayam. He lived a lot of his life in Srirangam. Wherever we look in Srirangam; we find the imprints of the holy feet of the above AchAryAs and theirparamparaionthesacredsoilofSrirangam,thehomeofAzhagiya MaNavALan.ThegreatUtthamaNambiandhisgenerationshaveservedthe Lordinanunbrokenchain.ThattraditionisnowcarriedovertoPomona,New York, when the divya dampathis took up their residence in the temple built by their BhakthA kotis (http://www.ranganatha.org) . THE M A NY SA NNIDHIS A T SRIRA NG A M ThebigsannidhisinthebigtemplearethatofPeriyaPerumALandSri RanganAyaki ThAyAr. There is a VilvA tree inside the ThAyAr sannidhi. The other sannidhis are: KooratthAzhwAr Sannidhi, the small sannidhi for Sri LakshmiNrusimhannearby,andNaathamuniAzhwArsannidhitotheleft. Next to this sannidhi is the uL (uqf ) ANdAL sannidhi to differentiate it from the VeLi (evqi) ANdAL Sannidhi near the KavEri bank. The mUlavars at the uL ANdALsannidhiareRama,SitAandLakshmaNA.UthsavarsareANdALina seatedpostlookingeastward,herfather,PeriyAzhwArandRaamAnujA (GOdhAgrajar). ANDAL is in bridal dress. VaahanaMandapaVeNugopalanandRukmiNi,KaaLinganarthanaKrishNA, AmrithaKalasaGarudanhavetheirownsannidhis.InsidetheAmrithaKalasa sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 34 Garudansannidhi,wehavethedarsanamofThirumanjanaThirumEniLakshmi Narasimhan. TotherightoftheRangaVilAsaMantapam,wehavetheVeeraHanumAn (MoolavarwiththeheadofHanumAnandthebodyofBhimA)and ThiruppANAzhwArSannidhi.ThondardipodiAzhwArandVittalKrishNa sannidhi are nearby. NearChokkapAnaiHanumAnSannidhi,wefindtheChakkaratthAzhwAr Sannidhi.Moolavarhas16armsandtheuthsavar8arms.LordNarasimhAis behindthemUrthamofChakkaratthAzhwAr.Thearcharoundthe ChakkaratthAzhwAr bears 108 aksharams sacred to that mUrthy. Saturday is a special day of worship of this sacred Sudarsana-Narasimhan. ThereisaSannidhiforSriRaamAnujA.Duringtheadhyayanamfestival,his uthsavamUrthyistakeninprocessioninsidethetemple.Nearbyarethe sannidhis for ParthasArathy and one for PiLLai LokAcchAr. GarudaMantapamhousingtheverytallmUlavarofpaintedGarudaninsitting postureistheplaceofvisitforSriRanganAthaduringMohinialankAramin Vaikunta EkAdasi day. SeparatesannidhisforPattAbhiRaaman,MudhalAzhwArs,Theerthakarai VaasudEvar,andDhanvanthriarealsopresentintheSrirangamtemple. DhnavanthrisannidhiisnearThAyArsannidhiandlak(arakku)isseeninthe handofDhanvanthrisymbolizingtheuseofArakkuinmedicinaltreatmentin the olden days. BeforeweentertheThAyArsannidhi,wecomeacrossthefivepitsandthe three entrances. Desikar Sannidhi is opposite the ThAyAr Sannidhi and Mettu AzhagiyaSingharSannidhiisoppositeKambhanMantapam,wherethepoet readhisKambhaRaamAyaNamandgottheapprovaloftheeighthandedugra Narasimhan.Heisseatedontopoftwentystepsandhasgottenthenameof MettuAzhagiyasingar.NearbyisthesmallandbeautifulChandraPushkarini sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 35 andonitssideistheKOdhandaRaamanSannidhi.ParamaPadhaNaathan sannadhiisnearby.AdditionalsannidhisforNammAzhwAr,Thirumangaiand Mathurakavi are housed in one unit. Sri ChakrathAzhwAr Sannidhi - Sri Rangam A RA DHA NA MA ND NA IVEDHYA MFO R SRI RA NG A NA THAPeriyaPerumAlwakesupintheearlymorningtothesoundofsacredVeeNA musicandThondardipodi'sThiruppaLLiyezucchipaasurams.At8.30AM, butter and milk are offered to the Lord. It is followed by VeNN pongal, Dosai, Sukku, Vellam, Kariamudhu, lime pickle, and Thirumal Vadai. DuringthemiddaypUjA,18padisofcookedrice,Saathamudhu,Kariamudhu, ThirukkaNNamudhu, athirasams are presented. During the evening ArAdhanam, KshirAnnam,milkpongal,vadai,appam,thEnkuzhal,kariyamudhu, dadhiyOdhanamareofferedtotheLord.ThenightNaivEdhyamconsistsof Vadisil(plainrice),sattiaravanaikariamudhu.Thisisaround9P.M.Between 9:15 and 9:30 p.m., milk with camphor (pacchai karpooram), saffron, cardamom and brown sugar (naattu chakkarai) are presented and then the Lord rests for sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 36 the night. Subamasthu! Sarva MangaLAni santhu ithi mahAntO anugrhaNNanthu!Sri RanganAtha charanou SaraNam prapadhyE 37 sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 38 Namperumal - samvatsari 2007 (Thanks: Sri.Murali BhaTTar) sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 39 + ~l-+ RevathiisassociatedwiththeJanmaNakshatramofSriRanganatha,justas SravanaNakshatramisassociatedwithSriVenkatesaofThirumalaiasHis birthstar.Althoughitisoddtoconsideraparticularnakshatramastheone associatedwiththeLord,whoisneverborn,traditionally,archaMurthys havebeenassociatedwithadayinaYearthatisparticularlyimportantto them.ItsohappensthatSriRanganatha,theeternalonewithoutanendor beginninghasPanguniRevathiasHISbirthStar.SriRanganayakihasPanguni Uttaram as HER Star. This Panguni month is therefore doubly blessed for the devotees of Kasturi Rangan and His illustrious consort. NamperumAl-thAyAr SErthi SEvai adiyEnwillsharewithyousomeofthethoughtsontheVedicSignificanceof the word Revathi, since Sri Ranganatha is the Veda Purushan saluted by all the VedAs . sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 40 The word Revati or association with the concept of Revati occurs in all of the four Veda Samhitaas.Themantram35ofChapter23oftheYajurVedamreferstotheRaivati verses this way:P(l+lVl 4t4l|4Hl HlHl 9 4l- P l|4 H 6l4l- B l| H4-6t4l+ mahaanaamnyO revathOh viswaa Aasaa prabhUvaree: | maigheervidhyuthoh vaaccha: Sucheebhi: samyantu tvaa ||M EA NINGA T O NE LEVEL: MaytheMahaanaamniandRevatiVedicversesspreadallthewayuptothe supremeregions,whichappearlikethelightninginthecloudsandwhichare recited by the devoted subjects please the mighty Lord! RevatisaretheversesfromwhichtheRaivataSaamanoftheSaamaVedais formed.ThisnameasRaivataSaamanisconnectedtotheRgVedicVerse (Canto I. 30.13), where the word Revati is used to symbolize Wealth, Opulence, AbundantRiches,Prosperity,Brilliance,Splendour,Beautyandotherkalyana GunaasoftheLordsalutedthroughtheManynamesofVishnuSahasra Naamam. InanothermantramofYajurVeda,WecomeacrossthereferencetoRevati again. This is the 21st mantram of Canto III: 46l P\4P|FP-4l +l4|FP-l U |FP -l T |FP-4 ( 4 F6 Pl9l6+ revathi ramadhvamasminyonaavasmin goshtehsmimllokehsmin kshayeh |ihaiva stha maapagaata ||sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 41 HereRevatiisinterpretedastheSacredVedicSpeech.Itisrequestedto remainintheVedicaltar,intheYajna,inthespotoftheYajnaandinthe house,wheretheYajnaisbeingconducted.TheprayerisOh,Revati!Donot goawayfromhere!RemainJusthereandgonotthenceistheprayer. SatapathaBrahmanacomposedbyYajnavalkyaexplainstheintrepretationof RevatiasVedicSpeechthroughhisobservation:VaagvaiRevati.Lord RanganathaisthentheessenceofVedicSpeechortheonepervadingVedic SpeechortheutterancesoftheVedas.ThisVedaPurushaisrequestedby another Yajur Mantram to ascend to the Zenith and bless us:Urdvamaaroha --- Raivatheh Saamaani ---- ( Yajur Vedam: X.14 ). Before we focus on the Rg Veda Mantram that is behind the Raivata Saamans oftheSaamaVeda,LetussalutetheatharvaVedicVersereferringtothe RevatiPrinciple.TheVerseisfoundintheninthKhaandaofatharvaVedain Hymn 7.3. The Mantram is as follows: |4H |=l P66l(-6l 46ll 4l- T |Tl FT-l Pl 4(- vidhyujjihvaa marutOh dantaa revatirgreevaa: krittikaa skandhaa dharmOh vaha:In this mantra conceptualizing the entire Universe as a Cow, Revati, one of the starsofthelunarmansionisequatedtotheneckoftheCosmicCow.The Krittika star is recognized as the shoulder of this Cow. Symbolism of the neck is invoked here. ThecentralMantrarelatedtoRevatiistheRgVedicmantram(I.30.13).The entirethirtiethChapterofCantoIofRgVedaisasplendidtributetothe ananta Kalyana Gunaas of the Lord and a prayer for his blessings. There are 22 verses in this chapter.Allbutthelastthreeversesdealwiththerequestforcommunionwiththe generousLord.Wewillsalutethe13thRkfirstandthensummarizethe meaning of the rest of the related verses. sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 42 46l+ - BPl( -B-66 |44l=l- P-6l4l|P ( P+ revateer na: sadhamaada indrE santu tuvivaajaa: |kshumanthO yaabhir madEma || (Rg vEdam : I.30.13 )M EA NING : OResplendentGod!MayThoushareourspiritualJoy!Maywehaveabundant nourishment,andMayourMedha(Intellect)beuncloudedandsharp,sothat wearefullofdevotionforYou!MayweLiveinastateofunalloyedBlissin union with You! Acondensedsummary(excerpts)oftheotherversesofI.30ofRgVedamis as follows: VERSE 1:Justasfarmersdigawellandfilltheirfieldswithwater,mayourheartsbe filled with devotion for you, the resplendent God! VERSE 2:May our sublime and pristine devotion for You flow in hundreds and thousands ofstreamstowardsYou,theresplendentGod,justastheriverandits tributaries rush towards the Ocean. VERSE 3:May All our devout prayers, which are poured forth to please You be treasured in Your heart like water in the vast Ocean! VERSE 6:May we establish Communion with You for our guidance! sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 43 VERSE 7:On every occasion, in every noble Kainkaryam, we invoke thee, the best among our friends for our protection and happiness. VERSE 8:WhenHelistenstoourinvocations,Heassuredlycomestouswiththousands ofgenerousbountiesandbenedictions.(ThisisanexpressionoftheMaha Viswaasam of the supplicant.) VERSE 9:Itooinvokethee,whocreatedthisUniverseandtheeternalelements.Our ancestors have also been invoking You . VERSE 10:Desirous of Communion with You, we invoke You as our best friend and we take refuge in You. Be gracious to us, your dedicated and loyal servants. VERSE 12:O Mighty God! O Dispeller of all of the miseries! We yearn for Your friendship and beseech You to respond to our love. VERSE 18 A ND 19:OGod!DestroyeroftheWicked!Yourgiftofbodytousislikethegiftof chariotwiththeimmortalsoulresidingwithinit.Itaspirestoreachbeyond this material world and travel across space to You.----- the spirit soars high in searchoftheimmortal.OnlyYoucantakeustoourdesireddestination (parama padaham). sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 44 Aswereflectonthe247versesoftheAzhwaars,theechoesoftheabove Vedic pronouncements are heard again and again. MayweseektheprotectionoftheSaranaagathaRakshakaaeverydayand approachHiminthespiritoftheaboveRevatiSaamansandrequestHimto grant us the boon of unceasing memory of Him. 9l(ll =F9 H|6 =6\+lF4 ==lP76-|4|6 H+ -\4 P-4 |6 +l|P 4F4lF64|6 =4l Pl |PT 4P+l9l41l|4l|94|6 4(64lB+lPl |= 4- + paadaambhojam spruSati bhajatEranganaathasya janghaamUrudvandvE vilagati Sanai- rUrdhvam abhyEti naabhim | vakshasyaastE valati bhujayor- maamikEyam maneeshaavaktraabhikhyaam pibati vahatE vaasanaam mauLi bandhE || --Sri Vedantha Desikas Sri Bhagavad Dhyaana Sobhaanam: SlOkam 10WiththisprayerofNigamaanthaMahaDesikancelebratinghisenjoymentof thebeautyofallthelimbsofSriRanganatha,adiyEnsalutesSri Revatisambhavan on HIS birth day, which fell on March 20 2007. 45 sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 46 Sri ANDAL and NamperumAL (Image Courtesy : Sri B.Senthil Kumar & Sri.Murali Bhattar) sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 47 + ~l- adiyEnwillperformthesankalpamfirstfortheBhagavAnsVivaaha MahOthsavam . asmath gurubhuyo nama: Hari: Om tath sri Govindha Govindha govindha asyasri bhagavadha:mahaapurushasya sri vishnoraj~nyaapravarthamaanasya adhyabrahmana: dvidheeya paraarthe, sri svetha varaaha kalpe vaivasvatha manvanthre,kaliyughe, prathame paadhe, jambhu dhveepe,bhaaratha varshe, amerikaa kandhe, sahaabthe, meror uttare paarsve, asmin varthamaane vyavahaarike prabhavaadhi shashti samvathsaraanaam madhye bahudhaanya naama samvathsaare, uttharaayane vasantha ruthou mesha maasekrishna pakshe bhouma vaasara visaaka nakshthra yukhthaayaam, sri vishnuyoga sri vishnukarana subha yoga subha karana yevamguna viseshana visishtaayaam asyaam dhvitheeyaam subha tithou sri bhagavdaj~nyaa,sri bhagavdh preethyartham vaathoola gothraanaam, sri srinivaasa raaghava SaThakOpa sarmaa naamaaham,sri godhaa devi--sri ranganaatha kalyaana mahothsavam karishye ANdAL-SriRanganathaThirukkalyANamwillbebasedonANDALsown visualizationofHerwedding.ThearchivalsourcewouldthereforeisHer VaaraNamAyiram paasurangals (NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi 6.1). In Sri VaishNavite weddings, during the occasion of Pacchai poosuthal, these paasurangaLsaresungtoconferANDALsandSriRanganAthAsblessingson the newly wedded couple for long, happy, harmonious wedded life blessed with childrenhavingBrahmaJn~AnamandSaathveekaGuNaSampath.ANDAL herself describes the fruits of reciting these paasurangaLs of Hers this way: sadagopan.orgsadagopan.orgsadagopan.org 48 ~y{kf kak ta[fk]f d k[avi^[ Evyafp