Ekantha Sevai and SoornAbhishekam

Sri Parthasarathi thunai

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha

Srimad Vara vara munayE namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE namaha

Pranams,

In this posting let us see the other celebrations during the brahmotsavam.

As we have seen in the previous postings Garuda sevai has its special importance. Garuda Sevai, which is a very important event in Kanchi during the brahmotsavam is celebrated as a special event in Thiruvallikeni also. People prepare sweets in their houses on the days of Garuda sevai and thEr as the brahmotsavam is considered as a function at each house in Thiruvallikeni.

So now let us see how Parthasarathi gives darshan on top of the garuda Vahanam. Sri Parthasarathi today gets into this vahanam inside the temple itself, and gets ready to give darshan to all his bhakthas, who are waiting eagerly at the temple main gate. As soon as emperuman approaches the entrance the gate is opened and kalpura arathi is performed and the divine beauty of the lord is highlighted. Then the emperuman’s purappadu starts. You know why he comes out on the streets? It is to give darshan to the sick and the old who are unable to come to his doorsteps but very much want to see him in the Garuda Sevai. This shows the apara kaarunyam of the emperuman. Today in one of the mada streets (Thulasinga perumal street where the entrance for Narasimhar sannadhi is present) Yesal is performed. You may wonder what Yesal is? After finishing his initial routine of going through the street, collecting all the offerings of the bhakthas and giving his blessing to them, Sri Parthasarathi goes back and forth three times in the same street. The first two times he comes back after traveling half the street the last time he goes till the start of the street and then he walks slowly dancing from one end to other. This is really a great sight to see. It will look like Sri Parthasarathi is full of joy, seeing all his bhakthas enjoying his darshan, and so he is dancing and jumping to show his ecstacy. And when he comes to the middle of the street he will walk fast (almost like running) thereby showing his bhakthas his various styles of walking. This is called Yesal. The highlighting part is the music, the Yesal beat, to which Sri Parthasarathi paces his walk.

Then he rests for sometime in the gangai Kondan mandapam(commonly called ganganamandapam by the Thiruvallikeni vasees). From there he starts and finishes his visit to the rest of the streets and returns back to the vahana mandapam. We can have Yesal sevai three times during the brahmotsavam. In

Garuda vahanam(3rd day morning), Yaanai vahanam(6^th day night) in T.P.Koil Street and Gudirai vahanam(9^th day night ) in Car street. All 3 Yesals are similar as mentioned above.

After the garuda vahanam purappadu there is a special sevai called the EKANTHA SEVAI. Sri Parthasarathi gets out of the garuda vahanam and he gets dressed with a lot of jewels and with a single beautiful rose (light pink) garland. I am sorry to say, though I want to explain more about the dressing and beauty of Sri Parthasarathi during the ekantha sevai, I am really unable to find any suitable words to describe. So I simply stop by saying that it is an excellent sight. During the Ekantha sevai Sri Parthasarathi walks very slowly from the vahanana mandapam to the Thiruvaimozhi mandapam. Offerings are made to him at almost every step he makes forward. So by the time he reaches the thiruvaimozhi mandapam it will be noon. The Ekantha sevai prolongs for 1 to 2 hours. Then on approaching the mandapam, Sri Parthasarathi dances and he leaps forward and gets settled in the mandapam for his routine thirumanjanam. On these days the archakas find hardly any gap since there are proceedings one after the other. The dedication of the archakas should be brought to mind at these points. Their kainkaryam to make the various alangarams to emperuman only gives various sevais to all of us. I would like to make a request to the bhakthas who are reading these postings. When you visit a temple in India, please put your offerings (money) in the plates brought by archakas inside the sannadhis. Because when we put them in the Hundhis it goes partially to the Government and it is of no use to the temple and emperuman. If you put it in the plates it goes atleast to the archakas who are doing kainkaryam to the emperuman. It also becomes a bhagavata kainkaryam.

SOORNABHISHEKAM

On the sixth day morning before emperuman starts for the purappadu in punniya koti vimanam one ritual called soornabhishekam is done. In this, emperuman is decorated with a soornam (scented powder with turmeric and other ingredients). The soornam is prepared in front of bhagavan with recitation of specific mantras. This event is done as a auspicious ceremony (mangalArtham) before the Lord gets into His chariot the next day. The divine powder is given to all during the purappadu as a prasadam from emperuman.

This celebration recalls the first Krishna Janmashtami utsavam in gokulam by the Aiypadi people. As periyazhvar in his pasuram(Periyazhvar Thirumozhi1-1) says “ yennai chunnam aedir aedir thoovida kannan mutram kalandu alarayitrae” . Same celebration of the gopis with oil and turmeric powder is also mentioned in the Bhagavata puram. So to show their happiness and prayer of welfare for the new born child the gopikas played with oil and turmeric powder similar to holi in north India. Now as part of getting ready for next day rathOtsavam soornAbhshekam is done.

There the people of Aiypadi were illiterate (blessed souls) and didn’t see any aachaaram or anushtanam so they played spraying oil and powder on each other but we, reserve some restrictions among us, so in our temples the powder is only given in our hands as bhagavat prasadam.

There are more interesting things like Thotta thirumanjanam, Porvai kalayal, Mattayadi utsavam etc.

We will see them in the next postings.

Adiyen Ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan