SapthAvaranam

Sri Parthasarathi thunai,

Srimathe Ramanujaya Namaha.

Srimad vara vara munayE namaha

Sri vAnAchala mahA munayE Namaha

Pranams,

This is my last posting about Thiruvallikeni. Let me conclude with this giving you the divya darshan of all the emperumans on the day after the brahmotsavam. The brahmotsavam ends with the theertha vaari. Then the next day to theertha vaari day is called 'sapthavaranam' or Dhvadasa aaradhanam. This is customary in brahmotsavam in any divyadesam. In Srirangam the emperuman who has gone out to do divya leelas during the brahmotsavam comes back into the seven aavaranas and reaches his sannadhi on this day. That is what this day actually symbolises. As the Perumal’s sannadhi is considered as vaikundam, the emperuman comes out of the saptha aavaranas or lokas and comes to leela vibhuthi to perform his leelas at the beginning of the brahmotsavam, and returns back, after finishing his leelas to his resting place (sannathi/vaikundam) on the day of Sapthaa varanam. This is known to many of us.

But there is one thing different in Thiruvallikeni. Here you know who the saptha aavaranas are? They are the seven sannadhi moorthis namely Sri Parthasarathi, Sri Andal, Sri Ranganathar, Sri Vedavalli thayar, Sri Ramar, Sri Varadharajar and Sri Azhagiya singar. The saptaa varanam day is the only day in Thiruvallikeni when we can have the darshan of all the moorthis in a single mandapam with all the divya alankarams. The sathupadi in Thiruvallikeni needs a separate post on itself. The way the emperumans and thayars are decorated cannot be explained with mere words. Even to see Parthasarathi alone, in his full alankaram is not fully satisfiable for us. As Kambar says in his Ramayanam, "Thol kandar Thole kandar". If you look at his shoulders your eyes stay fixed over them and so you forget to see other beautiful Angams. "nadai azhaghu,vudai azhaghu Parathasarathi vun azhaghukinai nee thane Parthasarathi" (your style of walk is beauty, your dressing is beauty oh Parthasarathi! There is no one equal to your beauty and to your beauty Only your beauty is equal). This is what comes to my mind when I think about the beauty of Sri Parthasarathi. Not only Sri Parthasarathi, every emperuman in Thiruvallikeni have their special charm and beauty. Imagine the collection of beauties in a single place. When the emperumans are so beautiful, even without their alankarams, then imagine them with all the swarupa alangarams made of beautiful garlands and further surrounded by bhaktha garlands like alwars and acharyas. I really tend to lose myself when I think I am going to miss this sevai this year. But if anyone can make it up please do so without fail because this is the only day when you will be able to see all the moorthis in the temple in a single place.

Next let me proceed with the happenings of this D-Day. All the perumals and thayars have thirumanjanam unanimously and then alangaram is preformed on them. Once this is completed, the thiruvaimozhi ghosti starts and then there is dhvadasa aradhanam. At the end of each paththu in thiruvaimozhi there is a Thiruaaradhanam. It is excellent to see the perumals in the light of the deeparathi. Then the last thiruaaradhanam is done and then comes the highlighting feature of the day. You may be wondering what it is? It is the sattrumarai. No one can stay without losing their heart when the last pasurams of the Thiruvaimozhi "Soozhvisum pani mughil" and "Muniye nanmugane" are recited. The sound of the ghosthi will pierce into our hearts. I am searching for words to explain the anubhavam but sorry it is absolutely not possible for mere words to explain. Then teertham, sri satagopam (Sadari) and prasadams are given. Then we can have the darshan of all the emperumans in close and get their blessings then other emperumans and alwars and acharyas return to their respective sannadhis and Parthasarathi/Azhagiyasingar (depending on whose brahmotsavam it is) goes to thiruveedhi purappadu in the vettiver sapparam.

The utsavam thus comes to an end leaving everyone sad that it has come to an end and that now we have to return to our normal routine. As for the 10 days the minds of all the Thiruvallikeni vasees were full of thoughts about perumal and his utsavam only. After the Parthasarathi utsavam there is a relief that within a span of two months Narasimhar brahmotsavam will follow which has all the same happiness in store, but after Narasimhar utsavam it is a long wait for the next Parthasarathi utsavam. Though there are many other utsavams in between still brahmotsavam has its own uniqueness and specialty.

As this being the conclusion, I thought that this posting will be a small one, but Parthasarathi has made this also a long one. Let me now end with the paasuram of Thiruvarangathamudhanar in Ramanuja nootrandhadhi,

"Iyalum porulum isayathoduthu eenkavigal

mayal konduvaizhtum eRamanusanai madhi inmayaal

payilum kavigalil paththi elladha en pavinenjinal

muyalgindranan avan than perum keerthi

mozhindhidave".

Here amudhanar talks showing his naichyAnusandhanam(the foremost quality of a srivaishnava). He says though there are so many scholars to praise Acharya Ramanuja with all their excellent talents, adiyen full of ignorance is trying to sing the praise of the Acharya. Amudhanar did possess the excellence, which is clear from his paasurams, but still he shows his humbleness, which proves him to be a SriVaishnava. It is also a path shown to us. But adiyen is really ignorant, when I compare myself to the scholars and learned people in these groups. Adiyen with all my ignorance, but with the aarvam(interest) to do something has taken this effort. Periyazhwar says"vakku thooimai elamaiyale narana vunnai nakkollamattene" He says since my words are not pure I will not talk about you but he doesn’t stop with that but continues singing about the emperuman. Similarly though adiyen realises that I am not eligible to post about Balaramanujan's (sri Parthasarathi) divinity and about his divya desam still I continued since I was attracted by the sweet anubhavams while posting these articles. May the divine grace of the divya dampathis and the mangalasasanams of the bhakthas and bhagavatas of this group give me the strength and knowledge to post many more articles as a kainkaryam to the sri vaishnava society.

May all my mistakes, done knowingly or unknowingly be pardoned by all the members of the group and also by the divya dampathis themselves who are flooded with apaara kaarunyam.

Adiyen Ramanuja dAsee

Sumithra Varadarajan