Dear Sri Muniandy :
I am glad to know that you want to know
about
the significance of SravaNa vratham .
SravaNam or ThiruvONam is the nakshathram
associated
with Sriman NarayaNa . It has therefore very
auspicious
overtones . SravaNam is celebrated particularly
in
Oppiliappan Koil and Thirumalai ( and all other Sri
VenkatEsa
sannidhis .
Many Sri VenkatEsa BhakthAs observe UpavAsam and do
not
take any food and send a significant portion of the
day reflectign
on the glories of Sriman Narayanan .
SravaNa Vratham and associated fasting is not as
mandatory as
the observance of EkAdasi Fasting and DhvAdasi
breaking of fast .
Sri Venkatesa BhakthAs observe it . Sri Oppiliappan
at Oppiliappan
Sannidhi is DakshiNa VenkatEsan .
On SravaNam day , there is a huge assembly of
BhakthAs at
Oppiliappan Sannidhi and SravaNa dheepam is lit and
carried around
the temple precincts . The devotee carrying the lit
dheepam close to his
chest is in a state of trance and has the links to
Oppiliappan . The Lord
enters into him for that duration and devotees with
all kinds of problems
inn their lives approach the Swamy Carrying
the lit SravaNa dheepam
and recieve responses to their questions and act
accordingly .At the end
of the procession , the dheepam holder quenches the
flames in
the AhOrAthra PushkaraNi and waits for the lighting
of the Dheepam
during the next SravaNam . The pious devotee
carrying the dheepam lives
in Srirangam and comes to Oppiliappan Sannidhi on
SravaNam days . He is
over 80 years in age and has been performing this
kaimkaryam for many years .
His carrying of the naked flame close to His body
is an unforgettable sight .
The Dheepam represents the JyOthir Maya
Tatthvam
of Bhagavan( Brahman of the Upanishads ) . The
Mundaka
Upanishad says in this context : " Him the
shining One, every thing ( the Sun ,
the Moon and all the other luminary bodies) shines
after , by this light ,
all these lights are lit ".
This SravaNa dheepam also represents the inner
Jyothi in our heart lotuses ,
which is the indwelling Brahman: "Now the light ,
which shines above this heaven
( at Sri Vaikuntam as Param JyOthi or Param Sudar ,
Sriman Narayanan ) , is
the highes tof all lights in all the worlds ,
verily , that is the same light , which is
with in the heart lotus in the minutest of forms ".
This is the antharyAmi Brahman
and the other is the AkhaNDa Brahman .They are one
and the same . This is
the tEjOmaya Brahman worshipped on the Kaarthigai
dheepam day .
Ther eis much more to this Jyothis Tatthvam , which
will make this note longer .
Hence I stop here .
Sri SravaNa VenkatEsa ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
,
Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan
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