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Sundara Raman

Rupa guna audaryayai pumsam drishti chitta apaharinim

By His form, qualities and munificence he steals the vision and hearts
of men. What about women? What a futile question! Lentil doughnuts
were threaded onto a staff and hung high overnight so that the
"vadais" could be safegaurded from bandicoots and relished the next
day. The next day on being asked to fetch it the answer came that the
staff was missing. Is there a need to ask about the tasty "vadais"? As
it is He is favorite among women for being a confirmed mongamist,
unlike that dark enchanter of Gokul. Women not only lose their vision
and hearts, they just melt in His presence. Just one example will
suffice. She was so huge that her nails were as big as cane plates
used to separate chaff from rice. She was uglier than hell and her
whole appearance was frightening even to the agents of Death. She was
besotted at the first meeting itself and her ardour had to be cooled
by cutting off her ears and nose. That Surpanakha, in severe pain due
to both injury and insult, couldn't help praising the handsomeness of
both the sons of the Emperor:
Tarunou Rupa Sampanou Sukumarou Mahabalaou
Pundareeka Vishalakshou Cheera Krishnamjinabarou

"Both are youthful, physically well endowed, gentle but powerful
with eyes like huge lotuses and wearing bark and deerskin"
  
Men were so enamored of His handsomeness that they wished to be born
as women to fully enjoy His company. These were not your worldly men,
slaves of the senses. These were men of awe inspiring austerity,
almost masochistic in nature. They were the sages of Dandakaranya.
They had gathered to complain to Him about their woes and loss of
limbs at the hands of the ogres. One was noseless and another had a
gaping hole in the thigh. One had lost his ears and another his hands.
They awaited Him eagerly.  His arrival was sensed by some perceptive
rishi by the fact that the woods were slowly taking on a  dark
bluish-green hue. All turned to see Him and were bedazzled. He was
without any ornaments and was wearing tree bark and deer skin as to
the manner born. His shapely and huge shoulders bore the marks of the
kingly warrior. His arms were long and the hands extended upto the
knees. Though His coiffure was dusty and entangled it still pointed to
His royalty. His huge red rimmed eyes were oceans of grace as He
looked down upon the ill dressed motley crowd of ascetics from His
great height.
The great rishis, men of superhuman control lost their senses. They
stood their gazing at the Vision. All had the same desire. "Wish we
were born as women to enjoy this Purushottama, the supreme among men".
 [The same used to be said of that dark enchantress Krishnaa,
Draupadi. Her servant maids when bathing her used to think that it was
their misfortune that they weren't born as men to experience her
ravishing beauty fully.] Our Lord sensed their inner yearning and in
the next avatara as Krishna enthralled them during Rasa Krida. These
spartan mahatmas were born as Gopikas and are the objects of envy ever
since. The peerless azhwars and latter day preceptors have recorded
their jealousy and wailed that why they weren't blessed in a like manner.

The great Emperor who was capable of steering the war chariots in ten
directions and whose help was sought by the gods and who had seen
60000 summers became a 25 year old just by watching his Son walk. He
used to call Him and as he came he would enjoy His anterior beauty. As
He left he would relish the form of His beloved Son from behind. He
piteously pleads with his second wife "Dont send Him into exile. I'll
become blind as my eyes will follow Him to the jungle. They dont heed
my commands, they willfully follow Him."

He was the perfect male as per "Samudrika lakshana". In this age when
maleness is at a premium and half and quarter males are hailed as
handsome it is a pity that He incarnated in that distant Kritha Yuga.
But wait ! We can still enjoy His gorgeous form. All one has to do is
travel to rustic Vaduvur on the Thanjavur - Mannargudi road. The most
handsome Kothanda Rama is waiting to grace you there.
Adiyen may be wrong but usually the Righteous Rama is portrayed in a
serious mein. He may sport a smile but it is usually minimal. His form
is always formidable and one can at once recognise His physical
prowess from the size and shape of the icon. Contrarily the Dark One
of Dwaraka is always depicted with a mischievous smile and is well
nigh irresistible. This Rama, pardon the expression, is irresistable
too. One can easily come to the conclusion that the icon of Rama in
Vaduvur and that of Rajagopalan in Mannargudi were wrought by the same
hands. Both are roughly of the same height (for "utsavars",
processional deities, they are really tall!) and are mesmerising.
Being totally prejudiced one insists that Vaduvur Rama outclasses
Mannargudi Rajagopalan in both "lavanya" and "soundarya". According to
Samudrika Lakshana, the tome that classifies and standardises beauty,
both masculine and feminine, "soundarya" means the beauty of
individual parts and "lavanya" means  beauty as a whole, i.e. of the
person.

Rasikas, ardent devotees, are wont to hold beauty pageants. Adiyen
hastens to add that it is not for ill clad women but the reigning
deities in the various divya desas. For the "moolavars" adiyen cannot
accept any winner other than our Periya Perumal, Ranganatha. He grows
on one and soon one is inescapably ensnared and cannot break free from
the clutches of His "lavanya" and "soundarya". Of course this verdict
is totally subjective and is anything but objective. It can be
considered akin to match fixing! As far as the "utsavars",
processional deities, are concerned almost everyone agrees that the
aptly named Soundararaja Perumal of Nagapattinam is way ahead of all,
followed by Vijayaragahavan of Tiruevvul, Gosakan of Therazhandur,
Sowrirajan of Tirukudanthai and so on. Of course all tend to agree to
disagree on this score. 
In adiyen's humble opinion Vaduvur Rama is the winner. Soundararaja
Perumal of Nagapattinam is in a "divya desa" in a temple glorified by
the peerless Kaliyan. Vaduvur Rama is in a small temple in a hamlet
unsung by the "Pathimber" the ten azhwars. Looked after by the locals
led by the venerable Ganapadi Desikachar mamma, whose eightieth
birthday was celebrated about three months back, our Rama is not by
any means pampered. But for the tireless efforts of Desikachar mamma
it would not be out of place to say that the upkeep of the temple
would have suffered. Under the circumstances one has to declare
Vaduvur Rama as the winner.
He wears "lipstick" during the procession on Sesha vahana, the
manyheaded serpent vehicle. To look at Him in that "makeup" so to say,
and remain unmoved, one has to have an adamantine heart or maybe no
heart at all. Those who have not been graced by the vision of Vaduvur
Rama have not fully utilised their eyes. 
The temple is by the side of a huge pond or a small lake which seems
to be like a bird sanctuary in the last month of the year. Even the
birds, probably from the frozen north, realise that Vaduvur is "The
Sanctuary" but most humans are sadly unaware. The temple houses One
who has taken the oath that He will provide refuge for any being who
has sought asylum at His feet just once. 
Our Rama is tall and in a standing posture with His bow Kothanda in
His left hand held high above the left shoulder. Recently the bow has
been gold plated and gems have been inlaid. In His right hand He has
an arrow with a crescent point. He doesn't stand straight but has
three curves which adds to His charm. His hip is convex to the right
and the left shoulder above and the legs below, convex to the left. It
is this posture with three inflections that allows Him to be dressed
beautifully. No one, but no one, wears pancha kaccham as handsomely as
He does. The bunch of small keys at his waist makes Him well nigh
irresistible. He has powerful shoulders but like His limbs they are
shapely and perfectly proportioned. One now understands why Hanuman
beseeched Him to cover His shoulders to ward off evil eyes. It is as
if He is about to start walking. Usually devotees go to their Lord,
but Rama walked all the way from the foothills of the great northern
mountain ranges to the ocean deep in the south just to grace all His
devotees. The drama about Ravana's misdeeds and subsequent killing was
just a sideshow! To prove this point, even today He appears to be on
the point of stepping out from the sanctum in Vaduvur.
It is His smile that is truly hypnotic. There is nothing mysterious
about it and neither is it half hearted. It is as if He is immensely
pleased that one has come to have His "darshan". It is a smile that
vanquishes fatigue and fills one's very soul with fizz. It is a smile
that reassures one that one's transgressions have been forgotten and
forgiven and emancipation is waiting to be bestowed. It is a smile
that promises bliss in His eternal abode. It is a very friendly smile
and not that of a Boss. Rama's smile is all the more alluring because
He has a reputation for being serious. This smile in a cherubic face
has a hint of mischief as if to say, "So you thought that only Krishna
could smile mesmerisingly. His smile is nothing before Mine!"  None
can negate that.
Upturned lips do not a smile make. It is the combination of the
lips,cheeks and most importantly the eyes that go up to make the
whole. Vaduvur Rama's eyes are seas of kindness. The eyes and the
smile reinforce one another and they together form a snare from which
there is no escape. But this is captivity for which sages have been
performing 'tapa" for milleniums. We, in this epoch of Kali, can
attain it just by visiting Rama at Vaduvur and prostrating at His
feet. It can't get easier than this,now,can it?
On His forhead we see the silver triangular "urdhva pundram" inlaid
with stones and an emerald at the center. It seems to be pointing
downwards towards the eyes and the smile.
The left foot seems to be forward due to the curved posture. It is
said that a forward left foot signifies that He is stepping forwards
to do battle. With a ready arrow in the right hand and the bow in the
left and left foot appearing to be in front there cannot be any doubt
that He is ready for war. What war? It is the war against our
ignorance. We are still not sure as to who is the Supreme who can
relieve us from this entanglement of repeated rebirths. He gave us the
scriptures but our interpretation is flawed. He sent down azhwars and
acharyas to show us the way but we turned a deaf ear to their
teachings. The only weapon left with Him is His handsome form. Down
the ages none has escaped this weapon of His. So He shows us His
flawless transcendental beauty and pulls us towards Him. Once we are
in His web the only way left for us is deliverance which He kindly
provides.
Seetha Piratti standing to His right has her left hand in an
"ahvahana" posture. She seems to be requesting us to come and enjoy
the handsomeness of Her husband. The left fingers are folded inwards
as if She is calling us in.In many sanctums our Lord adopts this
posture. To adiyen's limited knowledge this is the only place where
Piratti has Her hand in this "mudra" so to say. She is as beautiful as
always but here She is literally and figuratively overshadowed by her
Spouse. The "ahvahana" posture is understandable as She is the most
reliable mediatrix between Him and us.
To Rama's left stands the ever reliable Lakshmana in an identical
posture but on a smaller scale. Like Seetha Piratti he too sports a
smile but his face is less chubby than his Brother's as if emphasising
the fourteen years of sleepless service to his Brother and His Consort
in exile. Hanuman of this Rama Darbar is really small almost like the
santhana Anjaneya at the Kothanda Ramaswamy sanctum on the banks of
the Chandra pushkarani in the Sri Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam.
As always he is standing with folded hands, the very quintessence of
"Bhakti". 
The local history, "sthala purana", tells us that the Maratta king was
besotted with Rama and was preparing to take Him away to his palace.
The residents of Vaduvur  pleaded with the king to maintain status
quo. The king complied (it was His will!) and the Emperor's Son stayed
back in a hamlet, forgoing the comforts of a palace. Well, He had done
it once before and He did it again! Ramaavatara is talked about for
highlighting His qualities of "susheela"(affability) and
"saulabhaya"(accessibility) and in Vaduvur He has once again
demonstrated it.
In the nearby sanctum we see Gopala with His consorts. Another sanctum
at the very entrance houses Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha and this is
maintained by the Sri Ahobila mutt. The present pontiff of Sri Ahobila
mutt HH the 45th Azhagiya Singar never misses a chance to get the
grace of Vaduvur Rama. In fact HH as sanctioned and assisted in a lot
of "kainkaryas" for Him.
To the right of the main sanctum is a small sanctum wherein one can
have "darshan" of Lord Lakshmi Hayagriva, Nammazhwar, Ramanuja and
Vedantha Desika. Local lore has it that Vedantha Desika here is a
"vara prasadi" bestower of boons,especially to students. That is not
surprising considering just the literary output of the master, a mind
boggling 128 in number! If that is not bounteous what is? A lifetime
is not sufficient to enjoy the nectar of his works. His unique
composition on Rama the "Mahaveera gadyam" or as it is often called
"Raghuveera gadyam" appears to have been written just for our Vaduvur
Rama. Adiyen hastens to add that there is no evidence that he visited
Vaduvur.

We tend to visit divya desas sincerely but give temples like this a
miss. Adiyen requests all to pay a visit to Vaduvur. Due to four
laning of the national highways the road from Trichy to Thanjavur is
really bad. One has to take the bypass road, without entering into
Thanjavur. On this road towards Tiruvarur the fourth right turn is to
be taken, beneath the arch of Karikala Chozha. At the next Y
intersection the left road is to be taken and this leads directly to
Vaduvur and onwards to Mannargudi. "Always enquire before taking
turns" is an adage not be ignored.

Have the "darshan" of Vaduvur Rama and you will spontaneously exclaim
"Adhya safalam me janma..." The purpose of my birth has been achieved.

Dr.S.Sundar Rajan MS ortho
Trichy.
Jan 06 2009.










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