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Oops my mistake! It should read "Thirukudandai Sarangapani" instead 
of "Thirukudandai Sowrirajan" Dr.S.Sundar Rajan

--- In Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Dr.S.Sundar Rajan" 
<kuresadasan@...> wrote:
>
> 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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