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. > ------------------------------------ Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan http://www.sadagopan.org Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Oppiliappan-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:Oppiliappan-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |