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Sri Krishnaya Namah!

Dear Swamin,

Humble Pranams!


This engrossed me for sometime and many thanks for the same.

The sentence - "The entrance to the right (from the onlooker's viewpoint) 
reveals the breath-taking tirumukham of the Lord, with its long, shapely 
nose ("kOla neeL kodi mookku")", reminds me of Sri Chennakesava Swamy at 
Ryali at Rajahmundry, AP. Lord here, looks beautiful which once seen 
bhakthas never forget in their life time, with specific reference to His 
eyes and nose which stands out in terms of shapely curves, though the deity 
is in standing pose(beautiful bent posture), and not reclining as Sri 
Adikesava.

The sentence -- "Near the Lord's tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to 
the one at Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His 
palm in benediction." made me curious to know as I am ignorant with 
respect to divyadesams.
You are saying 'in contrast to Tiruvananthapuram' , how it will be in 
Tiruvananthapuram, where is Shivalingam placed there and is there any 
specific mention in the sthalapuranam on the reason as to why shivalingam 
being placed there.

Also, I have been to Srirangapatnam near Mysore, Karnataka and visited 
Sriranganatha temple there, which has also three entrances with the deity 
is almost 15 ft with a reclining posture. Lord has two hands only in this 
temple and I hope it is only two in Thiruvattar also. If I am not wrong 
the deity at TiruvallikkENi is Venkatakrishna.


Thanks for your time.


Sukumar


Sri Krishnaparabrahmane Namah!









-----Original Message-----
From:   sadagopaniyengar [SMTP:sadagopaniyengar@xxxxxxxx]
Sent:   09/07/2003 9:31 PM
To:     SriRangaSri; malolan_net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; tiruvengadam; Oppiliappan; 
radha jagannathan; j.srinivasan; cs.srinivasan; sukanya Murali; mythily 
ramadesikan
Subject:        [Oppiliappan] ThiruvattAr


Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:



ThiruvattAr



All abodes of the Lord are inherently beautiful. They are not 
mere buildings made of brick, mortar and stone, but built by devotees with 
floors of devotion, walls of love and roofs of overwhelming care and 
concern. They are standing symbols of dedication to the divine cause, of 
His votaries' unlimited adoration and of man's heart-felt need for 
proximity to and strong wish to visualise the Divine Being. When ordinary 
houses men build for themselves crumble and fall apart after two or three 
score years, if the lofty temples built thousands of years back still stand 
majestically, towering head and shoulders above ordinary constructions, it 
is not only due to their Inhabitant Extraordinaire, but also due to the 
labour of love and devotion that have gone into their creation. When the 
materials used for people's homes and the Lord's are practically the same, 
the durability and interminable life that characterises the temples housing 
Emperuaman are solely due to the aforesaid factors. Even granting the 
periodical restorations that these edifices undergo, many of these temples 
and their towers have been standing tall and proud, when their secular 
counterparts are nowhere to be seen. While the palaces of the Chozha 
Emperors are long gone, having crumbled to dust centuries ago, the several 
abodes of God that they built still stand, braving the threats and ravages 
of time and nature, seemingly invincible and indestructible.



Of the countless temples devoted to deities of all hues and kinds, 
the ones earmarked for Emperuman SrimanNarayana occupy the pride of place. 
And of these too, those sanctified by the songs of Azhwars (those wandering 
minstrels who went from one glorious temple to another, enjoying the Lord 
and His beauty as also the scenic locales surrounding these temples) are 
placed ahead of those places of worship not fortunate enough to have found 
a mention in the pasurams of these peripatetic poets. An analytical study 
of these outpourings reveals that the Azhwars devoted as many worthy words 
to the description of the Lord's vibhUti, consisting of the kaleidascope 
of fabulous flora and fauna of these locales, as to the magnificence of the 
Lord of the divya desam. If two lines of a pasuram are about Emperuman, the 
other two would, more often than not, depict the picturesque locale.



Most of the divyadesams have lost the character of natural beauty, 
as described by Azhwars. For instance, TiruvallikkENi was such a densely 
wooded jungle during Sri Tirumangai Mannan's times ( with tall manors 
coexisting with fertile foliage and towering trees), as to prevent sunlight 
from filtering to the ground-"Kadiravan kiraNangal nuzhaidal seidu ariyA 
Tiruvallikkeni". The present day "Triplicane" too is a jungle, but a 
concrete jungle, with nary a tree, leave alone a dense wood. Even now, 
sunlight finds it difficult to penetrate parts of the locality, mostly 
because of the sky-scraping residences. The erstwhile bewitching scenic 
beauty of the place has been flattened by ubiquitous flats, springing up 
like mushrooms from the tiniest nook and cranny. With rare exceptions, this 
is the lot of almost all the divyadesams today, with nature having been 
defiled beyond description by man, in his unending quest for infrastructure 
and creature comforts.



The rare exceptions to this cold-blooded murder of natural beauty, are 
to be found in Kerala. It is in this state that Nature still reigns 
supreme, man having been gracious and understanding enough to have arrived 
at a fair compromise between the need for development and preservation of 
ecologyin all its pristine purity. We often forget the truth in the "Simha 
gupti nyAya"-the jungle being protected from destruction by the menacing 
presence of the lion, and the lion, in turn, staying alive and beyond the 
reach of hunters, because of the protective cover the jungle affords. Man 
and Nature are similarly complementary, each contributing to the welfare of 
the other, the fortunes of each inextricably interlinked with that of the 
other. This beautiful truth has been realised in full measure in Kerala, 
with most of the divyadesams (but for those located in big towns) retaining 
their bewitching beauty as portrayed by Azhwars, thousands of years ago. 
One such is TiruvattAr, nestling amidst shady groves and plantations.



Situated on a raised platform, the temple looks very much like an 
impregnable fortress that it is-there is no way impure thoughts or actions 
can enter the Lord's abode, for He is the "akhila hEya pratyanIka:", the 
antithesis of anything bad or demeaning. This temple is noteworthy for its 
size too, encompassing, as it does, a thousand-pillared mandapam that runs 
around the sanctum sanctorum. On all the principal pillars of the inner 
prAkAram are the beautiful stone images of damsels, whose joined palms have 
been ingeniously fashioned into lamps, into which oil is poured and flames 
lit. It would be indeed a treat to watch all these lamps aglow 
simultaneously, casting a magical glow through the length and breadth of 
the temple premises.



Opposite the sanctum sanctorum is a mini-madapam, with exquisitely-carved 
wodden pillars incorporating minute figurines. One wonders at the divine 
inspiration that must have endowed the sculptor's hands with the requisite 
degree of intiricacy and precision. On the rootop, staring down at us with 
eyes dripping with devotion for the Lord are the navagrahAs, apparently 
assuring everyone that they are indeed the servants of Emepruman, with 
their writ confined to non-adherents to the Lord's dicta. In a side 
enclosure are figures depicting the ten glorious avataras.



The sanctum-sanctorum itself conforms to the other proportions of the 
temple. Instead of the single door that is usual in all places of worship, 
this sannidhi has three doors, and with good reason. The tirumEni of the 
Lord, in a reclining posture, is so huge that it cannot be viewed through 
the principal entrance alone, which affords a view of just the Lord's 
torso, from the midriff downwards, upto the knees. The entrance to the 
right (from the onlooker's viewpoint) reveals the breath-taking tirumukham 
of the Lord, with its long, shapely nose ("kOla neeL kodi mookku"), the 
broad and beautiful forehead with the arched eyebrows ("puruvam irundavA 
kANeerE"). The magnificent headgear ("Kireeta, makuta, choodAvathamsa..Adi 
aparimita divya bhooshaNa:"), symbolising Supremacy, is visible only 
partly, most of it disappearing into the deep, protective hood of Sri 
Adisesha, only one of whose heads is visible to the devotee. One huge, long 
arm is thrown to the side, adorned with all sorts of intricately-carved 
ornaments, adding distinction to themselves due the fabulous fortune of 
assocaiation with the glorious tirumEni of the Paramapurusha. The other arm 
is raised in a YOga MudrA, signifying that the Lord is not in any ordinary 
slumber, but in eternal penance, thinking at all times of ways and means to 
emacipate errant humanity and to afford them unimaginable bliss in His 
exalted company, bringing to mind Azhwar's beautiful lines, "uranguvAn pOl 
yOgu puNarnda oLi maNi vaNNan KaNNan".



>From neck-down upto the ankles, the Lord's torso is hidden 
by yellow-silk, the peetAmbaram, which contrasts well with His pitch-black 
tirumeni. Probably the all-enveloping cloth is draped around the Lord to 
prevent people from ogling at and envying the perfectly-proportioned , 
broad chest, the perennial abode of the Divine Consort, the beautiful navel 
from which the entire creation consisting of myriad beings originates, the 
handsome thighs resembling the trunks of tall elephants and the slender 
waist adorned by the "udara bandham",of which Sri PAN Perumal has so much 
to say. All these hidden beauties can be viewed from the central, principal 
entrance.



The third entrance to the left gives us a glorious view of the 
Lord's tiruvadi, the mere sight of which destroys all sins hidden in the 
nooks and corners of our heart, after viewing which the mind looks askance 
at any other sight of professed allure. It is these tiruvadis which 
measured the entire worlds and from which the all-purifying Ganga had its 
origins. A single gesture of obeisance to these tiruvadis, even if made 
with incorrect posture, mindset, etc. can bestow on us all that is 
spiritually good and eliminate all that is not, says Sri Alavandar-

"tvat anghrim uddisya kadApi kEnachit

yathA tatA vApi sakrit kritOnjali:

tataiva mushNAti ashubhAni asEshata:

subhAni pushNAti na jAtu heeyatE".



Near the Lord's tiruvadi is a Sivalingam, in contrast to the one at 
Tiruvananthapuram, over which Sri Ananthapadmanabha extends His palm in 
benediction. The Divine Consorts, Sri Devi and Bhoodevi, are seated on e 
ither side of the Lord, but lower down, drenching the Lord with their 
constant glances of adoration. On a lower pedestal is the beautiful Utsava 
Murthy, with four hands holding the Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma 
respectively, resplendent with ubhaya nAcchimAr.



All these enchanting features are to be gleaned carefully, as our eyes, 
unaccustomed to the homely light provided by the oil lamps with which the 
sancum sanctorum is lit, may easily miss important characteristics. The 
lamps provide an illumination full of magic, at once revealing and 
concealing the divine features, leaving a lot to imagination. The play of 
light and shadows on the Lord's tirumukham bestows it with a plethora of 
expressions, making it smile or frown, according to the onlooker's state 
of mind. What a contrast from the glaring and garish spot-lights focussed 
with absolute lack of concern on the Lord's unprotesting tirumEni, as is 
found at various divyadesams! In most of the Keralite shrines, lighting is 
subdued, whether by accident or design we do not know, resulting in our 
having to peer carefully in the semi-gloom, for a rewarding glimpse of the 
Lord and His bewitching beauty. In the process, however, we are forced to 
concentrate more on His form, than otherwise.



Is it then any wonder that Sri Nammazhwar reserves the choicest words of 
adulation and adoration for this enchanting AdikEsava Perumal? Azhwar 
reveals that it is indeed this Emperuman who is in a hurry to reclaim 
Azhwar to the Nitya Vibhuti of Sri Vaikuntam, unable to put up any more 
with the separation from the Divine Bard-"viNNulagam taruvAnAi 
viraigindrAn". It is also this Lord who shows Azhwar the well-trodden path 
to Liberation, viz., Prapatti-"vAnEra vazhi tanda VAttAttrAn". Concurring 
with our own impressions of the Lord resembling a huge, black mountain in a 
recumbent state, Azhwar says, "mai nindra varai pOlum tiruvuruva 
VAttAttrArkku". The savant also teaches us the way to be rid of mundane 
shackles, exhorting us to seek refuge in the glorious tiruvadi described 
above-"VAttAttrAn adi vaNangE". And it is the Lord Himself who shows us the 
pathless path and relieves us of the necessity of an endless sojourn in 
hell, for that is where we are destined, if we are left to our own 
devices-"kAtti tan kanai kazhalgaL kadu narakam pugal ozhitta VattAttru 
Emperuman". The blissful experience of nAma sankeertanam, extolling the 
innumerable names of the Lord, is also highlighted in another 
pasuram-"naNNinam Narayananai, nAmangaL pala solli". Sri Satakopa Muni also 
reveals a closely-guarded secret---that it is none other than the Lord of 
this divyadesam who was responsible for the composition of the thousand and 
odd verses of Tiruvaimozhi, using Azhwar as a mere output device-"en 
nenjattuL irundu ingu irum Tamizh nool ivai mozhindu". Azhwar confirms that 
whatever the Lord might do to others (those who stay away from Emperuman), 
He would do only good to us, who are His ardent devotees, His infinite 
mercy finding ready recipients-"nannenjE nam perumAn namaku aruL tAn 
seivAnE". Once we invite Him into our souls, the Lord takes up permanent 
residence in us and wouldn't leave even if we push Him out, says 
Azhwar-"nilai peyarAn en nenjattu eppOdum Emperuman".



The Adikesava Perumal of TiruvattAr lies patiently in wait for us, to 
ensnare us with His captivating glances, seeking the slightest excuse to 
enter our souls and take up permanent residence, curing us forever of the 
apparently chronic affliction of births and deaths ("mAgyAla pirappu 
aruppAn") and affording us eternal bliss not a bit less than that He 
Himself enjoys. His half-closed eyes, resembling the petals of a closed 
flower, open wide like a lotus in full bloom, at the mere sight of another 
devotee come to visit Him. He may appear asleep, but is the most wakeful 
person in the whole Universe, beset with consuming worry at the ways of 
errant and incorrigible humanity. He lies awake forever, devising newer and 
newer strategies for uplifting His progeny wallowing in the mundane morass. 



For the information of intending visitors, ThiruvattAr is a five to six 
kilometre diversion from MArthAndam, which is a small town on the National 
Highway between Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.



Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan

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