Paadiyavaal thurai
You have built huge ramparts. You have built huge sanctums. You have
accomplished the near impossible feat of "borrowing" to use a
euphemism, a golden statue from a closely guarded fortress. You then
melted it and poured money into metal,stone and mortar for building
and repairing temples. You did all these without an iota of self
gain.On the top of all these manual works you have composed some of
the finest and most extraordinary verses ever written. You were then
asked by the pleased King to name your reward for the services
rendered. What prize would you ask for?
This particular King is actually the King of Kings and He can give you
anything in this world and anything beyond this dimension of ours.
You definitely wouldn't ask for a cemetry would you?
This man did. He requested Him to allot land on the river's edge where
proper rituals could be done for the departed devotees.He also
demanded that they be liberated from the repeated cycle of rebirths.
He was more used to demanding than pleading. He had extorted the
sacred eight lettered "ashtakshara mantra" from the Lord Himself on a
previous occasion,at knife point.
The King told him to pinpoint the area. Our hero unsheathed his famed
sword and hurled it about 1000m from where he was standing.Surely it
still must be a world record heave, about thousand years later! The
sharp pointed weapon landed on the south bank of The Kollidam river,
the northern boundary of the famed Bhooloka Vaikuntam, Srirangam. From
that time onwards, for more than a millenium the last rites of
SriVaishnavas are being conducted there.
As the sword, "Vaal" was thrown by one who sang songs, "Paadiyavan" it
came to be known as "Paadiyavaal thurai". It is also well known as
"Thirumangaimannan thurai" the quay of Thirumangaimannan.
It was our very own Thirumangai Alvar who got this reward for all
times, not for himself but for the Lord's devotees, from none other
than Periya Perumal, Sri Ranganatha.
Here one must turn a bit introspective. Many retired men and their
wives come to stay in Srirangam in what they assume to be the evening
of their lives. The common perception is that one gets "moksha" if one
were to die in Srirangam. This is not true. The only "upaya" means, to
"moksha" is the grace of Sriman Narayana and this can be got only by
the means of "prapatti" via one's Acharyan. It is totally immaterial
where one sheds his or her mortal coil. In spite of this
incontrovertible fact many SriVaishnavas prefer to spend their last
days in Srirangam. Just because they stay in Srirangam there is no
surety that their last rites will be conducted there. That our Lord's
grace is essential even for this can be demonstrated by some anecdotes.
One exemplary SriVaishnava who retired from Govt. service did
"aathmartha kainkarya" intimate service at the temple, Peria Koil, for
over thirty years. Like many homes in Srirangam his too was an empty
nest. His children had flown away, so to say and he lived with his
wife and their combined age was 150+ years! In spite of infirmities of
old age the couple lived a contented life under the aegis of
SriRanganatha. Mama was to be found at all times in the temple
literally shadowing Namperumal the "utsavar" processional deity. He
fell ill one day and was treated. The affliction dragged on and in
their combined wisdom his offsprings who were stationed in Chennai
shifted him there. He became worse, was admitted in the ICU of a five
star corporate hospital and reached his acharyan thiruvadi after
running a bill of a couple of lakh rupees. His last rites were done in
a crowded untidy cemetry in the stinking environs of Chennai. Why did
this devout mama not have the good fortune of dying at home in
Srirangam and being cremated at "Paadiyavaal thurai"? Who can
question SriRanganatha? Some intrepid soul may ask Him, but no answer
will be forthcoming. Elders will blame it on "prarabdha" that
devotee's past actions,karma.
Here is another anecdote to the contrary. The processional deity,
"utsavar" of Srirangam Peria Koil, Namperumal is taken in various
"vahanas" literally vehicles, but actually litters or palanquins. One
of the most handsome of His "vahanas" is the "karpaga vriksha". Along
with the "Sesha vahana", the ,five headed serpent litter, the "karpaga
vriksha" is in perfect proportion to the size of Namperumal, Azaghia
Manavalan - the handsome bridegroom. "Karpaga vriksha" is the famed
wish giving tree. Namperumal stations Himself underneath its almost
parabolic golden foliage. The real wish giving tree under the so
called wish giving tree! The trunk of the tree is entwined by the
coils of the five headed Adisesha and actually it is under these hoods
that our Lord stands. It is a sight not to be missed. It was a cool
misty pre-dawn in early February when we rushed to the temple to
experience the "purapaddu" the take off so to say, of the "karpaga
vriksha" procession of Namperumal. We hastened to the "vahana
mandapa"(the garage!) and were shocked to learn that our Lord would
not venture out of the temple into the Uttara streets as some one had
expired in the southeast Uttara veedhi. Our Lord was carried in the
"karpaga vriksha" vahana inside the temple around the Ranga Vilas
mandapa near the main south gate. On enquiry we came to know that some
gentleman from Delhi had expired at about 2-3am. As the necessary
rituals could be done only after the advent of the relatives from
Delhi the body remained there and Namperumal remained inside the huge
ramparts of the temple. The cremation took place the next day at
"Paadiyavaal thurai". Here we see that SriRanganatha graced an unknown
devotee who had come to Srirangam for the first time from far off
Delhi. Why? That will remain forever unanswered.
Coming back to "Paadiyavaal thurai". Till recent times it was in
really bad shape. Dirty and uncared for. There were no boundary walls
and and four legged scavengers and carrion eaters used to gorge
themselves after dark. In spite of repeated requests inimical locals
used to purposefully defile the area and tease the SriVaishnavas who
were forced to come to that place. In fact till a decade ago it was
not used at all. Now things have changed and it has been spruced up
and one can conduct the sad affairs without disturbances and
interference. The Sri Thirumangai Mannan Charitable Trust, STMCT, has
taken up the rehabilitation of this historically and temporally
important site in right earnest. It is requested of all enlightened
group members to help in whatever manner they can.
It is an unpalatable and unfortunately undeniable fact of life that in
almost all parts of India the venues where last rites are done are
truly disgusting. The environs are not only unhealthy they are
dangerous. The dregs of society are to be found there. Alcoholics and
drug addicts abound. The workers stationed there are anything but
helpful. They are extortionists who surpass even the capos of mafias.
Members of our community are ruthlessly blackmailed. Activities are
stopped halfway to milk evermore money from the relatives of the
deceased. It is particularly heartening that places like "Paadiyavaal
thurai" are being renovated. More strength to agencies like STMCT and
they deserve all possible help. Adiyen requests group members to send
aid to the following address:
Cheques and demand drafts drawn in favor of Sri Thirumangai Mannan
Charitable Trust may be sent to
23,Rajaji street, Ranga nagar, Srirangam, Trichy 620006
Phone: 0431-2431078; 2433078
stmmtrust@xxxxxxxxx
www.stmctrust.org
Dr.S.Sundar Rajan MS ortho
Feb 25 2009 Trichy
__._,_.___
Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org
![]()
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |