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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

                             "It's Cool!"

 

It is amazing to think how we become slaves to creature comforts. Can we 
imagine a life today, without a fan, a grinder, a television set or a VCR and 
the now-ubiquitous cell phone? We have become so accustomed to all these and 
other electrical and electronic devices, that we wonder what people really did, 
when these were not available at all! Though our children may not remember the 
times without a television or an air conditioner, many of us still do. I do 
remember, for instance, that we bought an electric fan for the first time in 
our family, when I was in the 7th Standard at school. And the air conditioner, 
which adorns almost all middle-class homes today, was definitely a luxury a few 
years back, with only some offices and upper-crust individuals boasting of one. 
Times change and so do people's perceptions, with luxuries becoming necessities 
and new necessities emerging.

 

Leaving aside philosophical ruminations, let me come to the subject of this 
piece-The Fan. What could there be to say about this simple electrical 
appliance, you may wonder. Simple as it may seem and sound, the Fan has a hoary 
and holy past.

 

What is the weather like in Paradise? Naturally, it has to be pleasant. With 
Emperuman, the Supreme Controller of all elements, being the chief inhabitant, 
Sri Vaikuntam has to have the best of climes, with a gentle, fragrant, breeze 
blowing, the Sun shining, but not with virulence, appropriate amounts of rain 
falling gently and in time. It must definitely be like an air-cooled world, 
with neither excessive heat nor biting chill, the temperature being just right. 
One would hence presume that there would be no need for any fans at Sri 
Vaikuntam. However, we find from the following sloka that even in Paramapadam, 
the Lord is being constantly fanned by His acolytes, with fans made of the 
finest of deer-hair-

 

"KoormAdIn divya lOkam tadanu maNimayam mantapam tatra SEsham

tasmin dharmAdi peetham tad upari kamalam chAmara grAhiNeescha"

 

Why should the Lord need fanning? As we have already seen, the temperature at 
Sri Vaikuntam could not be more pleasant: even if it were to be humid or hot, 
Emeperuman Himself, with His divine shareeram, would definitely not sweat or 
feel the heat. Then why this seemingly empty gesture on the part of His 
devotees, of wielding fans? 

 

We often find that when we love someone beyond measure, we tend to worry about 
his or her well being, even though there might be no actual cause for worry. We 
thus find a doting mother worrying about her son, even when the latter is 
pushing 50. She knows full well that her son can definitely look after himself, 
but cannot help fretting for his welfare. We are told that the moment he hears 
any commotion in Sri Vaikuntam, Adisesha starts spewing fire, adopting a 
protective posture lest someone should harm the Lord-this, despite knowing that 
no harm can possibly befall the Supreme Being, from whatever source. The 
devotees' act of fanning Him is somewhat akin to Adisesha's misplaced but 
well-meaning fear ("asthAnE bhaya shankA"), born out of immeasurable love and 
affection. They know full well that the Lord's divine body is affected by 
neither heat nor cold, but yet fan Him with ChAmarams, out of their concern 
that He should not feel humidity or heat.

 

Such an attitude on the part of the nitya SUrIs (residents of Sri Vaikunttam) 
is perhaps understandable, since they are dealing with a walking, talking and 
speaking Lord. It is very much possible to feel such concern for such a live 
person. However, this does not explain why such services as fanning should be 
extended to Emperuman in His arcchA state, as He is found in various temples on 
earth. After all, one might feel, He inhabits images made of stone, mortar and 
wood, which are not known to be as sensitive to humidity or heat as human 
beings. Why at all then should someone serve the Lord with hand-held fans? 

 

And it is not as if the practice is recent. We are told that it was prevalent 
even a thousand years ago, with the venerated Acharya, Sri Tirukkacchi Nambi, 
performing this kainkaryam to Sri Varadaraja of Kanchi. In fact, at many a 
temple, images of this Acharya are to be found with a broad fan in hand. We are 
told too that Sri Devadiraja liked this fanning service so much that He used to 
converse freely with Nambi, with such gems like the famous "Six Words" flowing 
out of such exchanges.

 

Coming back to the question as to whether the Lord's images in stone and mortar 
need fanning, the answer lies in the devotee finding the images not merely to 
be of stone or other material, but representing the Lord Himself in person, in 
all His glory. The devotee thus sees in the image not merely a beautiful 
sculpture, but verily Emperuman Himself, obligingly contracting His infinite 
form to suit our convenience. The devotee sees a smiling Lord, resplendent in 
all His finery, His eyes full of mercy and compassion, His palm held down in 
the "Varada mudrA", a gesture of munificence, with another palm held upright in 
the "Abhaya mudrA", extending assurance of protection from all evil. But for 
the fact that He doesn't open His coral lips and converse with us, the Lord is 
as live to the devotee as a fellow human being. And this generates in the 
devotee uncontainable love and affection, which prompt all sorts of gestures. 
Thus are born the various shades of love for the Lord--the maternal, filial, 
paternal, juvenile, marital, etc. It is out of such love and affection is born 
the need to serve the Lord, in any and all manner, including fanning Him, as 
was done by Sri Tirukkacchi Nambi.

 

 In His various avatArAs too, the Lord appears to have been fanned with 
adoration. To Kousalya, awaiting the triumphant return of Sri Rama from 
Kaikeyi's palace, all ready for Coronation, what gives an inkling that things 
had gone wrong, is the absence of courtiers fanning the Prince on both sides. 
She learns later that Sri Rama had been banished to the forests for 14 long 
years. Here are the soulful words of Kamban, describing the Lord's lonely 
return-"Kuzhaikkindra kavari indri, kottra veN kudayum indri, azhaikkindra 
vidhi mun chella, dharumam pin irangi Ega"

 

To compensate for this, Chakravarthi Tirumagan presents His mother with the 
beautiful sight of His being fanned on both sides, at the time of His 
triumphant return to Ayodhya, after completing His jungle sojourn. The honour 
of wielding the beautiful ChAmaram goes to Sri Lakshmana, who gently swings it 
over the Prince's noble head. Not to be outdone, Sri Vibhishana too holds and 
waves a fan (a pure white one) in front of Sri Raghava-

 

"LakshmanO vyajanam tasya moordhnim samparyaveejayat

shvEtam cha bAla vyajanam jagrAha purata: stthita:

aparam chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana:"

 

Sri SugrIva appropriates part of this kainkaryam to himself during the 
Coronation ceremony, while Sri Vibhishana refuses to yield this to anyone else-

 

"ShvEtam cha bAla vyajanam SugrIvO vAnarEsvara:

aparam Chandra sankAsam rAkshasEndrO Vibhishana:"

 

To conclude, let us go back to Sri Vaikunttam again, to find out who exactly is 
allotted the honour of fanning the Lord and the exact nature of the fans. It is 
to Sri Alavandar's Stotra Ratnam that we must turn for this purpose and we find 
that it is that versatile servitor GarutmAn, who has claimed this kainkaryam 
for himself-

 

"dAsa: sakhA vAhanam Asanam dhwaja: yastE vitAnam vyajanam trayImaya:

upastthitam tEna purO GarutmatA tvat anghri sammardha kiNAnka sObhinA"

 

Sri Garuda fans the Lord ever so gently, sitting in front of Him. Though others 
might need separate fans to render this service, the Magnificent Bird doesn't, 
being endowed with feathery wings, which can generate the coolest of breezes. 
And the breeze is not only cool, but fragrant too, with the aroma of the 
Shruti. The YajusSamhitA describes Sri Garudas's wings to be made of the 
holiest and sweetest of SAma VEda mantras  (Brihat Rathantaram and VAmadEvyam) 
and hence the breeze from these wings is naturally endowed with Shruti 
ParimaLam-

 

""SuparNOsi GarutmAn Trivrit tE shira: Gayatram chakshu: StOma AtmA SAma tE 
tanU: VamadEvyam Brihat RatantarE pakshou yagyAyagyaim puccham cchandAmsi 
angAni dhishNiyA: saphA: Yajoomshi nAma."(TaittirIya SamhitA-4-1-41)

 

Sri Garuda does the fanning sitting right in front of the Lord, letting the 
latter catch the full breeze and fragrance of the magnificent wings.

 

For those who might wonder why Sri Vaikunttam doesn't have electric fans or air 
conditioners, the answer is that the inhabitants much prefer to render this 
service to the Lord in person, rather than relinquish it in favour of some 
unemotional mechanical device.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan 

 

 

 

 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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