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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 either 
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



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





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