CHAATHURMAASYA
SANKALPAM AT SRI AHOBILA MATAM
***********************************************************************************************
ChathurmAsya vratham is very
important one for SanyAsis
of every kind . From SanyAsis
ranging from Kootika ( one who
resides in a hut and stays put ) to
sanyAsis on sanchAram
( who do not stay at one place for more
than one night)
to Paramahamsa ParivrAjaka sanyAsis , all
have to observe this
SanyAsa dharma anushtAnam without fail.It
is very pleasing
( priyatamam) for the Lord to see the
SanyAsis observe
this annual vratham .The power of this
Vratham increases
every day from the first to the last day
of the observance .
This vratham lasts from 2 to 4
months. There are
specific
rites for the proper observance of this
vratham .Bhavishyath,
Skanda , Aadithya PurANams and SanyAsa
Upanishads in general
and Naradha ParivrAjaka Upanishad in
particular cover
the duties of SanyAsis including ChAthurmAsya Vratham .
ChAthurmAsyam at SrI
Matam
***************************
The great AchAryAs of SrI Matam starting
from the First Jeeyar ,
SrI Adhi Vann SaThakOpa Mahaa Desikan to
idhAneem Jeeyar
have followed scrupulously the
instrcutions of Malolan
to take him from village to village all
over India to
bless the bhaktha janams and to perform
SamAsrayaNam
and BharanyAsam to sishyAs .The AchAryAs
of SrI Matam
are SrI NrusimhAnupravEsa AchArya
BhUthALs .Their observances
of the ChathurmAsyam has fine
details unique to SrI Matam .
Number of ChAthurmAsyams
by different Azhagiya Singars
*******************************************************
A sanyAsi's age is not counted in
physical years of their
lives ; instead , it is counted in terms
of the number of
ChAthurmAsyams that they have observed .
For instance ,
prakrutham (current ) Jeeyar , HH SrI
NaarAyaNa YathIndhra
MahA Desikan will be 13 years old from a
TuriyAsrama SveekAram
point of view since he would have
observed 13 ChAthurmAsyams
since his ascent to the AchArya Peetam .
The unique distinction of SrImath Azhagiya Singars is that
the first Jeeyar recieved PrEksha
manthra upadEsam
( initiation in to SanyAsAsramam )
directly from the Lord of
Ahobilam Himself (ahObilE SrInrusimha :
prEksha manthram
svayam dhadhou). That prEksha manthram
has come down from
Jeeyar to Jeeyar over the 605 years history of this glorious Matam . There
must have been the observance of
atleast 600 ChathurmAsyams at SrI Matam
while accounting for a short
period of time ,when there were no PeetAdhipathi at
the SrI Matam .
The ChAthurmAsyams at SrI Matam have
taken place at agrahArams
where the devout sishyAs of SrImath
Azhagiya Singars are .
The sites range from PerumpAkkam ( DakshiNa ahObilam ) to
GadhwAl samasthAnam on the banks of KrishNa river
(at the request of the then MahA RaaNi)to the dhivya
desam of Thiruvaheendhrapuram
to Nedumtheru to ThiruveLLUr
to SelayUr.
The largest number of
ChaAthurmAsyams by the Jeeyars of Sri Matam
******************************************************************
Nine Azhagiya Singars among the 45 have
observed so far 329
of the 600 ChAthurmAsyams ( ~55% ).
The largest number of
the ChAthurmAsyams(59) has been observed
by the First Jeeyar
of SrI Matam , SrI Adhi VaNN SaThakOpa
Jeeyar , who accepted
ThuriyAsramam from the Lord in the year
1399 C.E as a young
man of twenty years of age. The number of
ChAthurmAsyams observed
by other Azhagiya Singars are assembled
in paranthesis after
their Pattams: 13th Pattam ( 43
) , 11th Pattam ( 38) ,
25th Pattam ( 36) , 17th pattam (35)
,44th Pattam (35) ,
12th Pattam (34). Among SrImath Azhagiya
Singars of recent
times , SrI MukkUr Azhagiya Singar
ascended the SrI Matam
throne at the age of 62 and observed 35
ChAthur Maasyams up to
His 97th year . Two Azhagiya Singars (
33rd and 42nd/Injimettu
Jeeyar) observed 26 and 23 ChAturmAsyams rspectively .
PiLLaipAkkam
(37th Pattam) Azhagiya Singar observed
only one ChAthurmAsyam .
The 22nd Pattam Azhagiya Singar stayed in
the NrusimhAsthAnam
for less than an year and hence did not
have the opportunity to
observe even one ChAthurmAsyam .Rest of
the Jeeyars observed from
3 to 19 ChAthurmAsyams.
Why is ChAthurmAsyam
Observed ?
******************************
There are two reaons that are given : (1) During the
four months starting
from AavaNi and ending up with Kaarthikai , it is rainy
season in India.
Many insects and worms are created in the soil during
this time. Since
sanchAram by the SanyAsis might cause accidental death
to these
living entities , the SanyAsis take a vow not to travel
during those four
months and stay put at one place . This vratham is the
ChAthurmAsya
Vratham .
The second reason given is : A SanyAsi is required
to move around
often by his dharmam .That results in the sanyAsi not
having enough
time during these sanchArams to perform Japam , Homam ,
AarAdhanam ,
upadEsams and reflections on the SaasthrAs . To make up
for lost
time and to facilitate such karmAs and studies , a
SanyAsi is required
to slow down and stay put at one place for four months " to charge
His spiritual batteries as it where ". SaasthrAs point out that any
good deed ( Homam , Japam , dhAnam , Vratham ,
KaalakshEpam)
done during the chAthurmAsya
Kaalam yield infinitely greater fruits
than those done during the
rest of the 8 months of the year .
Four Months or Two months (Four
Pakshams) ?
************************************************
There is a debate whether the ChAthurmAsyam should be
observed
for 2 or four months. Ideally , it should be observed
for four months
starting from Sayana EkAdasi (AashAda sukla
EkAdasi) and end with
UtthAna EkAdasi in the month of Kaarthikai .Sayana
EkAdasi is
the day , when our Lord starts His yOga nidhra and
UtthAna EkAdasi
is when He wakes up. These four months are AshAda (
July-August) ,
BhadrapAdha ( August-September) , Asvina (
September-October )
and KaarthikA ( October to November ). SrIdharan ,
HrushikEsan ,
PadhmanAbhan and DhAmOdharan are the presiding deities
of
the above four months.
There is a Veda Vakyam : " PakshA vai MaasA: " . Paksha
refers to
the 15 days of the Month , Sukla and KrishNa pakshams.
Since it may
be difficult for a SanyAsi to stay put in one place for
4 months at
a stretch and since sishyAs from other parts of the
land would want
their AchAryan to resume
SanchAram to bless them , Four Pakshams
instead of Four months are used to observe ChAthurmAsya
vratham.
On the day of
ChAthurmAsyam
********************************
The nithya karmAs , abhigamana aarAdhanam ( the most
important
for a SanyAsi) are done as on any other day.
Afterwards , a small
amount of soil (earth) is consecrated(mruth
SangrahaNam)
along with aavAhanam and aarAdhanam for BhU VarAha PerumAL
and BhUmi PirAtti . After that , the Yathi himself collects the soil
required for his anushtAnams during the ChAthurmAsya Vratham.
Next , the Yathi has Thirumudi ViLakkam ( shaving of the hair on
the head and face ) . The Yathi takes now a
purifying bath
in preparation for the special aarAdhanam again .
Pancha Saanthi
Manthrams are recited as the Yathi returns to the
Matam from SnAnam .
At the Matam , the Yathi will take the sankalpam :
"AshADa PourNamAseem aarabhya BhadrapAdha
pourNamAsi paryantham ChAthurmAsya Vratham sthaasyE
". The assembled sishyas assembled
around their AchAryan (
Yathivarar) respond : " Nivasanthu sukeen athra
gamishyAmaha kruthArthAn yathA sakthi
cha sisrUshAm
karishyAmO vayam mudhA " ( Oh AchArya! Please kindly
stay in
this location with all happiness and bless us to
have the opportunity
to perform kaimkaryams for You. We take the vow to
serve You
to the best of our capabilities ). MaryAdhais from
BhagavAn from
different dhivya dEsams are presented next to the
YathIswaran to
bless him for successful observance of the
ChAthurmAsyam .
Dietary restrcitions during
ChAthurmAsyam
**********************************************
During the ChAthurmAsyam , there are strict dietary
restrictions
for the observer during each of the four months
. Ten food items
- - root , leaf , shoot , tip , fruit , skin, sprout ,
stalk , flower and
skin of the vegetable- - - are prohibited. If any
of them are eaten by
mistake , then chAndrAyana vratham has to be undertaken
as
PrAyascchittham. After the completion of the
ChAthurmAsyam ,
the SrImath Azhagiya Singar resumes His
unrestricted sanchArams
( anuAthrA with MalOlan's yaathrA ) to bless His
sishyAs .
AchAryAs are 'NadamAdum Dhaivam
***********************************
Let us conclude this essay with a quotation from Athri
Smruthi :
" The Lord has two forms : moving and unmoving. The
moving
form is the SanyAsi and the unmoving(sTira
bhEram) is
the Lord in archA form worshipped at the temple ". In the case of
SrI Matam , both the forms
merge into One . The AchAryAs of
SrI Matam noted for
their Jn~Anam , anushtAnam and Aathma GuNa
Poorthy are
anupravEsAvathAra BhUtharkaL , who are walking
and talking forms of MalOlan
.
SrImath Azhagiya Singar ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam
,
Daasan, Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan
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