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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00136 Mar 2005

 
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Maasi GarudOthsavam at Srirangam
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Srirangam is the sacred  island formed by the two rivers , which is very
special to all  devotees of Sriman Naraayana .. Here the Lord of Srirangam ,
Sri Ranganathan rests on His most enjoyable soft bed of Adisesha
with His eyes closed in Yoga Nidra . He rests under the canopy of
the Pranavam shaped vimanam inside  His Srirangam temple
encircled by seven court yards .
 
During 120 days of the year , Lord RanganAtha's processional deity
( Archa Moorthy ) is taken out of the temple to give darsan to one and all .
During these jaunts outside His temple , Ranganatha travels on quite a variety of
routes in and around Srirangam island . In one festival , He travels as far as
ten kilometers from Trichy to the uthsavam(Festival)  site and returns back .
 
At Srirangam , there are many festivals during the year , the chief of which
is known as BrahmOthsavam or the festival conducted by Brahma Devan ,
the son of Lord RanganAtha for ten days . The Brahmothsavam takes place
in the Tamil month of Panguni and is known as the Aadhi ( ancient )
Brahmothsavam . There is a day during the BrahmOthsavam ,
when Lord Ranganatha appears before all His devotees riding on
His vaahnam ( transport ) of  Garudan . This darsan is a special one
known as Garuda Sevai . The appearance of the Lord on the back of His
vehicle , Garudan is very special at Srirangam , Kaanchipuram , Thirunaangur
near Seerkazhi , Nava Tiruppathis near Tirunelveli , Naachiyar Koil near Kumbakonam
and Thirumala .
 
At Srirangam , Lord Ranganatha blesses His devotees with Garuda Sevai
four times an year during the months of Thai , Maasi, Panguni and
Chitthirai , the consecutive months of the Tamil year .  During the Thai
Garuda Sevai , Lord Ranganatha crosses the the bridge over Cauvery river
at Trichy and arrives at the Veereswaram Garuda Mandapam on
the Chennai road . He returns to the temple via the Uttira street of
Srirangam .
 
During the Maasi Garuda Sevai , Lord Ranganatha ascends a Silver
Garudan to Kaasu Chettiyar Asthana Mandapam located in the middle of
the beautiful garden , Singara Thoppu . This location is one and half miles from
Trichy . The worship of Lord Ranganatha during Maasi Garuda Sevai is
considered very auspicious .There is a proverb , which states the punyam
acquired from participating in the Maasi Garuda Sevai far outweighs the Punyams
accumulated from a visit to Kaasi (Benares). During the Panguni Garuda Sevai ,
Lord RanganAtha travels to a site (Nocchiyam Reddiyar Mandapam ) that is
ten kiometers away from Trichy before He returns home . In the month of Chitthirai ,
the devotees are blessed to enjoy the Garuda Sevai of Lord Ranganatha once
again . At this time , He travels a short distance of three and half kilometers from
Trichy to a festival site known as Arya Vaisyal Kalyana Mantapam .
 
The sacredness of Garudan arises from the belief that he is the embodiment of
all the Vedas . He carries the Lord on his back , while the Lord's pair of feet are
resting on his two palms to reveal to the world that His Lord is the Supreme
doctrine ( Para Tatthvam ). When there is a need for His Lord to arrive at
a place quickly to protect His dear devotees such as the King of elephants
(Gajendhran) who was being tormented by a crocodile , Garudan transports
His Lord at the speed of lightning . During the Lord's incarnation as the son of
King Dasaratha , Garudan came to the battle field at Lanka to drive away
the enemy weapons empowered by fierce snakes and was embraced by Lord
Ramachandra for his help . During the Lord's incarnation as Krishna , Garudan
hovered in the sky over the young Krishna's head as an umbrella with his outstretched 
wings  to protect His playful Lord from the fierce mid day Sun at Brundhavanam .
He stays at Sri Vaikuntam to offer eternal and blemishless service to His Lord .
Here at Srirangam known as Bhuloka Vaikuntam , he carried Sriranga Vimanam from the abode of Brahma devan and placed it at the current site in the middle of the two rivers at a place desired by His Lord . Sri  Ranganatha was so pleased  with Garuda's services that He asked His dear friend and servant to stay right next to Him in the Garuda Mandapam  with a form as big as the reclining Lord Himself. Here , Garudan sits in a  reverential pose with folded hands awaiting ordres from 
the Lord to serve Him .  A huge Garuda Mandapam was built for this Garudan by Vikrama Chozha raja (1070-1125 C.E) at the fourth prakaram ( encloure ) of the temple . This Garuda Mandapam is a grand one with 212 supporting pillars .
 
On the four Garuda Sevai days of each year , Garudan feels fulfilled to transport
His Lord to special sites , where the dear devotees of the Lord can have the darsan
of is auspicious Lord  . Maasi Garuda Sevai is high on the hierarchy of these Garuda Sevais at Srirangam .
 
Oppiliappan Koil V. Sadagopan  
 
P.S : At Sri Ranganatha Temple , Pomona we have the most beautiful consecrate
archa Moolavar and Uthsavar as at Srirangam . Please come and have Garduda
Darsanam at the temple . Hopefully , one day , there will be a Garuda Vaahanam
made for use in the Lord's BrahmOthsavams at the temple .         

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