Vol 03.004 7 May 2000
In this Issue:
1. Editorial
2. AdhvaithA & VisishtAdhvaithA on "Tat Tvam Asi" - Part 1 - M S Hari
3. The MahA BhArathA - Structure & Story - N.S.Anantha RangAchAr
4. PradhAna Sathakam - Part 15/15 - V. Sadagopan
5. What is in this week? List of festivals and events, this week
We place in your hands the fourth issue of Volume 3, which houses three articles.
Sri M.S.Hari's article touches on one of the four MahA VAkyams of the Four vEdhAs, "Tath Thvam asi". This MahA VAkhyam is from ChAndhOgya Upanishid, which belongs to SAma vEdham. It is important for us as Sri VaishNavites to know the interpretation of these MahA VAkyams according to the Bhagavath RAmAnuja darsanam. We are hoping that we will have to opportunity to cover the other three MahA VAkyams in future issues : (1) Praj~nAm BrahmA : AitrEya Upanishad, Rig vEdham (2) aham BrahmAsmi: BrihadhAraNya Upanishad, Sukla Yajur vEdham and TaittirIya Upanishad of KrishNa Yajur vEdham (3) ayamAthma BrahmA : MAndUkya Upanishad, Atharva vEdham.
The second article is by Dr.N.S.AnatharangAchAr Swamy on the structure and content of MahA Bharatham. This ithihAsam contains the most sacred Bhagavath GitA and Sri VishNu SahasranAmAm besides many passages on Dharma SAsthram. An IthihAsam like MahA BhAratham is used to explain the intricate Vedic manthrams and hence Its PrAmANyam is Svathasiddham as indicated by the author of YathIndhra Matha DhIpikA:"VedhOpabruhmaNa rUpEthihAsa purANAyOrapi pramANyam svathasiddham"
Therefore it is important for us to have an uderstanding of the structure and content of MahA BhAratham. The third article is by adiyEn; with this final posting on PradhAna Sathakam, adiyEn bows at the sacred feet of Swamy Desikan for blessing us with this most important rahasya grantham. The brilliance and clarity of Swamy Desikan is clearly evident here and helps us all to understand what is PradhAnam among various options in terms of conduct as a Prapannan.
It is very important for the Editor and Publisher to know how well we are serving your information needs. Hence, please take the time to write to us (sgopan@computer.net, srengara@hotmail.com, saranagathi@egroups.com) on your comments and suggestions. Looking forward to hearing from you,
adiyEn,
Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan, Editor
http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati/
2. AdhvaithA & VisishtAdhvaithA on "Tat Tvam Asi" - Part 1
M S HariIntroduction: From the time immemorial, man's curiosity to find out the cause of the universe seems to be of undiminishing interest. Various parts of the world have come out with various schools of thoughts of philosophy and practice. Few claim that their philosophy is "pure philosophy" staying away from any religion/theology while others claim that their philosophy is "philosophy of a religion/theology". Beliefs and prejudices have had a hand on many such outcomes. History attempts to trace the political and social circumstances for these while science tries to rationalize them. India is also not an exemption from the list of countries that have given to the world their schools of thoughts. In fact India is recognized to have produced certain philosophies for which the date of origin is not traceable. India's culture and heritage are still regarded very ancient. The vEdhA of India has been a strong base for numerous schools of philosophical thoughts. The ancient tradition of India holds that the vEdhA is not authored by any one and therefore is the only dependable ultimate authority of knowledge. The vEdhA is further held as that which has no date of origin or end and is supposed to be infinite. The analysis of a statement in the vEdhA with reference to the interpretation given by two schools of philosophical thoughts based on vEdhA namely the AdhvaithA and the VisishtAdhvaithA are presented in this part. By this analysis, we hope to bring out the essential concepts of both the schools and validate arguments and counter-arguments with reference to VisishtAdhvaithA versus AdhvaithA.
"Tat Tvam Asi" - "That Thou art!":
The vEdhanta is otherwise called as Upanishad. "vEdhanta" means the end of vEdha. "Upanishad" is the term given to denote it because it is supposed to be close to the Brahman who is the only cause of the universe and enlightens us by explaining the reality, forms, characteristics, and supreme lordship of Brahman. Of the many Upanishads available, a famous one named "ChandOkya Upanishad" has this maxim "Tat Tvam Asi" meaning "That Thou art". This verse/maxim occurs in a portion of the Upanishad called as "Sath Vidya". Before going into the interpretations given by the two schools of philosophy, let us look at the context where this maxim occurs in the Upanishad. UddAlaka Aruni had a son named Swetaketu. It seems that the boy Swetaketu did not concentrate his mind on the study of vEdha. Therefore his father did not want him to grow into an "AbhAsa Brahmana" - "he who is a Brahmana by birth but has failed to study and respect the vEdha". Out of compassion, he asked his son Swetaketu to undertake the study of vEdhA under a scholar.Swetaketu then went away from his house to study the vEdha under a scholar for several years as prescribed. He returned to his father's house after completing his study. Swetaketu was full of pride. He lacked humility. He thought that he has finished studying everything. On seeing this nature of the son, his father called him and thoughtfully asked a question - "O my son! Have you studied that thing (Adesa) knowing which everything becomes known?" Swetaketu was shocked and replied "Father! Your question seems to be illogical. Neither I know such a thing nor I was taught about such a thing. If you know please teach me that!" On hearing this reply for the son, the father calmly told him with several examples - "Son! Have you not seen the mud in front of the potter's house! It becomes a pot in the hands of the potter. If the mud is known, the all things made of mud are known! Similarly if you know gold, things made of gold like ornaments are known. If you know iron, all things made of iron are known! Like this, if you know an entity called "Brahman" then everything (entire universe) is known!"
Then his father proceeded with the long Sath Vidya explanation, explaining the Brahman. He said (Sath Eva Sowmya Edamagre Asit) in the beginning, which is before creation of the universe, the "Sath" alone existed. It wished to become many - which is the manifold universe. It created three divinities and entered into them. From it, the entire universe composed of all sentient and insentient entities was created. Sath then entered into all such things created by him from him and became the universe. He continued and concluded (Atma Tat Tvam Asi Swetaketo) - "O Son! Sath is the Atma (Soul). You are That!". Thus ends the teaching present in the Sath Vidya of Chandokya Upanishad. This is the context in the Upanishad wherein the maxim verse that is to be discussed occurs.
3. The MahA BhArathA - Structure and Story
Sri Anantha RangAchArSrimath RAmAyaNA and MahA BharathA are two great epics (ithihAsAs) that are like two resplendent pillars of our dharmA and culture. Of these two, MahA BharathA is a mighty monumental work that enshrines the essence of DharmA in all its aspects. All the four purushArthAs are expounded elaborately in this great work. "Whatever is here may be found elsewhere, but whatever is not here is not to be found anywhere". This praise is not an exaggeration, but a statement of fact.
The theme of MahA BhArathA: The MahA BharathA presents in one place the internal as well as external nature of our culture, the aspirations of humanity and the achievements and goals of life in an inimitable way. It contains the wisdom of the VedhAs, VedhAngAs, and all SAsthrAs and one can easily get to know the quintessence of all of the above through a study of this epic.
The loftiness of MahA BhArahtA: This has been the source text to all poets that flourished further in Bharatha desam. MahA BhArathA has been assigned a lofty place, which is equal to the vEdhAs and is called the panchama (fifth) vEdhA because its subject matter in the ultimate analysis is the same as that of the vEdhAs.
The date of MahA BhArathA: MahA BhArathA has been studied intensively by various scholars. From those studies, Professor Sukthankar has published what is considered as one of the authentic version of the epic based on the careful study of the many rescensions of MahA BhArathA. His work is considered by some as a significant landmark in the study of this epic. It is the opinion of some scholars that the present day MahA BhAratham went through three stages known as "JayA, BharathA and MahA BhArathA". It has been pointed out that a number of stories were added to the original poem during the successive centuries (from 400 B.C to 400 A.D)leading upto its final form consisting of one lakh slOkams. Tradition recognizes the whole work as one integrated piece. The three stages of the evolution of MahA BhArathA: The core of the MahA BhArathA ideals with the defeat in the battle of KauravAs at the hands of the PAndavAs. Later on, the entire story of "the BharathA race" came to be associated with this in all its elaboration. The epic was called "JayA" because it describes the story of the victory of the PAndavAs over the KauravAs. It was called "BharathA" since it dealt with the lives of the people of the BharathA race. It was called MahA BharathA or IthihAsA, since it recorded the chronicles of the monarchs of those times. First stage was the JayA stage. This consisted of 8800 slOkAs and related to the main theme of the work, namely, the feud between KauravAs and the PANdavAs. This portion contains poetic descriptions relevant to such a narration.
The second stage Of "BharathA" evolved with the addition of the greatness of the personages involved in the family war. At this stage, the epic had 24,000 sOkams. It contained the description of the glory of personages like BhIshmA, DhrONA, the stories relating to the birth of the KauravAs and the PANdavAs, their education and upbringinging, the virtues of the royal class, the troubles and travails of the PANdavAs during their period of exile and particularly the one year of living incognito in the court of VirAtA, the efforts made to prevent the great war, the teaching of KrishNA to ArjunA, the description of the war that lasted for eighteen days and the final victory gained by the PANdavAs. All of these topics relating directly to the main theme were perhaps added on in the second stage known as BharathA with 24,000 slOkams. During the third and final stage, a number of upAkhyAnAs (other stories and anecdotes) were added on to this great work to make it, "MahA BhArathA". The size swelled upto 100,000 slOkams. In this form, MahA BhArathA became an encyclopedia of Knowledge and wisdom of humanity. The VishNu SahasranAmam, AnugIthA, Bhishma-sthavam, GajEndhra Moksham et al were added. Long and elaborate stories of DushyanthA and SakunthalA, SAvithri-SatyavAn, YayAthi, RAmA, MathsyOpAkhyAnA, Shibi chakravarthy, the story of NaLa-Dhamayanthi have been added as major upAkhyAnams and the bulk of these constitutes nearly one fourth of this great work.
In the northern rescension of MahA BhAratham, there are 82136 stanzas and the southern rescension has 96586 stanzas. The description of the war is another significant feature of this work and this comprises one fifth of MahA BhAratham. Finally, the teaching about DharmA occupies the most prominent place in this ithihAsam. The ShAnthi parvam is totally devoted to the teaching on DharmA. The teachings about Bhagavadh GitA, RAja dharmA, Apath dharmA, Moksha dharmA, the dhArmic teachings housed in AnusAsAsana parvA constiture together one third of MahA BhAratham. In addition to the 18 parvAs of MahA Bharatham, there is another parvA known as Hari vamsam, which is considered a "khila or anubhandA or an addition to the main text". This has a lot of focus on DharmA and contains 317 cantos and more than 16,000 stanzas.
The structure of MahA BhAratham (MB): There are 18 parvAs in MB. These are : (1) Adhi parvA (2) SabhA parvA (3) Vana parvA (4) VirAt parvA (5) UdhyOga parvA (6) Bhishma parvA (7) DhrONa parvA (8) Karna parvA (9) Shalya parvA (10) Soupthika parvA (11) Sthree parvA (12) ShAnthi parvA (13) AnusAsana parvA (14) AsvamEdhika parvA (15) AsramavAsi parvA (16) Mousala parvA (17) MahAprasthAnika parvA and (18) SvargArOhaNa parvA. It is not clear when this kind of division into parvAs took place. The parvAs are of different length and there is no uniformity regarding their size. The shortest is MahAprasthAnika parvA containing only 120 stanzas, whereas the longest is ShAnthi parvA. The combination of ShAnthi parvA and AnushAsana parvA yields 21,000 stanzas. The themes of Individual Chapters of MB: The Adhi parvA gives an elaborate description of the lunar race and the birth of the PaNDavAs. The SabhA parvA deals with the game of dice to which YudhishtirA was invited. The Vana parvA deals with the experiences of the PaNDavAs in the forest and the VirAta parvA narrates their stay in VirAta nagaram in cognito. In UdhyOga parvA, Lord KrishNA goes to HasthinApuri as a messenger of peace. BhIshma parvA houses Srimadh Bhagavath GitA, the commencement of the war, BhIshmA's participation in it and the defeat of BhIshmA. DhrONa parvA narrates the death of Abhimanyu and the death of DhrONA himself. KarNa parvA is devoted to the war that was waged by KarNA and his death. Shalya parvA deals with the role played by ShalyA and the death of DuryOdhanA. Souptika parva dscribes the slaying by AsvatthAman of the children of PANDavAs, while they were sleeping. Sthree parvA is full of lamentataions of the bereaved women. The teaching of the DharmA to YudhishtrA by BhIshmAchAryAl is the subject matter of ShAnthi parvA. Anushasasana parvA has accounts of the stories relating to morals and righteousness. The performance of AsvamEdha YAgam is described in AsvamEdha parvA. The AsramavAsi parvA narrates how DhritarashtrA retires into the woods for performance of penance and Mausala parvA narrates the destruction of the YAdhavAs. MahAprasthAnika parvA describes how the PANDavAs set out on their final journey through the HimAlAyAs and the SvargArOhaNa parvA describes how they ascended to heaven.
The tradition of authorship: According to tradition Sage VyAsA is the author of MahA BhAratham. He is the son of ParAsarA, who gave us VishNu purAnam and Sathyavathi. He was a contemproary to the events that happened in MahA BhAratham. The traditional salutation to VyAsA is: "I bow down to VyAsA, the son of ParAsarA, the grandson of Sakthi, the great grandson of VasishTA, the father of Sukha Brahmam of pure mind and who is full of the power of Tapas." The Message of MahA BhAratham: Its message to humanity is in three directions: (1) The empirical (2) The Moral and (3) The Metaphysical. At the empirical, worldly level, it gives a real picture of the terrible war between the great heroes of the times that was devastating. At the moral level, it points out that the war is an eternal one that is forever fought between the good and the evil forces, between dharmA and adharmA, between the Asuric and daivA ( satthvA) forces and assesses the ethics of such a conflict. At the metaphysical level, it points out that the embodied one has to strive incessantly to go beyond these dualities of life destroying the darkness of delusion with the sword of knowledge under the guidance of the internal controller, our Supreme Lord, KrishNA.
4. PradhAna sadhakam - Part 15/15
Translated by Sri V. Sadagopan
(Original in Tamil by Oppiliappan SAnnithi Vangipuram navaneetham Sri U.V.SrirAmadEsikAcchAr, "RahasyArttha vivaraNam - Sillarai RahasyangaL - part 3, in tamil)The Mukhya amsangaL of kaimkaryam upakaraNams
(74) There are many "instruments" for Bhagavath Kaimkaryam. The mind (manas)- vAk (speech) and seyal (body and action)are the three dominant ones for such a kaimkaryam. When the mind, speech and the limbs are unified to perform Bhagavath Kaimkaryam with a pure heart, then it is pradhAnam among kaimkaryams.(75)When the mind, vAk and the limbs are united in purpose to serve the Lord, then the external sAmagriyais like TuLasi, water and flowers, whatever is available without difficulty, is appropriate for Bhagavath kaimkaryam.
(76) The kshEthram fit for living to perform Bhagavath- kaimkaryam is where the bhAgavathAs of the Lord reside. This should be the place of residence. This is pradhAnam. During times of emergency and danger, any place is fit however for residence to perform kaimkaryam for BhagavAn.
(77) The four kinds of kshEthrams, where BhagavAn is present in the archA form are: (1) Svyam vyaktham, where He has manifested out of His own sankalpam (2) Saiddham, where siddhars have performed prathishtai (3)Arsham, where the Vedhic sages have initiated the prathishtai (consecration) (4) VaishNavam, where paramEkAnthis/Bhagavathars have performed prathishtai of the Lord in the sAstraic way.
(78) When any one of the above four kshEthrams are inaccessible for residence, then the pradhAnam is Sri Vaikuntam, where BhagavathAs reside permanently.
(79) Prior to performing Bhagavath kaimkaryam, one has to take bath in pure water and make themselves fit for initiating Bhagavath kaimkaryam. Based on one's physical condition, different snAna vidhis are prescribed. These are: (1) VAruNa snAnam, where one immerses fully in water and takes the bath (2) The second is manthra snAnam, when one is ill and is unable to dip in water. Here, one recites prescribed manthrAs and splashes the consecrated water on top of one's head (3) When one can not even perform manthra SnAnam, then mAnasa snAnam is recommended. Here, one contemplates on the subhAsrayam of the archA mUrthy without any doubt about the power of mAnasa snAnam qualifying one for the performance of bhagavath kaimkaryam. For people performing mAnasa snAnam, our Lord, Sriman NArAyaNan stands in place of the holy waters. He is the Supreme One seated in our heart lotus as the PuNya theertham. When one is immersed in such a roopa dhyAnam associated with MAnasa snAnam, this type of snAnam is indeed pradhAnam.
(80) The chEthanan (sentient being) can perform bhagavath kaimkaryam in whatever state he or she is as long as the three instruments-manas, vAk and limbs - are unified in purpose and are pure. This is the pradhAna nilai for performing Bhagavath kaimkaryam as revealed to us by sage SANDilyA.
DhOshAs and their elimination
(81) There are insufficiencies associated with the three tools that man has: Manas-VAk and Limbs. SAsthrAs have focused on these insufficiencies. The limbs and the body constituting them have the defect of causing harm to others in a physical sense. VAk has the defect of uttering untruth. Manas has the defect of longing for things that are not appropriate for sAdhanai. These defects are our enemies. We must banish these defects. The chief among these defects is the ever-increasing desire to possess things that produce no long term happiness. When some one stands in the way of fulfilling these desires, anger raises its ugly head. When anger takes over, the sins follow immediately. Therefore the most important item to control is desire. That is pradhAnam.(82)The relief from all these imperfections and protection against the encroachment of such dhOshams can be realized by sathsangam with BhAgavathAs rich in satthva guNam. Those noble souls will correct the offending one through their sadhupadEsams and dayA.
ApachArams and their ParihArams
(83) What are the reasons for the dhOshams (apachArams) to aggregate in a chEthanan? They arise from transgressions of codes established by sAsthrAs for serving BhagavAn, His BhAgavathAs and AchAryALs. BhagavathApachAram is worse than apachAram to BhagavAn and the worse than BhAgavatha apachAram is AchArya apachAram. One can perform prAyacchittham for Bhagavath and BhAgavatha apachArams, but not for AchArya apachAram. Our Lord will not tolerate AchArya apachAram. Such AchArya apachArams will push the chethanan to the deepest chambers of narakam. Therefore AchArya ApachAram is prahdAnam to avoid.(84)The worst of the AchArya apachAram is to forget the mahOpakAram that He performed and to have ill will towards that AchAryan.
(85)There are a few upAyams to persuade even one, who is not inclined to forgive one's apachArams. Among these upAyams, the supreme one is the mudhrai (gesture) with folded hands known as anjali mudhrai. This anjali mudhrai will yield fruits only when the one that has committed the apachAram has genuine regret and remembers with gratitude the help offered earlier.
(86) If one committs apachArams to BhAgavathAs, there are some redresses to overcome those apachArams. The dominant among them is to approach the BhagavathAs themselves and to seek their forgivance.
(87) One committs heinous sins and apachArams. To overcome them, he has to do prAyacchittham as a means of redress. If he does not do so, he will end up badly. To prevent this disaster, one has to have the mercy of the AchAryAs. Through his dayA, the AchAryan corrects the sinner and brings him back to the righteous path.
(88) There are many ways to remove the sorrows of those suffering from the cruel afflictions of SamsAram. Sri RAmachandran stood on the shores of the ocean and declared in front of the army of monkeys and VibhishaNan that he has taken the vow to save unfailingly any one, who sought His refuge. That vow taken by our Lord is pradhAnam for consoling those, who seek redress from samsAric illness. When one thinks of that vow, the sufferings of samsAram are banished and one lives in a state of freedom from worries.
AchAryan-PrAchAryan : The PrahdAnams
(89) The parents and teachers belong to the guru vargham (class). Among them, the AchAryan, who initiates one into vEdhAntha SAsthram is pradhAnam.(90) There may be more than one AchAryan, who instructed a disciple in vEdhAntha SAsthrams. Among them, the AchAryan, who instructed the sishyan on Thirumanthiram, Dhvayam and Charama slOkam (the three rahasyams and their meanings) and prepared the sishyan thus for Prapatthi is pradhAnam.
(91) When one's AchAryan and His AchAryan (PrAchAryan) are at one place, it is pradhAnam to offer the salutation to PrAchAryan. That will please the heart of the AchAryan.
The Importance of Kaimkaryam blessed by the AchAryan
(92) It is pradhAnam to get the niyamanam (command) of the AchAryan to perform the kaimkaryams approved for the ParamAchAryan, EmperumAn.The prahAna apachAram in BhagavAn's sannidhi
(93)In the sannidhi of our Lord, showing reverence to the One, who considers our Lord as Para dEvathai (Supreme Lord) is pradhAnam. Recognizing others, who do not accept our Lord as the DEvAthidEvan should be rejected.EkAnthis and their Kaimkaryams
(94) Even among those, who revere our Lord as Para dEvathai, the one who is pradhAnam amidst them is that one, who seeks mOksham as the sole fruit and does not seek any other boon from Sarvesvaran.(95) Those who peformed prapatthi for attaining mOksha siddhi perform kaimkaryam for our Lord until their last moment on this earth. The greatness of the kaimkaryams done by the prapannan without seeking anything in return becomes equal then in glory to that performed by the muktha jeevans in Sri vaikunTam.
(96) The karmAs done anticipating some rewards are known as KAmya karmAs. The One, who performed prapatthi seeking only Moksham as his goal should not engage in the performance of kAmya karmAs. It is befitting for him to do karmAs, which are consistent with his svarUpam. The kAmya-karmAs permitted for the mumukshu are: Kaimkaryams to celebrate the Vaibhavam of the Lord, kaimkarymas for the well being of the BhAgavathAs serving their Lord, kaimkaryams for the growth of one's own bhakthi and tatthva jn~Anam and kaimkaryams for the removal of sins that stand in the way of attaining the desired goal of mOksham.One should never pray to the devathAntharams for fulfilment of desired objectives. The Mumukshu can however pray to the Lord or to the nithyasUris dear to Him such as ThiruananthAzhwAn or Garudan (Periya Thiruvadi).
The Importance of kaimkaryam to those rich in Jn~Anam
(97) PradhAnam is the kaimkaryam to those rich in Jn~Anam and such kaimkaryams enhance our own jn~Anam.(98) There will always be obstacles to the bliss resulting from the enjoymnet of our Lord. The mind will become agitated over these obstacles. There are many remedies to overcome these disturbing obstacles that stand in the way of paripUrNa anubhavam of our Lord. The chief remedy is to grow our Jn~Anam. That will lead to the growth of satthva guNam. The awakening of the satthva guNam from the growth of Jn~Anam is thus the pradhAnam among the cures to eliminate the obstacles in enjoying our Lord to the fullest extent.
The chief among sukhams for Humnans
(99) The humans derive happiness from the interplay of the three guNams: satthvam, rajas and tamas. The prahdAnam among such sukhams is the one attained, when the outter and inner indriyAs are controlled and when Satthva guNam dominates in the background by reining in the external and internal indhriyAs.(100) Among all the sukhams of the chEthanan, pradhAnam is the sukham attained by the one blessed with Moksha siddhi through the successful practise of Bhakthi or Prapatthi yOgam. These prapannAs spent their post-prapatthi days on this earth in contemplation of the Lord in archai or darsanam of Him at His temples or sevai to Him. There are however some obstacles to such pursuits that arise form the thought that he(the prapnnan) is independently conducting all these acts in his post-prapatthi days. He should not forget that it is the Lord that has blessed him with this AnandhAnubhavam and that he is not a svathantran, when it comes to such uninterrupted enjoyment of the Lord and service to BhAgavathALs. That type of kaimkaryam infused with sAthvika thyAgam is consistent with the "Aya" root positioned over the NArAyaNa sabdham. That type of kaimkaryam is devoid of thoughts of svathanthram. only such kaimkarymas are blemishless and last in value forever. The sukham arising from such niravadhya, nithya kaimkaryams has no match in the bliss created. This sukham enjoyed by the mukthan is the greatest of all Anandhams.
(101) The sukham arising from such nithya, niravadhya kaimkaryam enjoyed by the mukthan is equal to the sukham enjoyed by our Lord Himself. It is indeed PerumAL, who blesses the mukthan to have the svathanthram to engage in such kaimkaryams. Our Lord is Mukundhan or Moksha dhAyakan. He is the antharyAmi Brahmam and has the chethanams and achethanams as His body. Thus, we (Swamy Desikan) has established the supermacy (PrAdhAnyam) of Sriman NArAyanan. PradhAna sathakam sampUrNam SrimathE NigmAntha MahA DesikAya nama
5. What is in this week?
May 9 - Sri mudhali yAndAn thiru nakshatthiram, Sri perumputhur
kandap podi ursavam, navAlpAkkam vasantha ursava Arambam
May 10 - Sri Vasanth ursavam Arambam in Srirangam, Sri perumputhur
thoppa ursavam Arambam
May 11 - Sri eLaya valli AcchAn thiru nakashatthiram, pacchai
varNan, pazha varNan ursavan ArAmbam
May 12 - kOil Sri rAma navami
May 13 - Sri perum puthur thoppa ursavam ends
May 14 - ekAdasi vratham, Sri Vishnu puNya kAlam, thiru kaNNa
puram garuda sEvai
May 15 - kAnchipuram dwajOrOhaNam
May 17 - Sri nrusimha jayanthi, pournami
May 18 - Sri nammAzhwAr thiru nakshathram, garuda sEvai in
kAnchi, ekA vasantham sARRu murai in Srirangam
May 19 - Sri bhattar thiru nakshatthiram, Sri perum puthur Sri
Adi kEsavan jyEshtAbishEkam
May 20 - thiru arangap perumAL Araiyar thiru nakshatthiram
Sri Ahobila muth 35th jeer, Sri Ranganatha yAtheendra
mAhA dEsikan thiru nakshatthiram
May 22 - Kanchi Sri Ratha uthsavam
May 24 - srvaNa vrtham, kAnchi theertha vAri
May 25 - Sri Ahobila muth 27th jeer Sri VeerarAgava yatheendra
maha dEsikan thiru nakshatthiram
May 29 - ekAdasi vratham
May 31 - Sri Ahobila muth 39th jeer Sri parAngusa yatheendra
maha dEsikan thiru nakshatthiram, agni nakshatthira
nivruthi