Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
ThiruVitthuvakkOdu
Nature, in its pristine purity, undefiled by man, is always beautiful. The air
is fragrant with the scent of flowers in full bloom. The river down below flows
quietly, unwilling to disturb the atmosphere of devotion and serenity that
prevails. Even bees are muted in their buzz, sensing a need to preserve the
soothing silence. The towering trees all round sway gently in the breeze,
bowing their crowns in obeisance.
This is the environment in which most of the divyadesams in Kerala are located.
Matching the peace that prevails outside, inside the temple too there is an
ambience of devotion, unspoilt by commercial considerations. The Lord's face is
lit up only by a few oil lamps and not by the harsh glare of a halogen lamp.
The archakAs speak only when they are spoken to, and then also, in muted tones.
We are not invited to contribute to some cause or the other, either by word or
by implication. There are no loudspeakers blaring out raucous "devotional"
music. The devotees too adhere to this unwritten code of silence, and refrain
from all secular discussion among themselves while inside the temple.
This heady mixture of natural beauty, tranquillity and spirituality transports
us to a wholly different and welcome world of devotion. The accent in these
temples, as it should be, seems to be on devotion, unpolluted by other thoughts
and devoid of all distractions. No distinction is made among devotees on
economic, social or political considerations and temple rules are not relaxed
for anyone, however mighty he is. Proper attire for both men and women folk is
insisted upon for entering the temple, and men are required to remove their
upper cloth as a token of respect and humility.
ThiruVitthuvakkOde, to which Sri Kulasekarazhwar has devoted all of ten
pasurams in his Perumal Tirumozhi, is no exception to the scenario described
above and lives up to the promised guarantee of spiritual satisfaction that one
can expect from all MalainAdu divyadesams. The ubiquitous Bharatapuzha is
present here too, practically washing the Lord's feet with its gentle waters.
The river stretches away for miles in the distance, and a panoramic view is
available from the temple precincts.
The temple is locally known as "anju moortthi" ambalam, due to the presence of
different images of the Lord consecrated by the five PAndavAs, during their
exile from Indraprastha. Dharmaputra, BhImasEna and Arjuna have contributed a
shrine each, while Nakula and Sahadeva have jointly sponsored one.
True to His declaration in the Bhagavat Gita (" PAndavAnAm DhananjayOsmi"), the
Lord's main shrine is that sponsored by Arjuna. In the semi-gloom, dispelled
only by the unflickering oil lamps, we are barely able to perceive the Lord's
form at first. Then, as our eyes get accustomed to the darkness, the
magnificent tirumEni of the VitthuvakkOttu ammAn gradually unfolds before our
eyes. We first notice the beautiful crown adorning the Emperuman's head,
circled by a garland of red roses. The Lord's forehead, with an Urdhva pundram,
His broad eyes commented upon by people of varied pursuits and persuasions,
ranging from the VedaPurusha and Tiruppanazhwar to SUrpanakhA, the bewitching
mouth below with the hint of a smile, the two upraised arms on which
SudarsanAzhwan and PAnchajanyAzhwan rest with resplendence, the arm holding a
beautiful red lotus and the other one with a mace------all these slowly swim
into view. On His chest are a pendent on a golden chain and floral garlands
too, and He is wearing a silken cloth of violet hue that stretches from His
midriff to His feet. We are forced to enjoy the beauty of the Lord's form one
delectable part after the other, as the partial darkness makes it impossible
for us to have a comprehensive view. And when our mind assembles all that the
eyes have registered, we end up with a breathtakingly bewitching picture, which
must very closely resemble the one that the nitya sUrIs of SriVaikuntam drink
in constantly ("sadA pasyanti").
Is it any wonder then that Sri Kulasekhara Perumal reserves his allegiance
exclusively for this Emperuman and declares "un charaN allAl sharan illai"?
Azhwar avers that VitthuvakkOttu ammAn is his sole refuge, and irrespective of
whatever travails the Lord may subject him (Azhwar) to, Azwar would remain a
staunch votary of Emperuman. To buttress this point, Azhwar furnishes numerous
examples-
-That of a helpless infant who sticks to the mother, crying, even after being
pushed away by her in temporary annoyance
-that of a faithful wife, who remains true to her husband irrespective of his
deplorable conduct
-that of a loyal subject, who stays faithful to the King, though the latter
might provide only misrule
-that of an ever-grateful patient, though the doctor might cut his flesh with
the sharpest of knives for surgical correction of the malady
-that of a bird caught on a ship midseas , returning to the ship time and
again, unable to find a tree to perch on in the solid expanse of water all
around
-that of the green crop looking up to the dark cloud for sustenance, though the
rain might play truant
-that of the lotus refusing to bloom but for the warmth of the Sun's rays
-that of mighty rivers ultimately ending up in the ocean, irrespective of the
thousands of miles they might traverse.
All these examples serve to highlight one single, significant fact-that Sriman
Narayana is our sole refuge, irrespective of the travails we may face in this
world due to the bonds of Karma, and whether or not the Lord appears to make
any effort to save us from this suffering. ChEralar kOn is only expanding the
theme of Sri Nammazhwar's averment, "KaLaivAi thunbam kaLayAdu ozhivAi,
kaLaikaN mattrilEn".
This Tirumozhi has so moved Sri Alavandar that he has incorporated a verbatim
translation of the first pasuram-the one about the crying child and the
indifferent mother-in his Stotra Ratnam
"rushA nirasthOpi sisu: sthanandaya: na jAtu mAtu: charaNou jihAsati"
Several of the descriptions attributed to VitthuvakkOdu in the aforesaid
pasurams are true even today. The "virai kuzhuvu malar pozhil"(gardens filled
with fragrant flowers), and "meen nOkkum neeL vayal" (vast, fertile fields
filled with water, where fish swim about with pleasure) are all there, making
the village a haven of peace and prosperity. However, the "viN tOy madiL"
(protective walls touching the sky) has disappeared with time, as is to be
expected. The Lord too has retained the colours as witnessed by Azhwar, and is
still as dark as the rain-bearing cloud ("mikkilangu mugil niratthAi"). There
also remains in full measure the immeasurable glory of the Lord, described by
Azhwar as "Pukkilangu seer" and "andamil seer".
"Even if You totally ignore me, even if You don't display the least interest in
my welfare, even if You just watch idly while I suffer from one malady after
the other, in birth after tedious birth, I shall stand firm in my adherence to
You and continue to regard Your lotus feet as my sole refuge"("mattru Arum
pattrilEn endru avanai tAL nayandu") declares Sri Kulasekhara Perumal.
The rolling hills, the sprawling fields filled with ripe crop, the innumerable
"Kamugu" (PAkku) trees standing tall and straight, like ever-vigilant sentinels
zealously protecting their Master , the serene BhAratapuzha wending its way
past the temple, the precious silence and tranquillity that pervade the place,
the enchanting Deity who refuses to leave our mind's eye, ready to uplift us
just for the asking- all these make a visit to Thiruvitthuvakkodu a spiritually
rewarding and rejuvenating experience. When we leave, we do so reluctantly,
leaving our minds behind, minds that have been held captive by the greatest
thief of all times, who steals our hearts unbeknownst to ourselves.
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
|
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia |
srirangasri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To subscribe to the list |