The Hindu : Glorifying the chivalry of Jatayu
SrI:
Dear AasthikAs :
Prakrutham Srimath Azhagiya Singar is observing
His ChAthurmAsya Sankalpam this year at
the dhivya dEsam of ThiruppuLLambhUthangudi
near KumbakONam .
The glory of this dhivya dEsam is described by
Dr. Prema Nandakumar in this article .
Please visit this dhivya dEsam and the neighboring
Dhivya dEsam of AadhanUr and MaloLan , the AarAdhana
Moorthy of Ahobila Matam Jeeyars for more than 600
years and recieve the blessings of Srimath Azhagiya Singar.
Every Saturday starting from July 15 , Srimath Azhagiya Singar
will be giving special UPanyAsams on AchArya RaamAnuja's
SaraNAgathy Gadhyam .This Saturday evening ( 7 PM at
ThirupuLLambhUthangudi and 9.30 AM EST , USA) will be covered by
a Telebridge so AasthikAs all over the world can enjoy these upanyAsams
on the most important subject of SaraNAgathy and its performance as
demonstrated on a Panguni Utthiram day at Srirangam before the dhivya
Dampathis of Srirangam by AchArya RaamAnuja .
HH Srimath Azhagiya Singar will be following the commentaries of
Swamy PeriyavAcchAn PiLLai and Swamy Desikan on SaraNAgathy
Gadhyam .
Please register for these 8 upanyAsams starting from this Saturday
and every Saturday thereafter until September 2 . The URL for registration is:
http://ahobilamutt.org/upan/signin01.asp
NamO Narasimhaaya ,
V.Sadagopan
ThiruppuLLambhUthangudi
Glorifying the chivalry of Jatayu
The temple for Lord Rama in Pullabhuthangudi, near
Kumbakonam, reveres Jatayu, the holy bird, which gave up its life while
attempting to pr. otect Sita from Ravana. PREMA NANDAKUMAR takes you to one of
the 108 Divya Desa shrines
Hemambujavalli ... an exquisite deity with the elephants waiting to
anoint Her as Empress of the realms.
THE ECO consciousness of our ancients is amazing. Just a couple of
decades ago, Rachel Carson wrote the "Silent Spring" and the world woke up to
the increasing absence of bird song. But even several millennia earlier,
Indians tried to use religious symbolism to teach the common man the value of
flora and fauna. The temple culture through its insistence on sthala vriksham
(the temple tree), the nandavanam (temple garden) and the pushkarini (temple
tank) taught people to keep the environment healthy in every way.
Almost all our myths and legend bring together man, Nature and God.
Animals, birds and snakes are considered important for human existence. Thus
Pullabhuthangudi reveres the memory of the holy bird, Jatayu. At a time when
eve-teasing and the desecration of womanhood have touched new lows, it is
heartening to note that such temples make us remember the values of knight
errantry and bravery. Jatayu fought against Ravana who was abducting Sita when
she was unprotected in the forest. The brave bird knew it was a losing fight,
perhaps. But he could not care. Here was this young girl crying out for succour
and just as Krishna had come to rescue Draupadi on hearing her cry of distress,
Jatayu flew upwards to intercept Ravana's chariot. To this day we remember the
heroic endeavour of Jatayu and salute his memory.
The gleaming kalasams, dwajasthambam and balipeetam of the
Pullabhuthangudi temple welcome the devotee.
By the time Rama and Lakshmana came to the place, the shades were
already closing upon Jatayu. Having told the brothers of the dire happening,
Jatayu died. It is said that Rama performed the last rites for the bird with
great piety, like a son. That is why Srivaishnava Acharyas use the respectful
epithet, "Periya Udaiyar" for Jatayu. This was in Treta yuga. In Kaliyuga,
Tirumangai Azhwar happened to come to this place. He found a brilliant glow
illumining the directions. Drawing near he found it was the four-armed Supreme
resting with a magnificent bow near him. He composed a prayer of 10 hymns where
he uses the word, "Valvil Raman" (Rama with the strong bow, Dhrida-dhanvi), and
speaks of the rich rice fields and gardens in ecstatic terms.
Much of that prosperity is not visible now, but the devotional
fervour for the holy place is enviably vibrant. Since the temple is under the
trusteeship of Sri Ahobila Math, the environs are kept clean and the structure
is in good condition. Ten kilometres to the northwest of Kumbakonam, the Rama
temple at Pullabuthangudi welcomes us with a five-tier Rajagopuram. Seven
kalasams gleam atop allowing us entry to the inner circle where we salute the
dwajasthambham and Balipeetam. We then move beneath a smaller sized gopuram of
three tiers with five kalasams and presently we go up to the sanctum of the
temple.
Valvii Rama of Pullabhuthangudi... the tale involving the Lord and
Consort in interesting.
The Moolavar, Chakravarthi Thirumagan, is certainly an imposing
presence. The Ramayana legend is fond of seeing the active hero-warrior in
peaceful, resting poses. Viswamitra watches the young Rama who is asleep and
wakes him up with the verse, "Kausalya Supraja Rama". We see Rama resting on
Sita's lap when Kakasura troubles her. Later we see Rama lying on the Kusa
grass for seven days to make Varuna give way for his army to cross over to
Lanka. The legend of Pullabhuthangudi adds that Rama rested here after
performing the last rites of Jatayu. All these only go to show the charm
devotees find in the sleeping pose of the Divine, as in Srirangam.
Rama in this temple is a dark ocean radiating peace. At his feet is
a noble image of his Consort. But was not Rama alone here? Hadn't Sita been
abducted at that time?
N. Kannan of the Ahobila Math explains that it is Bhumipiraatti
(Mother Earth), and promptly speaks of another moving legend. Rama had got
ready to perform the final obsequies on the banks of a pond (now known as
Jatayu Pushkarini) when he realised that the Vedic ceremony needed the presence
of his wife. He felt sad that he was helpless in the matter. Immediately there
arose a golden lotus in the tank with Bhuma Devi (Sita is considered to be a
manifestation of Mother Earth) who helped fulfil Rama's desire to complete the
rituals. Hence we find Bhuma Devi in the sanctum. She is seated, with a lotus
in hand. Reliefs on the wall behind show Brahma, Lakshmana, Hanuman and Jatayu.
The Utsava deity has four hands holding the hardy Kodanda bow, the conch and
the discus, with the lower right hand in abhaya mudra. The icons of
Teerthabherar and Yagabherar as also baby Krishna are seen along.
Pandyan Kondai ... the new gem studded crown for the Lord.
There are other fanes in the prakaram apart from that of Thayar
Sannidhi. The utsavar deity of Bhuma Devi is known as Hemambujavalli
(Potramaraiyal), a charming figurine with two elephants in the act of anointing
her as Empress of the Realms. The icon of Andal is in a seated pose in this
temple as in the Ul-Andal sannidhi at Srirangam. The favourite method of
worshipping Yoga Narasimha here is by lighting lamps. Idols of Nammazhwar (the
chief of the realised souls), Tirumangai Azhwar who has sung about this temple,
Ramanujar, Desikar and Sri Adivan Satakopar who founded the Sri Ahobila Math
have also been installed in this temple. Mention may also be made of Sri
Srinivasa Yateendra Mahadesikan, the 19th Jeer of the Sri Ahobila Math
sojourning here for a considerable time. He shed his mortal coils in this holy
place in February1746. His Brindavanam is located within the precincts of the
temple.
It is an active temple with regular festivals (including a grand
Brahmotsavam in March-April) drawing devotees from far and wide. Temples for
Vishnu, which function with ardour, give particular importance to the various
mounts for taking the deity around. There are several mounts at this temple,
but the most interesting is the nine-hooded Adisesha Mount ? the nine hoods
indicate Lakshmana's presence. Garuda and Hanuman Mounts are imposing too.
As with the familiar adage, "Alankara Priyo Vishnu", devotees love
to see the deity decked in various ornaments. September 28 was slated for the
latest offering of a "Pandyan Kondai" to the deity. A look-alike of the famous
"Pandyan Kondai" of Lord Ranganatha, this crown has been designed in such a way
that it can be used either as a straight rising one (Neelmudi) or a circlet
topping the crown.
After Tirumanjanam in the morning, the crown was offered at 11 a.m.
and the deity taken around ornamented with the new crown at 4 p.m. The cost of
the crown is said to be more than Rs.1 lakh, as it is gem-studded.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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