Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Quiet Flows The Cauvery
Historians aver that all civilisation is river-based, and point to the ancient
cultures that thrived on the banks of the Nile, the Sindhu ( Indus), the
Gangetic Plains, etc... Measured by this standard, the one that flourished on
the banks of the Cauvery is no less significant. Apart from the other hall
marks of civilisations, the one the Cauvery gave birth to, appears to have been
endowed with a unique feature which the other cultures could not boast of-
Spirituality.
Is there something special about the waters of the Cauvery, which has been the
subject matter of so much dispute and discord in recent years? The answer would
appear to be "Yes", if we were to go by Azhwars' averments. Divya Prabandas are
replete with references to this beautiful river and the Azhwars appear
incapable of avoiding the Cauvery, whenever they sing the praises of the Lord
who lies on its banks. True to their love for Nature and its magnificence,
reflecting the multi-faceted splendour of the Lord's Creation, Azhwars wax
eloquent while singing of the Cauvery and its bounties.
Ponni, as it is fondly called in Tamil literature, is much more than a mere
river. It has been the unfailing Provider for thousands of farmers cultivating
lands within its jurisdiction. It journeys over hill and dale, irrigating
thousands of acres of land turned golden with fertility, rushing headlong into
valleys when laden with freshets, but adopting a sedate pace when it reaches
Srirangam, the pace of a person who has put behind him the years of frenetic
activity spent in the pursuit of materialistic pleasures and one on whom the
spirit of service (kainkaryam) has dawned at last.
Eschewing the fairly straight course it has towed during its long journey from
Coorg, Cauvery makes a detour and flows in the shape of a "U" when it reaches
Srirangam, eager to form a natural garland for Sri Rangaraja, lapping gently at
His feet, apparently enquiring as to what further service it may be of to the
Lord. The waters of the great river appear to wash the Lord's tiruvadi gently
and massage it with its wavy hands-"Tiruvaranga peru nagaruL teNNeer Ponni
tirai kaiyAl adi varuda paLLi koLLum karumani" says Sri Kulasekhara Azhwar.
The name Cauvery is synonymous with that of Sri Ranganatha, who is identified
by Azhwars as "Ponni sEr Tiruvaranga!"-you can't think of Sri Rangaraja without
Cauvery occupying your thoughts simultaneously, and vice versa. The river is so
adoring, so enamoured of its great good fortune in hosting the Lord in its
midst, that it brings Him all sorts of precious stones from far and wide and
offers them as tribute at His holy feet-
"pon sidari maNi koNarndu karai mEl sindi pulam paranda nilam parakkum Ponni"
is how Sri Tirumangai Mannan speaks appreciatively of the bounties Cauvery
brings Emperuman as offering.
For good measure, he reiterates this in the Pullamboothankudi pasuram-
"minnu sOdi nava maNiyum vEyin mutthum sAmarayum
ponnum Ponni koNarndu alaikkum Pullamboothankudi tAnE"
All the nine types of precious gems, fragrant wood like Sandal and Agil, the
purest of pearls originating from tall shoots of bamboo, thick, fragrant and
delicious honey acquired from constant association with bees, the pearly white
tusks of elephants who fell into the river-these are some of the tributes the
Cauvery lovingly submits at the feet of the Lord at Srirangam, according to Sri
Kalian.
We regard Srirangam reverentially as Paradise on earth-"bhoolOka Vaikuntam".
There is a popular sloka, which equates the divyadesam with Srivaikuntam, and
the Cauvery to the VirajA nadi which has to be crossed to reach
Paramapadam-"Cauvery VirajA sEyam Vaikuntam Ranga mandiram". Thus, for
devotees, the Ponni is indeed as holy as the VirajA, in which every emancipated
soul has to have a dip before reaching the blissful company of the Lord. It is
perhaps with this in view that Poorvacharyas like Sri Ramanuja and Swami
Desikan, upon reaching the borders of Srirangam, did not rush straightaway to
see the Lord, but had a sacred bath in the Cauvery first, as is learnt from
their holy histories.
Sri Bhattar, a staunch votary of the Lord of Srirangam and the Lord's own
purOhit, apart from being His adopted son, was compelled to endure an enforced
exile from Srirangam, for some time. During the time he was away, Sri Bhattar
pined away for the invigorating company of the Lord, recounting vividly in his
mind's eye the bewitching beauty of Rangaraja. While doing so, the Acharya was
unable to keep out thoughts of the Cauvery, which is very much an integral and
inseparable part of the Lord's environs. Sri Bhattar longed for the day he
would return for a cleansing dip in the holy river, its pure waters washing
away all dirt, internal and external-"kadAham Cauvery vimala salilE veeta
kalushO bhavEyam?".
Not only are the river's flows invigorating and purge one of all impurities,
but the cool, shady and verdant groves on the river's banks offer the weary
traveller respite and relaxation from the long trek through life's thorny, hot
and dusty trails. Sri Bhattar yearns for a sojourn in these groves on Cauvery
banks, prior to performing mangalasasanam of Sri Ranganatha-
"tat teerE shramamushi vasEyam Ghana vanE". The greenery lining the river's
banks on both sides comes in for favourable comment from Sri Tondaradippodi
Azhwar in Tirumalai-
"Aartthu vaNdu alambum sOlai"
"Surumbu amar sOlai"
"VaNdinam muralum sOlai, mayilinam Alum sOlai
koNdal meedu aNavum sOlai kuyilinam koovum sOlai"
Azhwar devotes as many lines to the depiction of the glorious Ponni flowing
around the Lord, as he does to Emperuman Himself, with captivating portraits of
its waters.
When in spate, the waters are swift and muddy, laden with all the fertile
alluvium collected over its long journey-"teLivilA kalangal neer soozh
Tiruvarangam". When there are strong winds, the waters turn choppy, with huge
waves pounding the shores-
"eriyuneer verikoL vElai". The mood of the river changes suddenly, as it
approaches the Lord's abode, and it softens its pace so as to the greet the
Lord with a soft, cool spray-
"ini tirai tivalai mOda, eriyum taN paravai" . The reference here is to a broad
and sprawling body of waters-"paravai". At times, the river acquires speed in
its eagerness to touch the sacred tiruvadi of Rangaraja and rushes
headlong-"pAyum neer arangam". Augmented by timely rains, the Cauvery's flows
are as copious at the height of summer, as during the monsoons-"pongu neer
parandu pAyum poompozhil arangam". If this is the state of affairs even during
ordinary times, need we speak of the river's dimensions, when laden with
freshets from the SahyAdrIs? During the Varsha Ritu, the river expands to such
an extent that it overruns its banks and floods nearby groves and fields-"veLLa
neer parandu pAyum viri pozhil arangam".
Not only does the Cauvery equal the famed Ganga in its dimensions, but she also
exceeds the latter in holiness. Ganga may have the distinction of having
originated from the Lord's tiruvadi ("Vishnu pAdAbja sambhootE! GangE! Tripada
gAminI"). However, during her journey to the earth, she was contained by the
matted locks of Rudra, for slowing down her frenetic pace of descent. Cauvery,
on the other hand, suffered no such imprisonment or impediment and has been
gently massaging the tiruvadi of Sri Rangaraja with her wavy hands, from time
immemorial, with absolutely no dEvatAntara sambandham. While the Ganga can
boast of only a few divyadesams on its banks (like BadarikAshramam, Tiruppridi,
Kandam ennum Kadinagar), many more are located on the banks of the Cauvery
(Tirukkudandai, Tiruvinnagaram, TiruppEr nagar, TiruvindaLUr,
PuLlamboothankudi, TiruvAdanUr, ThirukkUdlUr, Nandipura ViNNagaram, Kapisthalam
etc., to name but a few). Though Azhwars are a dozen, Kodai Nacchiar, who wove
a garland, both of flowers and verses for the Lord, occupies a special place.
Similarly, Cauvery too is holier than the Ganga, for she turns herself into a
garland for Rangaraja and flows in a U shape at Srirangam (and also at
Srirangapattinam near Mysore). On account of all these factors, the Cauvery is
held by Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar to be superior to the Ganga in sacredness-
"Gangayil punidamAya Cauvery".
Sri Bhattar too is in perfect agreement with this tenet-"phEnai: hasanti iva
tat GangAm Vishnu padItvam mAtra mukharAm HEmApagA hantu agham".
The same Azhwar paints a bewitching picture of the Cauvery at sunrise: the
surface of the clear waters is dotted with beautiful lotus blooms, opening
their petals slowly to the rising Sun, making it appear as though the river is
carrying them in its wavy hands, to offer a floral tribute to the Lord of
Srirangam. The slow rise of the orb of fire in the horizon is breath taking,
with the rays reaching out their soft fingers to jog the Lord of the Universe
into wakefulness. While traivarNikAs offer the river's clear waters in their
cupped hands to the Paramatma, their beautiful wives, with extremely narrow
midriffs, ascend from the river to the banks, having had a cool, refreshing and
purifying dip in the Cauvery, wringing their long hair dry and drying it in the
balmy early-morning breeze. Here is the beautiful pasuram from
Tiruppalliezhucchi-
"kadi malar kamalangaL malarndana ivayO, Kadiravan guna disai muLaittanan ivanO
tudi idayAr suri kuzhal pizhindu udari tugil udutthu Erinar soozh punal arangA!
todai ottha tuLavamum koodayum tOttriya seer Tondaradippodi ennum adiyanai
ALian endru aruLi un adiyArkku AtpadutthAi paLli ezhundaruLAyE"
The glory of Ponni is such that Azhwars appear incapable of adulating
Emperuman, without devoting a line or two for this magnificent river. Lest it
be mistaken that tributes to Cauvery are confined to the Tamizh marai, here is
a quote from the BhAgavata Purana, in which Cauvery is mentioned ahead of other
sacred rivers, on the banks of which would be born saints and seers-
"kvachit kvachit mahAbhAgA: dramidEshu cha boorisa:
Cauvery nadI yatra KritamAlA payasvinI......"
Our eyes fill with tears and hearts with despair, when we look at the Cauvery
at Srirangam today. Gone are her glory and magnificence. Due to natural and
man-made impediments, due to the interminable disputes over her flows, the
sight that greets our eyes at Srirangam and other spots is that of a parched
river bed, to which water has become a stranger. Even the undercurrents have
dried up, with bores sunk in the riverbed failing to yield the life-giving
liquid. The tirumALigais of Srivaishnavas at Srirangam display only dried-up
wells, with their women carrying colourful plastic pots and searching far and
wide for water, having become a common sight. There are serpentine queues
before public taps and quarrels galore about who should have "mudal teerttham".
Unbridled quarrying of sand from the riverbed has wreaked its own havoc, adding
to the contribution from indiscriminate damming and gross misuse of the waters.
Pollution on the river's banks has reached endemic proportions, with absolutely
no one having a care. The verdant groves flanking the Cauvery have all but
disappeared, no longer able to sustain themselves on the river's munificence.
The fertile fields filled with green corn waving its head in the breeze are a
thing of the past, with the parched land unable to support anything but cactus
and weed. With successive monsoon failures resulting from akritya karaNam and
kritya akaraNam, with politicians busy with the blame-game and unconcerned with
remedial measures or popular welfare, with the continued mining of the river
bed for meeting insatiable building requirements-with all these against us, our
only hope seems to be prayer. The plea which we daily utter at the end of
Srimad Ramayana parayanam, should now be intoned with all sincerity and as an
impassioned entreaty-
"Cauvery vardhatAm kAlE, kAlE varshatu VAsava:
Sri RanganathO jayatu, Sriranga SrIscha vardhatAm"
"Oh Lord! Please grant that the rains may be timely and adequate, that the holy
Cauvery's flows are copious and the fortunes of Srirangam are on the ascendant".
Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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