Swetha Sundaram's Blog, page 8

February 25, 2016

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 12

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_21.html



Matsya Kurmavataram [image error]"Kann" also means ‘ocean’ in Tamil. In order to save us from the ocean of Samsara, the dayai of lord Srinivasa has even made Him to incarnate as a fish when He did upadesam to Vaivaswatha manu and saved him from the deluge by instructing Manu to build an ark. To honor the saranagathi of Devas, Lord Srinivasa's mercy, made Him incarnate as a tortoise when the milky ocean was churned. He acted as the base and supported mount mandhara on His back while the milky ocean was being churned. The following slokams from Daya Satakam composed by Swami Desikan eulogize Lord Srinivasa’s compassion as the cause for incarnating as Matsya and Kurma.
prasuuya vividhaM jagat tadabhi vR^iddhaye tvaM dayesamIxaNa vichintana prabhR^itibhiH svayaM taadhR^ishaiH.vichitra guNa chitritaaM vividha dhoSha vaideshikiiMvR^iShaachalapateH tanuM vishasi matsya kuurmaadikaam.h..82
Vamana Trivikramavataram
Srinivasa Perumal - Trivikrama Alamkaram"Kann" as we have seen earlier refers to Earth. It makes us experience Lord Srinivasa as Vamana and Trivikrama when Perumal sought alms from Bali to honor the saranagathi of Devas and ended up measuring all the worlds in just three strides. He not only got back the lost treasures of the Devas but, He also protected Bali and gave to Him Patala lokam which was much better than Swarka lokam. He gave Himself to Bali and became the Guardian of Patala lokam to protect Bali since Bali had given himself to be measured by the Lord’s third stride. Perumal by His third step, placed His thiruvadi on Bali’s head and accepted his saranagathi.

Parasu Ramavataram

“Kann" refers to Earth and thus "Kannan" is Parasu Rama because he donated the entire Earth which He had won from the kshatriyas to Kashyapa Prajapathi. Parasu Rama is the epitome of mercy because He saved this world from the evil kshatriyas. He not only saved the world but, He also prevented the kshatriyas from falling into hell by killing them Himself. Surgeons physically hurt us in order to cure us; Likewise, Parasurama, killed the kshatriyas to cure them of their sins.Bala Ramavataram  One of Perumal's name is "Ka". Therefore, the name Kannan also makes us think about Balarama who was the brother of Ka i.e., lord Krishna. Ka's Anna became Kannan in Tamil. Perumal out of His infinite mercy incarnated as both Krishna and Balarama to reduce bhu bharam and to protect His devotees.  

Conclusion
When we drop an item into a well, we have to take many dips in the well till we find the object we had lost. In this manner, Perumal takes many incarnations by descending into this samsaric ocean to rescue us. Perumal’s benevolence makes Him to incarnate for our sake. This is highlighted in the following slokam from Daya Satakam by Swami Desikan.
prasuuya vividhaM jagat tadabhi vR^iddhaye tvaM dayesamIxaNa vichintana prabhR^itibhiH svayaM taadhR^ishaiH.vichitra guNa chitritaaM vividha dhoSha vaideshikiiMvR^iShaachalapateH tanuM vishasi matsya kuurmaadikaam.h..82Lord Srinivasa’s compassion is instrumental in making Him manifest as archa thirumenis and for making Him incarnate as vibhavavatarams. If the Lord were bereft of this Supreme Quality then, there would be no Vibhavavatarams. This supreme act is highlighted in this verse, ‘kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu’ by drawing our attention to all the ten incarnations of the Lord which reveal Him as the Supreme Protector who is our Sole Refuge. 
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Published on February 25, 2016 19:48

November 21, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 11

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_15.html?spref=fb

Lord Srinivasa in Narasimhar Alamkaram


 “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu” can also be interpreted to denote Lord Narasimha. “Kan” refers to place; since Perumal is present everywhere, He is called as “Kannan”. Prahaladazhwan mentioned to Hiranyakashipu that, Perumal is omnipresent. He said that, ‘engum ulan Kannan’. Perumal took the form of Lord Narasimha and was present in each and every object in order to prove the words uttered by Prahaladazhwan. Perumal’s swaroopam is present everywhere but, His divya mangala Vigraham is not present everywhere. With the intention of proving Prahaladan’s words as true, Perumal took up the divya mangala Vigraha form of Lord Narasimha and was present everywhere in this divine form. The Lord incarnated not to protect Prahladan as, He could have done this task without having to incarnate but, to protect Prahaladan’s words. While the Lord had protected Prahladan from fire, snakes, elephants and poison without incarnating, He incarnated from the pillar because, with firm faith Prahladan told Hiranyakashipu that, the Lord was omnipresent. Thus, to uphold Prahladan’s faith He incarnated the instant Hiranyakashipu’s mace touched the pillar. The Lord’s Narasimhaavataram is glorious because He appeared to uphold the words of a five year old child! He appeared with the face of a lion and not that of any other animal because, Hiranyakashipu threatened to pounce on Prahladan like a lion. Lord Narasimha appears instantly to help anyone who calls Him during an emergency. Lord Rama revealed Himself as Narasimhan when He informed Sugreevan that, with just the tip of His nails He can destroy the hosts of any beings be they asuras, rakshashas, devas or gandharvas. During other incarnation the Lord has to hold His weapons in His hands while as Narasimhan the weapons never leave His hands! पिशाचान् दानवान् यक्षान् पृथिव्याम् चैव राक्षसान् ||६-१८-२३अन्गुलि अग्रेण तान् हन्याम् इच्चन् हरि गण ईश्वर |"O, Sugreeva, Lord of monkey-troops! If I wish, I can kill those devilish beings, demons, supernatural beings and ogres living on earth with just a tip of my finger" (http://valmikiramayan.net/utf8/yuddha...) The name “Kannan” therefore draws our attention to “Nirsimha Garbham”. The glories of Lord Nirsimha are closely tied with the sthala puranam of Tirumala. During Srinivasa Kalyana Utsavam when Lord Srinivasa wed Padmavathy Thayar, the food prepared by Lord Agni for the wedding was first offered to Lord Narasimha of Ahobilam who came to Tirumala to accept the offering. Archai of Lord Narasimha is consecrated in the North East corner of the temple. This line, “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu” reminds us about Lord Narasimha whose Vaibhavam was highlighted during the Srinivasa kalyana Utsavam. It is playfully mentioned by the devotees that, Lord Rama who was a prince worshipped Lord Ranganatha and obtained vanavasam as the fruit of His worship whereas, Lord Srinivasa who was roaming around in the forests of Tirumala was made the emperor after worshipping the Lord of Ahobilam! Hence, through this line, Swami Vedanta Desikan draws our mind to enjoy the glories of Lord Nirsimha who is often referred to as “Peria Peria Perumal” since He was worshipped by both lord Rama during His vanavasam and by Lord Srinivasa. Lord Nirsimha is praised as the “saranagatha vatsalan” since He rushed to prove the words of a five year old child. It was to lord Narasimhan that Sri Adi Sankaracharyar prayed when he was in danger. He composed “Karavalampam” when he was in danger and prayed to Lord Narasimhan to save him. The best person to surrender to is Lord Narasimha. People who seek Moksham should worship Lord Narasimha. Lord Srinivasa as Lord Narasimhan is ever ready to protect those who seek refuge under His feet. The divine feet of our lord Narasimhan the Saranagatha vatsalan are revealed by the holy hills to even people like us. Bhishmacharya started the Vishnusahasranamam with Narasimha Avataram by mentioning “Narasimha vabhu Sriman”. He is Sriman because He is always with Sri; therefore, He is Srinivasan. Lord of Tiruvenkatam, stands as Narasimhan to save us from all kinds of danger. 
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2016/02/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum.html
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Published on November 21, 2015 19:59

November 15, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 10

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_11.html

Vibhishana Saranagathi

Perumal’s dharmam is accepting our saranagathi. It requires special talent to follow ones dharmam without hurting the feelings of other people. Lord Rama faced this situation in Yudha Kandam of Valmiki Ramayana. Vibhishana approached Lord Rama to surrender but he did not approach the Lord directly but, pleaded with the Vanaras to represent his intentions to the Lord. As Vibhishana had approached the Lord through the Vanaras, the Lord wanted to grant refuge to him through the Vanaras as well. Therefore, He asked the opinion of the Vanara warriors. All of them refused to accept Vibhishana in their fold. Maharaj Sugreevan further added that, as Vibhishana had abandoned his brother Ravana during times of need, he was a bad brother and consequently cannot be trusted to be a good friend. Even though, Lord Rama wanted to convey that, Sugreevan had raised to the position of a king only after he had requested Lord Rama to kill his brother Vali, in order to spare Sugreevan’s feelings, He could not mention this bluntly. The Lord always grants refuge to anyone who approaches Him and He never abandons the people who sought His help. If He hurt Sugreevan’s feelings and as a result if Sugreevan left the company of the Lord, then the Lord would have failed in His duty to never abandon the company of Sugreevan. But, if He followed the advice of Sugreevan, then, He would be unable to accept Vibhishana and hence fail in His solemn vow to grant protection to anyone who approached Him. The Lord used great tact to overcome this situation.  He told Sugreevan that, not all brothers were good brothers like His brother Bharathan, nor were all sons good son like Himself since He had followed His father’s words and had accepted to live in the forest in exile. He then added that, not all friends were good friend like Sugreevan thereby indicating to Sugreevan that, Sugreevan was a bad brother but a good friend. Similarly Vibhishana might be a bad brother but he could be a good friend. After hearing the Lord’s words Sugreevan immediately changed his opinion and agreed to accept Vibhishana in their fold.Since on the day, Sri Peria Tirumalai Nambhi finished teaching “Vibhishana Saranagathi” to Swami Ramanujar some visitors from the Pandya country arrived with the archai of Lord Rama along with Ilaya Perumal, Anchaneya Swami, Sugreeva Maharaja and Angadan, Perumal draws our attention to the saranagathi shastram called “Ramayana”. The above line “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”,thus makes us think about Lord Rama who came to Tirumala so that everyone can attain His divine feet. By coming to Tirumala on the day when swami Ramanujar learnt Vibhishana Saranagathi from his uncle, Perumal draws our attention to the Rama Charama slokam. सकृद् एवप्रपन्नाय तव अस्मिइति च याचते||६-१८-३३
अभयम् सर्व भूतेभ्योददामि एतद् व्रतम्मम |sakR^ideva prapannaaya tava asmi iti yaachateabhayam sarva bhuutebhyaH dadaami etat vratam mama"The person who seeks refuge in me just once, telling me that, ‘I am yours', I shall give him/her assurance of safety against all types of beings. This is my solemn pledge"The purport of Varaha Charama Slokam and Rama Charama Slokam is thus emphasized by Lord Srinivasa symbolically through His posture on the Tiruvenkatam Hill.
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Published on November 15, 2015 19:47

November 11, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 9

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum.html

Vali Vadham




The reason Perumal concealed Himself from Vali while killing Him was because, He did not wish to give Vali a chance to surrender to Perumal. This particular incident, seems to contradict Perumal’s nature. Lord Rama was even ready to accept Ravana if he were to surrender. Perumal mentioned this during Yudha Kandam when, after convincing Sugreevan to accept Vibhishnazhwar, Perumal asked Sugreevan to bring whoever was waiting to surrender to the Lord without any delay even if that person was Ravana. Perumal could have killed Ravana without the help of a large troop of Vanaras. When Sugreevan threatened to leave Perumal if Perumal accepted Vibhishana, Lord Rama said, ‘Oh Lord of Vanaras, leave if you must for I can destroy any number of Rakshashas, Yakshas, Gandharvas etc with just the tip of my nails! I need your troops only to warn Ravana so that he may return Piratti to me thus avoiding this impending war.’Lord Rama used the word “Hari Ganeshwar” to address Sugreeva. The Sanskrit word “Hari” is a homonym for the Lord, a monkey, a frog, as well as a lion. By using this term, the Lord wanted to remind Sugreevan about the Lord’s previous incarnation as Narasimhan. 


The reason Perumal approached Lanka with a large troop was to see if Ravana would at least surrender to the lord after seeing the large host.When Perumal gave a chance to even Ravana to surrender, why didn’t He give a chance to Vali? Once, when Sugreevan and Vali were on friendly terms, a demon called Mayavi challenged Vali to a duel. Vali pursued the demon into a cave while Sugreevan guarded the cave’s entrance. Sugreevan waited patiently for 21 days. On the 21st day, Sugreevan was distressed to see large amount of blood flow out of the cave. As he loved Vali immensely, he panicked and assumed that Vali had been killed. He immediately blocked the cave’s entrance with a boulder and left to warn the citizens of Kishkinda. The ministers of Kishkinda, convinced Sugreevan to become the next king. Just as Sugreevan was being crowned, Vali rushed into the court. He mistook Sugreevan’s intention. He banished Sugreevan from the kingdom and wouldn’t allow Sugreevan’s wife Ruma to follow Sugreevan. Even after Sugreevan repeatedly begged Vali for forgiveness, Vali continued to persecute Sugreevan. Sugreevan had informed Lord Rama about Vali’s behaviour and his refusal to forgive Sugreevan. Lord Rama then took the testimony of Lord Hanuman and got confirmation from him that, Sugreevan had indeed surrendered to Vali and had sought Vali’s forgiveness but that, Vali refused to pardon Sugreevan. Vali not only refused to pardon Sugreevan but, he also continued to tyrannize Sugreevan. Perumal felt angry that, Vali had disregarded Sugreevan’s surrender. As Vali did not accept Sugreevan’s saranagathi, Perumal did not even wish to give an opportunity to Vali to surrender to Him. For this reason, Perumal concealed Himself behind a tree.  The word “Kishki” in Sanskrit means, “saranagathi” (self-surrender). The city where the Vanaras lived was called as “Kishkinda” because, they followed the practice of granting refuge to those who surrendered unto them. Vali had broken this dharmam. Perumal has hence showed us through this Charitram that, if we do not forgive those who seek our forgiveness, Perumal will not forgive us either.
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_15.html 
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Published on November 11, 2015 18:00

November 6, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 8

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_24.html



We know that Lord Rama concealed Himself from Vali while shooting Vali with His arrow. Sugreevan approached Vali and challenged him to a wrestling match. Vali beat up Sugreevan while Lord Rama watched them fight.  Sugreevan asked the Lord why he hadn’t interfered. Lord Rama replied that, He was unable to distinguish between Vali and Sugreevan as they looked identical. The following day Lord Rama asked a flower garland to be prepared and insisted that, Lakshmana should garland Sugreevan before the match. That day the Lord shot and killed Vali. Books will tell us that, the Lord had asked Sugreevan to wear the garland in order to be able to identify him from Vali. In reality, the Lord is the Supreme Being and can differentiate between the two without the help of a garland. Then, did Lord Rama lie? The Lord did not lie as He referred to the arrogant behaviour of both Sugreevan as well as Vali. Both the brothers displayed arrogance. They thought that, “they were fighting”. They felt that victory would be because of their effort. They did not acknowledge the Lord as the inner controller. Hence Lord Rama found their attitudes to be identical and witnessed the match without interfering. Sugreevan never treated Lord Lakshmana with respect. He felt that he need to show respect only to Lord Rama as, Lord Rama was a king like himself. Lord Rama never protected anyone who did not pay their respect to Lakshmana. Hence, He insisted that, Lakshmana should garland Sugreevan. In order to wear the garland Sugreevan had to bow his head before Lakshmana thus, pleasing Lord Rama. Perumal in this way even rectified the Bagawatha apacharam committed by Sugreevan.Perumal has taught as a very important aspect of saranagathi during Vali vadham. People mistakenly assume that, Perumal hid Himself from Vali because, Vali had been blessed with a boon that he would obtain 50% of his opponent’s powers. The Vedas state that, it is impossible to measure Perumal’s powers. His power is hence measured as infinity. Even if Vali inherited 50% of Perumal’s powers, Perumal would still have unlimited powers since, infinity divided by 2 is also infinity.We will examine Vali Vadham in the next post.Continued On:http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_11.html
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Published on November 06, 2015 08:13

October 24, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 7

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_17.html

Ramavataram Continued




Ramayana is known as saranagathi shastram. Through the epic, we learn that, saranagathi is available to everyone irrespective of caste, creed or gender. We learn from the Ramayana about the saranagathi performed by a crow (kakasura) thus, proving that saranagathi is even available for animals and birds. Perumal has shown us the proper method for performing saranagathi in Ramayana. Lord Rama killed two demons during His trip with sage Vishwamitra. While He killed Taraka & Subahu, with His third arrow, He only pushed Maricha into the ocean but, He did not kill Maricha. Taraka represents Avidhya or ignorance. Subahu & Maricha are the sons of Taraka. They represent the karmas we have committed because of the presence of Avidhya. He killed Subahu to show us that, when we perform prapatti (surrender) to Him, He will kill all our Sanchita Karmas. He chased Maricha away from Vishwamitra’s yagna sala with an arrow; likewise, He will chase our Prarabhdha Karmas and prevent the accumulation of new Karmas by chasing them away from us. Karmas can be divided into two classes; Sanchita Karma & Prarabhdha Karma. Sanchita Karma is like a bank account. It contains all the papams (sin) and punyams (good deeds) we have accumulated in our previous births. Prarabhdha Karma is like the money we withdraw from a bank account. At each birth, Paramatma assigns us a portion of karmas from the Sanchita Karma account so that we can spend it. We enjoy both the good and bad fruits yielded by the prarabhdha karma. We extinguish a portion of our total accumulated karmas in the form of Prarabhdha karmas at every birth. According to this, eventually the sanchita and prarabhdha karma accounts should come to zero and we should be liberated from Samsara but, this is not the case because, as we are undergoing the effects of Prarabhdha karma, our actions also cause us to accumulate new karmas. Paramatma saves us from this never ending cycle when we surrender to Him. He burns our accumulated karma while He drives away any new karmas. This is indicated when He killed Subahu but, made Maricha to run away from the yagna sala. The importance of an Acharya is also shown here as it is sage Vishwamitra who requested Lord Rama to destroy Taraka, Subahu & Maricha. The blessings of a good Acharya are required to perform prapatti to Sriman Narayana so that the Lord can destroy our ignorance as well as karmas.During Ramavataram, Lord Rama promised to help King Sugriva, but Sugriva wished to know if the Lord would be able to stand-up against his brother Vali the King of Vanaras. In order to make Sugreevan have firm faith “Maha Vishwasam” in Lord Rama, Perumal accepted the examination set by Sugreevan. Sugreevan remembered that, his brother Vali had once killed a demon called Dundhubhi. Vali then made it a practice to playfully kick the carcass of Dundhubhi. Vali would send the corpse of Dundhubhi flying like a football. One day, he accidentally kicked the cadaver into the hermitage of sage Matangar. The sage cursed Vali that, he would die if he ever set his foot into the areas belonging to the hermitage. The sage extended the curse to all of Vali’s followers. The sage’s curse turned into a boon for Sugriva as he was able to hide near the hermitage without any fear of being persecuted by Vali. The skeletal remains of Dundhubhi still remained in the area. Sugriva asked the Lord to toss the skeleton of Dundhubhi as a test of the Lord’s power. Lord Rama knew that it was against the shastras to touch a dead person’s bones but, He also had to make Sugriva believe in Him. As He wondered on the course of action to take, Lakshmana pointed out to lord Rama that, the lord could kick Dundhubhi’s skeleton with His left toe. The Lord’s left toe is the source of the divine river Ganges since the river originated when Lord Brahma worshipped the Lord’s toe during Trivikrama Avataram by washing the Lord’s left toe. Per Garuda Puranam, a person attains good abode if his/her bones are tossed into River Ganges. With this in mind, Lakshmana requested the Lord to touch Dundhubhi’s skeleton with His left toe. Lord Rama kicked the skeleton into outer space with the touch of His left toe but more importantly, by this act, He gave mukthi to Dundhubhi.Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/11/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum.html
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Published on October 24, 2015 18:13

October 17, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 6



Ramavataram  Continued From:  http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_13.html

Lord Srinivasa in Ramar AlamkaramThe name “Kannan” also belongs to Lord Rama. In Kamba Ramayanam, Lord Rama is referred to as “Kannan”. The name “Kannan” means, “One who is attractive”. Lord Rama is addressed as Kannan because; the people of Mithila were mesmerized by His attractive form. They gazed at Him with unblinking eyes and drank in His beauty. They were unable to divert their eyes away from Him. As Lord Rama walked through the streets of Mithila, His attractive form was reflected in the eyes of each and every person present there. Because His form was reflected in the eyes of the people, He is called as “Kannan”; the one who is present in the eyes of everyone as per the thiruvaimozhi pasuram “Kamala Kannan en Kannil Ullan”. நீத்தம்அதனில் முளைத்து எழுந்த
   நெடுவெண் திங்கள் எனும் தச்சன்.
மீ. தன் கரங்கள்அவை பரப்பி.
   மிகுவெண் நிலவு ஆம் வெண்சுதையால்
‘காத்த கண்ணன் மணி உந்திக்
   கமலநாளத்திடைப் பண்டு
பூத்த அண்டம் பழையது’ என்று
   புதுக்குவானும்போன்றுளதால்.
Tirumala is very closely associated with Ramavataram. This is where Swami Ramanujar studied Ramayanam from his uncle Peria Tirumalai Nambi. He learnt the many esoteric meaning of Ramayana slokams from his uncle and studied the epic eighteen times in great detail. Sri Peria Tirumalai Nambi performed nithya kaimkaryam for Lord Srinivasa. Since Swami Ramanujar refused to ascend the hills because it was a form of the Lord, Sri Peria Tirumalai Nambhi climbed down the hill every day to teach Ramayana to his nephew Ramanujar. One day while he was teaching Ramayana, he was surprised to smell tulasi leaves. As he looked up, he was wonder struck to see the Lord standing near them listening attentively to the Ramayana kalakshepam. Sri Tirumalai Nambhi, urged Swami Ramanujar to see the lord but, Lord Srinivasa vanished from the place after leaving behind the imprint of His divine feet. To this day, devotees pay their obeisance to the imprint left behind by Lord Srinivasa on their way to the temple.  On another day, Sri Peria Tirumalai Nambhi finished teaching “Vibhishana Saranagathi” to Swami Ramanujar when, to their utter amazement, some visitors from the Pandya country arrived with the archai of Lord Rama along with Ilaya Perumal, Anchaneya Swami, Sugreeva Maharaja and Angadan. Swami Ramanujar had the archai of Lord Rama along with Ilaya Perumal, Lord Hanuman, Sugreevan and Angadan consecrated inside the temple of Lord Srinivasa. At a later date, they also consecrated an archai for Sita Piratti. The above line “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”,thus makes us think about Lord Rama who came to Tirumala so that everyone can attain His divine feet. By coming to Tirumala on the day when swami Ramanujar learnt Vibhishana Saranagathi from his uncle, Perumal draws our attention to the Rama Charama slokam. 
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Published on October 17, 2015 19:10

October 13, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 5

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum.html



Krishnavataram  Swami Vedanta Desikan portrays Lord Srinivasa as Lord Krishna in the above line. The Sanskrit name Krishna is mentioned as “kannan” in Tamil.  We are reminded of the connection between Krishnavataram and Tirumala hills by this line. It is mentioned in Varaha Puranam that, when a congregation of rishis (Bharadwajar, Angiras, Kashyapar, Jabali, Gautamar et al) heard about the glories of the Tiruvenkatam hills, they proceeded on a pilgrimage to Tirumala. They repeatedly uttered the name “Govinda” on their way to Tirumala. The name “Govinda” is the name associated with Lord Krishna. The Venkatachalam Mahatmyam also mentions that, Lord Krishna incarnated as Lord Srinivasa for the sake of His mother Yashoda. After leaving Gokulam, Lord Krishna wed 16008 princes but, He failed to invite His mother Yashoda to attend the weddings. When Yashoda expressed her disappointment, Lord Krishna promised to incarnate as Lord Srinivasa so that Yashoda could find Him a suitable bride. Likewise, Yashoda took birth as Vakulamala and was instrumental in arranging the wedding of Goddess Padmavathy with Lord Srinivasa.  Therefore, the words “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”, portrays Lord Srinivasa as Lord Krishna because, He is “Kurai Onrum Illa Govindan!”Through this line, we are also reminded about the Krishna Charama Slokam. When Arjuna felt distressed after learning about the difficult upāyams of Bakthi Yogam to reach the Lord, Sri Parthasarathy Emperuman took pity on Arjunan and rendered the Charama Slokam. The Lord taught him the easy to practice prapatti which would yield quick result for attaining Moksham.
Sarva dharmAn parithyajya Maam yEkam SaraNam vrajaaham thvA sarva paapEbhyo mokshayishyAmi maa sucha :Lord Srinivasa stands on top of the divine Tiruvenkatam Hills and symbolically conveys to us the message from the above slokam.
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_17.html
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Published on October 13, 2015 18:46

October 11, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 4

Continued From : http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/09/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_22.html



Varahavataram

An in depth analysis of this line, “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”,generates the experiences of Swami Desikan on the ten incarnations taken by the Lord of Tiruvenkatam. As Tiruvenkatam is Varaha Kshetram, we will start with Varahavataram. 'Kannan' refers to Varaha Perumal; as in Tamil, "Kann" means "Bhumi", this line it refers to Varahavataram in which, Perumal incarnated as Varaha to uplift the Earth which had been hidden under the ocean by Hiranyakshan. After defeating Hiranyakshan, and saving Bhumi,  Perumal rested in Venkatachalam where He asked Garudazhwar to bring His sporting grounds called "Kreedadri" from Sri Vaikuntam; thus, He turned Tiruvenkatam into Varaha Kshetram.




"Kann" in Tamil also means   "gnanam". Varaha Perumal is called as "Gnanapiran" because, He gives us the right knowledge to attain Moksham. In the following Mudhal Thiruvandhadhi pasuram Sri Poigai Azhwar eulogizes Varaha Perumal as the guiding light shining forth with the right knowledge which shows us the way to attain salvation.

Unak kurampaiyin uLpukku iruLneekki, jn~aanach chudar_koL_ee naaLthORum, Enaththu uruvaa ulakidantha oozhiyaan paadham, maruvaadhaarkku uNdaamO vaan




Lord Varaha is the bestower of the right knowledge which is required by us to reach Parama Padam.  He is the one, who not only destroys our ignorance but, also gives us "mathi nalam (knowledge with bakthi)" as mentioned in the following Thiruvaimozhi pasuram , which is essential for us to attain salvation.
uyarvu aRa uyar nalam* udaiyavan yavan avan*mayarvu aRa madhi nalam* aruLinan yavan avan*ayarvu aRum amarargaL* athipathi yavan avan*thuyaraRu sudar adi* thozhuthezhu enmananE! (2) 1.1.1    
The name “Kannan”, thus reminds us of Varaha Perumal who gave us instructions through Bhumi Piratti on how His devotees can attain Him with ease, by just offering to Him “poo maalai” (flower garland) and “pa maalai” (anthology – a collection of songs). Varahavataram was the seed for the incarnation of Bhumi Piratti as Godai Nachiar in order to give us upadesams in the form of Thiruppavai. Varahavataram teaches us about prapatti through Varaha Charama slokam. The two slokams called Varaha Charama Slokams, support the Dwaya manthram and the Krishna Charama slokam rendered by Lord Parthasarathy in the Bagawad Geetha.



Varaha Perumal promised Bhumi Piratti that, ‘Oh Bhumi Devi! When my devotees realize that, this entire universe is my body (sarIram) because it cannot exist independent of me and they know me as the one who is eternal because I do not have births or deaths, thereby when they understand that, I am their sole saviour and surrender to me with firm faith, while they are still healthy and meditate upon me as the cause of all, and knows me as the Supreme Controller who commands from within, as the only one who is fit to be worshiped, as the one who is omnipresent and the one who is always near them, then, I will think about them when they are facing their last moments on Earth, when due to the distress they face while dying, their mind slips into oblivion and they lie in a comatose state like a  log or a stone; I will go to them and lead them by the archirAdhi maargam to my abode called parama padham and bless them to enjoy performing eternal service to me.’ Thus, Perumal has allayed our fears about being able to focus our minds on Him on our death bed. He has promised to remember His devotees on their death bed. Swami Desikan has examined the purport of the Varaha Charama Slokam in one of the chillarai rahasyams called, ‘Rahasya SikhAmaNi’.Later, Perumal also appeared as Lord Srinivasa and through His posture, pictorially depicted Varaha Charama slokam. To this day, all devotees to Tirumala must first visit the shrine of Varaha Perumal before paying their obeisance at the shrine of Lord Srinivasa for the pilgrimage to be counted as being complete. 


The Vishnu Sahasranamam sthothram praises Perumal as “MahA VarAhO GovindhO”. The Govinda namam follows the maha Varaha namam. Sri Varaha Perumal is “Govindan”. The word “Go” means Earth and “Vindan” means rescuer. Sri Varaha Perumal is glorified as the “rescuer of Earth”. He not only rescued Earth but, He also gave us simple, easy to follow instructions so that we too can be rescued by Him from this ocean of samsara. Varaha Perumal stands on Tiruvenkatam hills as Lord Srinivasan to pictorially reiterate the import of the Varaha Charama Slokams.
Thus, through these lines, Swami Vedanta Desikan praises the holy hills of Tirumala since they reveal to us the divine feet of Lord Varaha which are our sole refuge as per the promise made by Perumal in the Varaha charama slokam.
Continued On:http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_13.html
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Published on October 11, 2015 19:10

September 22, 2015

Venkatanathanum Thiruvenkadamudayanum - part 3



Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/09/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum_19.html




The Lord’s Thiruvadi – Our Sole Refuge

“kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”The holy hills of Tiruvenkatam are praise worthy because, they reveal to even people like us (emakku) who are sinners, the divine feet of our dear Lord. Swami has used the words “adiyiNai”. Although, the words are interpreted as “feet – pair of feet”, the word “iNai” here is used to compare two objects. With which item are the divine feet of our Lord compared? The Lord’s feet are often likened to lotus but, Swami Desikan is not happy with this comparison. While a lotus bloom is soft and fragrant like the Lord’s feet, it does not have everlasting freshness. The bloom wilts after sometimes. Therefore, lotus cannot be compared to the divine feet of the Lord which never wilt. We then wonder if it would be okay to  equate the Lord’s feet with gold; like gold, the Lord’s feet are attractive and priceless but, the Lord’s feet are soft while gold is hard. The Lord’s feet are softer than lotus. They are so delicate that, they even bruise when Goddess Sridevi touches them with her gentle hands.  Could we then liken the Lord’s feet to a golden lotus? A golden lotus is attractive, doesn’t wilt, soft and fragrant like the thiruvadi of Perumal but, it would still lack the quality to purify a person which is exclusively present only in Perumal’s thiruvadi. Therefore, the only equal we can find for the Lord’s feet are His thiruvadi. Swami Desikan concludes by declaring that, the left thiruvadi is equal to the right and vice versa. Such is the quality of the priceless thiruvadi which are revealed to even sinners like us by the holy hills of Tirumala.
Sri Uttamur Swami has provided an alternate explanation for the line “kaNNan adiyiNai emakku kaattum veRpu”. The line can be interpreted to mean that, Lord Kannan Himself shows to us His beautiful thiruvadi at Tirumala where He divulges to us that, His thiruvadi are our sole refuge to escape the ocean of samsara. The Lord of Tiruvenkatam does abhinayam to indicate to us the power of His divine feet which can cut the bonds of samsara. At SriRangam, Lord Ranganatha is seen in a reclining posture with one hand placed near His crown and the other hand pointed at His feet. The Lord through this beautiful posture, draws our attention to His tall crown which reveals to us that, He is the Supreme Being; at the same time, with His other hand, He directs our attention to His divine feet to urge us to seek refuge in Him. Likewise, at Tiruvenkatam, Lord Srinivasa stands with His right hand pointed towards His feet while His left hand is placed near His calf. The Lord through this posture explains to us that, if we surrender ourself to Him, He will make the depth of the fearsome ocean of samsara ankle deep so that, it is very easy for us to cross this terrible ocean. Lord Srinivasa in the above manner shows us His divine feet at Tirumala as the only refuge which can deliver us from samsara .
Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2015/10/venkatanathanum-thiruvenkadamudayanum.html
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Published on September 22, 2015 18:56