Srimate
SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
The Lord Goes on the River
The heart brims over with emotion. Eyes are
clouded with tears of joy. Each and every individual hair on the body stands
erect with the intensity of blissful experience. The head bows involuntarily at
the magnificent spectacle. When you try to speak, you find your voice quavering
with passion. You want to speak at length, but somehow words fail you, despite
there being so much to describe. You want to share the intensity of the
experience with someone, but you find every one, from babes in arms to doddering
old men with backs bent like a question mark, in the same state, overwhelmed by
emotion. There is none who has eyes for anything other than the scintillating
spectacle, none who is not mesmerised by the gripping scene, none on whose lips
there are words other than the name of the Distinguished Guest. What could be
the event, which evokes such a heart-warming response in us?
Every month
in the year has its own rich and varied devotional fare to offer. Vaikaasi
brings us the glorious Garuda seva of Kanchi, Ani too affords us the spectacle
of Sri Koodal azhagar resplendent on Sri Garuthman, in Adi we celebrate
Tiruvadippooram on which day Sri Andal took birth among us to uplift and
emancipate us, Purattasi takes us to Tirumala for the BrahmoOtsavam of
Malayappaswamy, and if it is Kartthigai, our destination is Tiruvaali for the
glorious Vedupari utsavam. In Thai we are able to witness the multiple treat of
Twelve Garuda Sevas at Tirunaangur, in Maasi the Lord at various divyadesams
goes on a float (Teppotsavam), and when it is Panguni, we are at Srirangam, to
worship the Lord and His Consort on the auspicious aphorism of Uttaram.
The reason for leaving out Chittirai from the aforesaid list is that it
deserves separate treatment. Just as it is the hottest of months, it offers too
the richest of fare to the devout. We have the celebrations all over the globe
on account of Sri Ramanuja Jayanti and Gajendra Moksham episode (where the Lord
came running all the way from Vaikunttam to solve a mere pachyderm's problems)
is enacted at several divya desams.
However, the star attraction of
Chitthirai is the event at Madurai on the Chitra Pournami, when Sri Kallazhagar
enters the Vaigai. None would dispute the magnificence of the utsavam, which
attracts thousands of devotees, rich and poor, young and old, erudite and
unlettered, all of whom throng the Vaigai on the morning of the appointed day,
to witness the grand spectacle. People in their thousands flock to the river,
all attired in their best and making an extremely colourful sea of humanity,
waiting patiently and with eager anticipation for the Lord's arrival from
distant Azhagar Koil. Many of them, unable to contain their impatience, go on to
receive Him en route and have an advance glimpse of the glorious Lord, in what
is known as Edir Sevai.
What makes the Lord come all the way
from far-away Tirumaalirumsolai to Madurai? Without doubt, it is the love and
devotion with which the multitude awaits His arrival at the river. Though He
would like to rush in a headlong ride from His abode to Madurai, His progress is
impeded by frequent halts at the various mandapams constructed on His way to the
city, where devotees compel Him to stay at least a few minutes, offering Him new
clothes, fruits and sugar candy with love. And unable to resist their
ministrations, the Lord too slows down, making His ride slow and majestic.
Though He leaves His abode on the previous day itself, Sri Azhagar arrives at
Vaigai only the next morning, attesting to the numerous halts He is forced to
make en route.
To mark the occasion, the entire city wears an extremely
festive look. People are clad in their best clothes, feasts are prepared at
every home in honour of the distinguished guest, infants are tonsured at the
site, the devout burst into Bhajans extolling His praises and a carnival-like
atmosphere pervades the city, with everyone participating enthusiastically in
the event in their own individual ways. The stinking rich jostle with the abject
poor to have a glorious glimpse of the Lord, in the event, which is marked by
rare social amity and goodwill.
If the Lord came all the way from Sri
Vaikunttam in response to the elephant's call, here, He covers the entire
distance from Tirumalirumsolai to Madurai on horseback. And what a horse! The
splendour and magnificence of the Horse is to be seen to be believed. Made of
glittering gold, the Horse wears Tiruman like a paramaikaanti, with its sharp
features standing out. With its forefeet raised for a gallop, the horse presents
a picture of pride and prowess-pride at the rare privilege of carrying the
Paramapurusha on its back. Its gait is indeed majestic and varying. At times, it
walks sedately, when confronted by a crowd of devotees, affording them the
opportunity to have a leisurely glimpse of the Lord. At times, when the road is
fairly empty, it breaks into a gallop, anxious to reach the Lord in time for a
reunion with waiting devotees at Vaigai. At times, it appears to go berserk,
bucking furiously up and down, unable to contain the joy of carrying the Supreme
Lord on its back.
The Lord on horseback, with a goad in His hand,
presents a magnificent spectacle, recalling to us His intimate association with
the five horses of Arjuna's chariot, as Partthasarathi. He has a silk cloth
around His headgear and wears green or white silk around His midriff. The colour
of the Lord's apparel is a matter of suspense every year to devotees, who wait
with bated breath to see whether He is draped in white silk or
green.
There is a highly discernible, broad beam on the Lord's
countenance, reflecting His huge enjoyment-at His outing, at riding horseback,
at rushing all the way to meet millions of devotees, at being the focus of the
proceedings, very much like a Matinee Idol who is the cynosure of all
eyes.
Another reason for the Lord's delight at the entire proceedings-He
indulges in His favourite sport, viz., Jala kreedaa. It is a well-chronicled
fact that the Paramapurusha is enamoured of water sport. We are told that the
Yamuna was a second home to Sri Krishna and the scene of many a boisterous bash,
with vigorous participation from His equally unruly friends and loving
GopIs.
While it was He who wielded the water gun (Bhastraa
Yantram-Sri Gopala Vimsati) and drenched all and sundry during Sri
Krishnavatara, the Lord is at the receiving end during the Chitra utsavam, with
the clan of Kallars, intimate devotees of the Lord, spraying Him with streams of
water from their equipments. One wonders-it would appear that the arcchaavataara
Emperuman is allergic to water from external sources, except during Tirumanjanam
and ritual worship. We witness the spectacle of Brahmotavams during the monsoon
season being conducted under the protective canopy of a tarpaulin, especially at
Tirumala. And arcchakas are so caring and concerned at His getting wet, that
they rush Him to the nearest shelter, lest even a drop of rainwater fall on His
tirumeni.
Contrary to all these, we find the spectacle of the Lord being
sprayed with jets of water all through His journey from Azhagar Koil to Vaigai,
with devotees drenching Him in streams of aqua, with impunity. Not only the
Bhattar, standing by with a watchful eye, allow such goings on, but he also
remains a smiling spectator of the entire proceedings. In fact, along with the
Lord, he too is soaked to the skin and presents a bedraggled appearance, with
several jets of water drenching him copiously. It is perhaps only at this
divyadesam that such liberties are taken with the Paramaprusha, reflecting the
Lord's penchant for revelry with His fans.
And it isn't mere exuberance
that prompts the devotees to train their water guns on the Lord. The normal
Chitra weather being scorching hot, the Kallars try to make it tolerable for the
Lord by giving Him the "Water Treatment", ensuring that the extremely delicate
tirumeni of Sri Kallazhagar suffers not from the enervating heat. It is this
maternal concern of the Kallars that entitles them to such liberties as spraying
water on the Lord, which is probably contrary to all known Agamic provisions.
And one wonders too whether it is all those Gopis who were drenched by Sri
Krishna, who have taken birth as these Kallars, to take sweet revenge by pelting
the Lord with streams of water. Not to be outdone, the clouds also take the
opportunity to perform Tirumanjanam to the Lord by gently sprinkling rain
drops-it is not a torrential rain which would inconvenience everyone, but a soft
and light drizzle, enough to bring down the temperature. The Lord, who played
truant with Sri Yasoda when called upon to take a bath and required so much
persuasion, comes all the way from Azhagar koil, to be virtually given a bath at
the hands of loving devotees.
Srimad Bhaagavata Puranam tells us that
some of the Gopis, unable to tolerate separation from Krishna, dressed up like
Him and regaled each other with stories of His exploits, forgetting His absence
for the nonce. We find a similar scene at the Vaigai too, with many of the
Kallar devotees attired very much like the Lord, with a colourful silken
talai paagai, silk clothes similar to those worn by the Lord,
etc.
A lone Garuda circles the skies right above the Lord, perhaps
jealous of all the good fortune, that has befallen the horse, that should
normally be his, as the official carrier of Sri Vaikunttam. His presence brings
to our mind Sri Andal's lines, Vinathai siruvan siragennum melaappin keezh
varuvaanai VirundaavanatthE kandome. And when you consider the matter, the
place is no less than Brindavanam, with its proximity to Mathura
(Madurai).
His programme at the Vaigai over, the Lord turns His
horse homewards to Azhagar koil. His journey, however, is much slower than when
He was coming to Madurai, expressing in every step His reluctance to move away
from the adulating multitudes. En route to Tirumalirumsolai, Sri Azhagar
visits Vandiyur to confer relief on Manduka Maharshi from the crippling curse
which turned him into a frog. And at the Ramaraayar mandapam, the Lord re-enacts
the Dasavataras, to the delight of devotees. Many of the devotees who thronged
the Vaigai accompany the Lord at least for some distance, loathe to parting with
Him, as is He from us-for, both must wait for a year more for next Chitra
PourNami, for the next reunion.
We wend our ways home slowly, our
hearts heavy-heavy in more than one sense-heavy with the sadness of separation
from the Lord and heavy also because He has entered our hearts, unbeknownst to
us, to take up permanent residence, as He did in the case of Sri Nammazhwar. The
saint just mentioned the name of His abode, Tirumalirumsolai, and Emperuman,
treating it as reason enough, immediately entered Azhwar's heart, never to leave
again. We learn this from the Azhwar's own immortal
words-
Tirumaalirum solai malai endren, enna
Tirumal vandu en
nenju niraya pugundaan
In our case too, the Lord, who looks for the
flimsiest of reasons and the minor-most of gestures on our part, appears to have
treated our visit to the Vaigai to witness the grand annual spectacle as an
excuse for entering our stony hearts and filling its every nook and cranny with
His glorious presence, making us tingle all over with the bliss of His
association, as described in the opening paragraph of this piece.
Srimate Sri
LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra
Mahadesikaya nama:
