Satyakala ..

Today 19 th morning visited Satyakala at Kollegal .The way to and fro from Mysore was flanked by rice fields in pretty green slabs . A very fertile area.

Nearly all boards  in towns and villages are only in Kannada so couldn't make out as to which building was ,what.
Satyakal is a small village amidst very lush paddy fields,being right besides river Kaveri.The purpose of our visit was to see the ancient deity of Sri Vardhrajar ,who was worshipped by Sri Desikan in 13 th cent AD when he took refuge in this tiny hamlet after fleeing persecution by invaders from north at his original place of residence at Sri Rangam.He stayed here for 12 years and went back when the threat was removed.It was also an exercise in tracing Sri Desikans trail across the south. 

The village reeked of prosperity but the roads were poor and  muddy and were turned to  sludge by a slew of tractors used in the farming operations.But the small temple is very well maintained thanks mainly due to the generous contributions of NRI 's ,mostly US based .The temple that was once said to be in a very bad shape has been  very well renovated  with halls, kitchens and toilets added for the convenience of pilgrims.The temple was empty save for the priest and a watchman's family.

The turtle like stone slab on which Desikan is said to have sat upon and meditated daily is housed in his sannidhi at the temple.Till 1920 it lay on the bank of the river a short distance away and was brought here for preservation.It made me pause and compelled me to sit before this humble seat of that wise and learned acharya and to meditate and try and  gather at least in a little measure the strength it must have absorbed by his sacred presence to see me through in my lonely battle.

The theertham --the taste of  the  holy water offered by the priest was  incredibly sweet unlike in any other temple i visited.What sweetened it? The fact that it was kaveri river water or simply something more?.

A short walk on a mud road flanked by banantrees , lush paddy fields right next to the gently flowing kaveri river is the fig tree under which Desikan sat and meditated .It is no longer in full spread as it is said to be in his days.But the trunk though dried and stunted seems to have survived  letting off few leaves to keep it going.
Desikan wrote 'abeedhitatva' a sloka to dispel fear and restore courage in this very scenic and serene spot and recited it several times.This sloka in later year inspired Harri hara and bukkha to establish the Vijayanagar empire that ruled the south for several centuries and its kings built several temples with great enthusiasm.
As and when Desikan wrote this sloka would he have foreseen such a tremendous event in the political history of  medieval India  ,that his heart felt sloka would sow ?Desikan was a scholar, poet, wise and seeped with bhakthi..A  man of religion alone who studiously avoided rulers and kings.Yet ,may be he did.Can't say.

As we passed over river kaveri its gentle unhurried flow seemed to murmur an assuring massage that any one will come and go but i will be going on and on seeing more and more . A detached witness to changes in human history and an affirmation of permanence and solidity amidst rapid changes and insecurities of life.

written on 19 .11.13   9pm in train from mysore to chennai

Visit to Melkote CheluvaNarayana Temple -

Chella pillai Perumal and His consorts at Melkpte Temple

Chelluva narayana temple at Melkote

On 18th noon after an insipid lunch at the hotel we left for Melkote by cab to have a darshan of Chelluva Narayana and  also see the idol of Ramanuja which he himself is said to have conscreted transferring  some his Powers and part of his self at  the request of the populace of melkote who couldn't bear the separation from their beloved acharaya as and when he decided to repair back to Srirangam.

For several miles the landscape was lush and picturesque.Bouquets of rose tinted flowers atop slender white and tall boughs of sugar cane swayed bewitchingly and a carpet of green rice fields with a dusting of gold ,the colour of ripening rice spread as far as the eyes could behold.An pleasant surprise and a delicious feast to eyes gone weary of seeing only man made machines ,crowding the streets ad distancing oneself from what one is madeof--earth, water, air and sky.
All the small and quaint houses on the road side were painted red with some advt or the other.

The landscape turned a bit arid and stony as we neared Melkote and spotted the Narsimhar temple atop a hill where Prahalada is said to have meditated.It therefore predates the Narayana temple below.

The town is just as i remember it .Not much changes .The Narayana temple was built by Hoysala ruler Vishnu vardhan in 11 th cent ad after he embraced Sri vaishnavism ,taken in by the personality and the healing powers of Ramanuja who had taken refuge in his kingdom after fleeing violent  sectarian persecution by a fanatical chola king  in his hometown in Tamilnadu  .This temple enshrining chelluva narayana was consecrated by Ramanuja.

Many figurines adorning the temple depict dasaavatar, various classical poses and mudras of dancing girls, rishis performing yoga and so on.Many of the figures have their limbs loped off.But the granite pillared mantap with its rich carvings of dancing Krishna performing various feats are intact.An cunning carving of an animal that looked like an elephant from one angle and like a horse from another angle caught my attention.The woven basket like filigree work in stone on several pillars are a testimony to skill and artistry of the sculptors of days gone by.
The main as well as the processional deity are bewitching.So is the idol of Ramanuja.The beauty of the panchaloka [--alloy-]-processional deity known as chellapillai was mesmerising and made me wonder whether there was any credence[ as the dates from history  simply don't match ,there was no sultanate at time of Ramanuja , it came after him, maybe this story has been spun for communal harmony  ] in the story that when ramanuja came seeking this particular idol from the Delhi sultans spoils of war and was allowed to take it ,the  young daughter of the sultan who played with this idol and was her favourite couldn't bear the separation and therefore followed Ramanuja hoping to retrieve it  and passed away.
A tiny figurine at the base of  the idols Naryana somewhat like Lakshmi caught my eyes. The priest explained that it was that of Bibi nachiar  --the daughter of that sultan ,installed there in commemoration of her unsullied and deep devotion to chella pillai.

The climb to the hill enshrining Narsimhar was strenuous.The skies drakened and the nambi narayana [also consecrated by ramanuja] temple in the next stop a few kms away was closed.

The lights were out and the village--Thodanoor was plunged in early darkness of the night.Yet i didn't want to miss having a look and feel of the lake said to have been dug by ramanuja during is exile in here.

Fireflies flitted and a pale Venus shone through cloudy skies as i sprinkled the water over head and watched the silent dark lake.Not a single person was around.Was such a huge lake actually dug by Ramanuja?Most probably.Digging wells and ponds for good of people is enjoined in our shastras.He had a large gathering of devoted disciples and they had a lot of time at disposal being forcibly kept away from their regular hectic religious activities .

On our return the colourful fields had become dark and forlorn silhouettes ,reminding one of constant cycles .They were carefully tended so that they may grow lushly only to be reaped to make  a living and then to be  cut and disposed off.

written on 19 .11.13  9 pm tuesday in train

kattumannar koil-- tour diary --29.10.13

The next place of visit the next day was Kattumannar koil the birth place of Sri Nathamuni and Alavandar--Sri Vaishnavaite acharyas , former the grand father of the latter.

The 50 kms of the distance from cuddalore ,was a treat to weary eyes .Green fields of rice stretching on both sides was a balm .Thank god urbanisation hasn't as yet spread  its tentacles in these life sustaining lush pockets , though a few , very few concrete houses amidst green fields have appeared giving me a sour feeling.

The line of swarthy skinned peasants sowing or weeding  in  a single file in the hot sun stirred my gratitude. If not for them [ tho' it is their ancestral vocation for livelihood] who will supply me rice?It is also amazing how mother earth never tires of her bestowing her bounty though used and reused for centuries!

The town was medium sized and quite dirty like most such towns in India.When will they ever become neat and tidy as those in us or UK etc?

Vishnu is enshrined as Vasudevar in this ancient temple .It has two separate sannidhis for the  2 most important sons of that soil--Sri nathamuni and Alavandhar.Sri Nathmuni of 10 th cent ad , collected and compiled 4000 Tamil hymns of aazhwars-saints of preceding centuries ,that were scattered around and nearly forgotten.He revived Sri Vaishnavism by dint of sheer perseverance and tireless efforts and re established the eminence of Tamil hymns in Hinduism at par with Vedas.

It is a wonder how some persons from somewhere arise and is a spark to revive and re vitalise Hinduism or  a branch there of.

The next spark is Alavandar, his grand son.who awoke to his real vocation --that of propagating Sri Vaishnaviam after a stint  as a very successful and prosperous ruler & householder ,the kingship that was gifted to him due to his precocious scholarship,and relinquishing his kingdom  and taking up sanyas ,after being gently reminded of true lineage by his late grandfather's loyal disciple.

He settled at Srirangam and wrote commentaries on shastras , gita, and so on and has written a beautiful Sanskrit's sloka known as strotramala which has all the ideas and seeds that helped Desikan few centuries later to work upon.

The priest pointed out to the nathamuni's sannidhi abutting the sanctum,  as the place of his original residence .
What propelled him to undertake such a onerous and daunting task? The proximity of the deity within coupled with the deep grief of losing his only and youthful married son  ?

If not for his single pointed devotion to restoration i wouldn't be enjoying the poetry's and hymns of saints/azhwars of yore and deriving strength and solace from them ,by mere thumbing through pages .
I registered my gratitude silently before his and his grandson's idols in unspoken words.

written on 30.10.1`3 1 pm

Tour of thiruvaheendra puram Temple town....cuddalore.0n 28 &29 .10 .13

The top floor terrace overlooked the only busiest inter section of Cuddalore ,a small and neat town whose traffic on the road was so small in comparison to that of Chennai even at peak hours that brought in its wake, laughter of relief.
 The early morning air was fresh and spiced slightly with the special  saltish twang of coastal areas.The sky was awash with white cranes flying in formations to  a specified secret distant destination in earnest silence.The squeal of some birds attracted my attention .It was that of pairs of white crested eagles  or Garuda's who were circling overhead leisurely and settled   gracefully on tree tops and then again taking off
.
Seeing them i was reminded of Sri Desikan and his sanskrit slokas- Garuda panchgam, the Sri vaishnavaite acahrya of 14 th cent whose journeys across south i was tracing and the purpose of my journey to this town.
Sri Desikan lived in nearby hamlet Thiruvanheendrapuram for 40 long years
The place is as untouched by time and is more or less like it would have been at his time.
Vishnu is enshrined as Devanatha perumal in the temple since ancient times. The inlay of silver and gold plating's on pillars, entrance and doors inside the temple is breathtaking and reminded me of the gorgeous and rich decorations of temples at Manglore mainly that of srivenaktaramana temple

A flight of steps cut on the vertical wall of a hillock right in front of the temple takes one to the summit where Sri Desikan meditated often .This is a quiet place with a good view of fields and villages down below.It is here in one of his moments of solitude and connection that he received the blessings of Haygreeva an  avatar of Vishnu known for bestowing knowledge like Saraswati.Desikan then consecrated the idol along with the idol of the vehicle of Vishnu- Garuda [unlike the usual of practise of enshrining garuda outside the sanctum] and worshipped the chosen deity ever since and was  blessed with uninterrupted  literary flow  in form of Sanskrit and Tamil slokas ,philosophical treatises,shastras ,and innumerable poetic and scholarly works.It was in here that his Sanskrit works on Rama and slokas on Garuda were written.

Thanks to the efforts of earlier pontiffs of Ahobila mutt the place where Sri Desikan lived and held katha kaltshebham ---lectures  on dharma Hinduism and vaishnavism,in the tiny town below is well preserved .So is the well that Sri Desikan himself is said to have dug with his own hands as a challenge to one of his many adverasries .He was a versatile genius.

Maybe the call of the garudas that attracted my attention are the descendants of those garudas that must have attracted Desikan's attention as well as he sat meditating in total solitude on that uninhabited hillock and inspired him to write slokas of the bird that is considered to be the vehicle of Vishnu.

He used bis vivid imagination, command of language and scholarship purely to enhance sri vaishnaviam faith and philosophy.
Reading them and grasping their deep meanings is truly a delightful and exhilarating experience and his immense literary compositions are unrivalled;ed till date.

written on 30 .10.13 11 am

 .

Photo of Sri Ramanujar's seat at Tirumalai.

This is the wooden chair that Sri Ramanujar  is said to have used at his year long stay at his maternal uncle's house at Tirumalai  whist studying Ramayana  under his tutelage in 11 th cent  AD.This is in Tirumalai in zeer mutt which also houses the idols of Rama and sita which he had worshiped during his stay 

Stotra ratna by Alavandar/Yamunacharya

பெருந்தேவி தாயார் ஸமேத ஸ்ரீ தேவராஜ பெருமாள் -ஸ்ரீ வரதராஜ கோவில் -காஞ்சிபுரம்

The Strotra Ratna are   pearl like hymns in Sanskrit on Narayana strung  together with deep devotion and eloquence by Yamaunacharya also known as Alavandar ,in the 10 th century AD.He is regarded as a very important acharya by Sri Vaishnavaites.

At the age of 36 ,he relinquished his kingship and suzerainty over Madurai and large tracts of neighbouring regions .He had originally gained these  when the reigning king of Madurai kept his part of the bargain and promise to cede these if young Alavandar could defeat the most renowned scholar of his court which was against all odds ,owing to the tender age of alavandar. Alavandar a precocious child  how ever defeated the pompous scholar as easily as a child's play and the king as was the dharma of those days honoured his promise and immediately handed over half of his kingdom. Alavandar relinquished his kingdom which he had governed well  and also had  extended it on coming to know about his lineage, that he had descended from Nathamuni [his grand father] who was  deeply devout and committed to the cause of Vaishnavism,  by the patient efforts of  one of the aged disciples of Nathamuni who gently made him realise that it was his[ alavandars] duty, to which he was naturally disposed to carry on the work of teaching the essential  principles of Sri Vaishnavism that was slowly going into abeyance due to lack of good acharyas to carry it, forward.

Alavandar's innate spiritualism submerged under polity and materialism  was awakened when he read a few lines of Gita ,showed to him by that aged disciple of Nathamuni .He immediately renounced his kingdom and life of a house holder and proceeded whole heartedly thence forward into the realms of spirituality.
It was Alavandar at  ripe old age who recognised young and bright Ramanuja as his succesor and the fit person to carry the mission of teaching and propagating Sri vaishnavaite faith and philosophy.

The following is sloka  from the Strotra ratna
                                  _________-
               ஸ்ரீமதே யமுனார்ய மஹா தேசிகாய நம :
                         Srimathe Yamunaarya MahaDesikaya namaha

                                         ஸ்தோத்ர ரத்னா
                                            Stotraratna

60**पिता त्वं माता त्वं दयितत नयस्त्वं प्रिय सुहृत्
        त्वमेव त्वं मित्रं गुरुरसि गति च असि  जगताम्
        त्वदीयसत्वत् भ्रिदत्य स्तव परिजन स्तव गतिरहं
      प्रपन्न क्षैवं सत्यह मपि  तवै वासिम हि भर :|| 

பிதா தவம் மாதா தவம் தயிதா த்னயாஸ்தான்
ப்ரிய ஸஹத்வ மே த்வம் மித்திரன் குரூர் சிகதி சாக்ஷி
த்வதீய ஸத்வத்ர த்வஸ்தான்  பாரிஜன்ஸத்வ  த்ராத்திரஹன்
ப்ரபந்ந ஷ்ரேவம் சத்யா ஹம்பி தவை வாசிம் ஹீ பார் ||

**Pitha  tvam ,matha tvam  dayithathnaysathan
priya sahthva mev tvam,mitran gurur sigathi  shaksi jagatham
tvadheeya sathvadra tyasthan parijansathva drathirahan
prapann shrevam sathyahampi thavai vasim hee bhar|

meaning:
You are the father.You are the mother.You are the dear son,
you alone are the friend.you are the ally .you are the teacher and the refuge of the world.
I am yours.Your servant,your associate .you are my goal,
I have taken refuge in you .When such is the case i am really a burden to you alone.

           ஸ்ரீமதே  யமுநார்ய    மஹா தேசிகாய நம :  
           Srimathe Yamunaarya Maha Desikaya namaha

                        ____________________
Dated 9.6.13   -- written and published 9.30.-10.30 AM

silent bubbles.

The waves sparkling with thousands of silver stars , the reflection of early morning sun ,spread itself as frothy milk as it touched the sands .As the main waves withdrew back to the sea, the drenched sands were covered with bubbles of all shapes and sizes that lost all its air in few seconds and lay spent on the biscuit coloured sands ,wetting it even more as it gave up its identity in its very short  lived life.

Brithrahari the 1 cent AD philosopher poet king 's observation as he sat meditating on the banks of ganga at Haridwar ,that life was like bubbles ---budhdudha  of a rapidly flowing stream came to my mind as my feet soaked in the cool water  on a warm day and inhaled the restless energy  of the relentlessly crashing waves  as well as the gentle eternal calm of the deep waters,beyond. Both, facets of nature.

There were  couples  with kids ,playing in the waves , an old lady laughingly chiding her grandson who was caught unexpectedly in a  wave and was rolled around.Groups of young men playing cricket and several others practising silambhaatam--traditional fighting with sticks,and few others executing gymnastic tricks and fishermen unloading their  catch from their small catamarans--.A black butterfly flitted just above the spray , flirting with it ,seemingly taking a dangerous flight path.

Innocent faces of blissful ignorance was to be found everywhere. Creased at the most with the worry of having to attend office tomorrow after the leisurely weekend.How i wish that i could gather their innocence and ignorance wrought by ordinary normal  mundane but  comforting existence and smear it over  and regain my own.A lanky horse and its rider came near , searching eagerly for children's  his customers .The good old proverb came to mind -If wishes were horses i would be riding it .

The wall of silence i had erected around myself was breached exactly an year back and was slowly chipped away .Of what use  is that to me or to those around? It seems only death has been visiting periodically ,ever since, then.

Before i was haunted only by the death of my son but now the deaths elsewhere unconnected to me yet in a round about way linked to me has started to haunt me as well.
How i wish that i am really a paranoid, scizhoid, delusional lesbian cum transgender and treated precisely as such as per the rumours floated around me and not what i am actually being perceived by those desperate for power.

PPT's and immoral and unethical media houses  ,life of innocents , civilians is nothing to be trifled with , whoever and which ever side they may be.

Who is the maniac who is in the centre of this all? The deciding authority of the information gathered from me , from my conversations and even the contents of the stories i read.Use me if at all [i seem to have no say]only for creative purposes and never  for destructive ends.

The thread.
1. 22.5.13--Decided and stated aloud that it was my 'Karma 'that no one near me is wiling to believe the bugs, tapes etc.

2.24.5.13 ---in a telephonic conversation with my brother delved in past .The fact of our childhood pal returning to normal life after a brief stint as a Naxalite in AP.That of a famous neighbour marrying a tribal woman which was disliked by his father an up Brahmin'.of course i could overhear some one else's breathing and sharp intakes.


Earlier my conversations were very brief and never into the past.

3. 25 th noon read    'Ants 'a short story on tribals by the Oriya writer Gopinath mohanty  in 1940 ,about smuggling of rice by tribals owing to starvation and the hero an officer'tracking them down the jungles to book them for crime against state, but dropping it with a sudden  change of heart on seeing their pathetic forms.

Just who has this unbridled power and right not derived from any law ,to read what i read in my leisure?

4. Night got the news of the death of ex salwa judam chief and several congress men[collateral damage?] at the hands of Maoists.
I immediately caught a cold and at same time burned with fever.My facial muscles tightened and earlier weepiness was replaced by anger bubbling ,forth.

Only a bhasmasuran will work thus.Every party seems to have one at its midst.The  difference is in the scale of wounds inflicted  on self and causalities caused as collateral damage.

A line of co incidences and i am absolutely paranoid ,thinking my house is rigged and bugged and  under covert surveillence and totally delusional in stringing them together and arriving at illogical and irrational conclusions which is nothing but the sustained efforts of kgb and co to show my true colours to the faithfuls.All nothing but bubbles.

I dearly and very clearly hope so.What a relief that would be ..
.

Athigiri mantap.at Sri Vardaraja Perumal temple at Kanchipuram

sri Vardarajar with His consorts Sri Devi, Bhu Devi and PerunDevi Thaayaar at Varadarajar Temple

Two arasamarams/aswath trees/ flanked the  still greenish waters of the temple tank that has in its depths the wooden idol of Sri Varadharajar ,immersed to be taken out only once in 40 years and then worshipped for a month and then to be lowered into the watery sanctum till the next cycle .
One of the trees was in fullsome prime ,covered by huge swathes of green leaves through which it was impossible to see their support--the tawny branches.The other tree was quite bare and lean ,having shed the year old fatigued and worn out leaves and was unfurlng copper coloured leaflets all over its crown that was a perfect foil to its lush green companion as well as the leafy green pond below.

The mid day sun shone directly overhead burnishing the tender leaves on the top to gleaming deep red tassels whilst the dazzling reflection of the fiery sun from the tanks surface lit up those leaflets at the lower branches that were overshadowed by the ebullient red canopy that did not allow the rays to penetrate below, to a delicate rose  .
All this i watched from the steps of the steel enmeshed enclosed mantap built by Vijayanagar emperors that lies just outside the main temple of Sri Varadharajar at kanchipuram,when i took a short break from my leisurely and detailed examination of the wealth of sculptures adorning the huge and tall and numerous  pillars ,from its very top to its  base.Is it the unique shape and the feathery light weight of the leaf of the sacred fig tree/arasamaram that makes it catch the slightest whisper of wind ,to sway and dangle individually from its stem though growing in bunches like other trees, that makes it so enticing, attractive and eye catching?

Does its exalted status in Hindu belief since time immemorial apart from the various legends associated with it ,stem from this simple fact?That unlike other trees ,each leaf of Arasamaram is an individual in its own right and has an independent identity of its own, though they look alike and are dependant on the branches and roots of a single primary tree for its growth,stability and sustenance?

Now back to the highly sculpted mantap which according to a very sleepy watchman manning it is nearly 2000 years old!One familiar with history would put it to only 700-500 years ,since each sculpture bears the clearly artistic and unique signature of Vijayanagar emperors who ruled the Deccan from near about13 th cent --16 th cent ad. The temple however could be 2000 years or even older.Since all visitors and devotees are not familiar with history a notice board with a brief history would help in dispelling the ignorance shrouding the facts.

An leisurely examination by moving the head from the base to the high ceiling ,since every inch of every pillar has been painstakingly carved led to the conclusion that the mantap is more or less a dedication or a memorial of sort to the 11 th cent Sri Vaishnava acharya Sri Ramanuja--[1017--1137]His familiar seated form with the staff of a sanyasi held inbetween his folded hands adorns the base, mid section and the capitol of most of the pillars along with those of Vishnu, varahar, Narsimhar, Krishna , Hanuman Vyasa,Rama Sita and Lakshmi,carved all over .
AS the arsamarams leaves dangled in  a delectable dance and quivered in a rosy reflection over the green waters housing Varada ,the deity worshipped by Ramanuja who lived in Kanchipuram for decades, i couldn't help wondering at the energy and force that impelled him to carry on tirelessly to revive Hinduism that had become vague due to the wrong interpretation of Maya philosophy of Adi Shankara,[years after his departure], that dismissed every thing as mere delusions .

Sri Ramanuja established that life is real and Iswara is full of good qualities and is worthy of worship in any form and that archa  or deity form is  the easiest and tangible way of paying obeisance to the ultimate .

He was also an extra ordinary  revolutionary  In those early centuries viz 1000 AD when caste barriers were strictly upheld and its transgressions punished immediately with ostracisation ,undeterred by societal pressures to conform ,he honoured knowledge and devotion where ever he found it on whom so ever it may be and thus pestered a Sudra , a very pious man to become his guru and was overcome with such a rage at his wife's treatment ,[customary demeaning but the norm those days] whilst serving food to his guru that he immediately expelled her to her parents and instantly took up sanyasa .  Ramanuja was a brahmin.  
--
And when he learnt the closely guarded mantra for moksha from a Brahmin to be passed only to Brahmin's with repercussions for transgressions he chose to climb a nearby temple tower and to proclaim it loudly to all those interested to the way to moksha .His guru's fury abated with his reasoning that he didn't mind going through the vicious cycle of birth and death if 1000 others are enabled to gain entry into Vaikuntum or  attain moksha!

A rare , bright individual whose personality overcame all hurdles thrown by society and authorities.


He attracted followers from all strata of the society as well as castes and he embraced them all into his sect --Sri Vaishnavisim by following the earlier aazhwars--mystic vaishnavaite saints dictum that a devotee of Vishnu was more dearer than Narayana himself1But he did all this with missionary's zeal .He made 74 families--his followers [and not any mutt ]responsible to carry on vedic, sri vaishnavaite traditions ,visishta dwaita  philosophy  as well as the thorough reading of the Ramayana and the Gita compulsory , with clear injunction to never stray away.And i have descended from one such family.

Sri Ramanuja lived in times when royal patronage was necessary to practise and propagate one's religious convictions and beliefs.As Brithrahari had observed in 1 cent AD itself that there were only two gods  --Siva or Vishnu , the same was true in the times of Ramanuja a 1000 years later as well .

The Tamil king was a staunch saivite who couldn't tolerate the popularity that Ramanuja was acquiring , hence went on the path of persecution that made Ramanuja to leave Sri rangam and live in karnataka in exile for more than a decade,returning after his son ,who wasn't all that dogmatic suceeded to the throne.  .Another religion that was in dominanace was Jainism to which the ruler of karnataka subscribed to,which he relinquished to embrace Sri Vaishnavism , overwhelmed by the ministering abilities of Ramanuja who cured his daughter of her hitherto incurable ailment and gave him his full patronage.

However Ramanuja had to face stiff resistance to his all embracing policy to his fold and in his quest to standardise the form of ritualistic worship in temples  in neighbouring kerala  as well as, orissa ,where the priests couldn't stomach such ideas and literally beat him and left him for dead .The Brahmins of Kashmir were also equally jealous in guarding their own ways of worship and unwilling to share their philosophical thoughts  ,when Ramanuja visited that place .He was driven away overnight.

Was the rapid spread of Islam an factor in the relentless endeavour of Ramanuja to throw open the spiritual secrets guarded jealously by Brahmins for centuries to all irrespective of caste and creed, to keep the drifting flock intact?By now Ghaznivadis were established at Delhi and were spreading their power, influence and religion in the principalities of their conquests.He might have wanted to consolidate all Hindus under one banner --Sri Vaishnavism as a bulwark against the rapid spread of Islam in Bharat,

There is a story held to be factual that when Ramanuja requested the Delhi sultan to hand over the processional deity of the main deity of the temple at Melkote, karnataka , which was heaped along with other idols raided by the marauders , the king's daughter was so attached to that idol which was her favourite doll that she wouldn't let go ,though her father acceded to Ramnuja's request ,and followed him to Melkote and remained there till her premature expiry.

In commemoration of this unique attachment and devotion  of that young Muslim girl an idol known as Bibi nachiayar,   standing in supplication at the feet of the idol ,was installed at the sanctum of the vishnu temple at Melkote and it remains there till date.There is also a sannidhi for this 'Tulaka Nacchiayar' at the second prakara [circumbulatory passage] of Sri Rangam temple .And the daily prasad cooked at the temple kitchen and offered to Sri Ranganathar includes chappathi, butter and dhal ,in honour of that  muslim girl's devotion to the idol of Narayana.This practise is continuing till today.

Sri Ramanuja's sphere of influence endures till date  in Tamilnadu, Andhra pradesh and Karnataka.


 

Anantha aazhwar's legacy.

This time around on a visit to Tirumala i was determined to see the pond dug by Ananatha aazhwar in the 11 cent AD at the request of his acharya Sri Ramanuja [the greatest acharya of Sri Vaishnavism]to supply water within hands reach of Srinivasar's temple at Tirumala ,to maintain a garden of flowers and herbs so as to offer them to the Lord every day for decoration as well as in the pooja's performed therein.

The tree jasmines lining the ghat roads leading to the temple were in full bloom.The flowers hung in delicate bunches of pearly white completely hiding the green boughs and leaves with their ethereal sheen.The sacred hills were filled with their sweet fragrance .

The garden and the pond is quite near the temple and is quite quiet.It seemed , very well tended at first look from behind the bars of a locked iron gate at the entrance.

But for an old man performing sandya vandanam near the pond there wasn't a single soul around.
The sun had set scorching the sky at the horizon with a band of fiery red that could be mistaken as a blaze of some distant forest fire.Meanwhile a silvery moon , nearly full ,had  risen quietly without its rise being heralded by birds unlike its radiant counterpart in the  morning ,spreading its cool rays and dousing the streak of red fire in the darkening sky.A gentle breeze rustled the silent trees .An atmosphere as sylvan and peaceful as it would have been nearly a thousand years earlier ,when the devoted disciple of Ramanujar undertook very bravely and solely the onerous task of renovating the crumbling prakaras of this remote temple [then] and dug the pond all by himself with his bare hands and a crowbar and laid the garden and spent his entire life in service of Sri nivasa ,leading a  simple liife in a nearby cottage where his descendants 28 th in line , greeted us from his house as he directed us to enter the garden from another entrance.
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He explained that when Anantha aazhwar first came here, the place was thickly forested with fierce animals like tigers etc  that roamed freely and that there were no water bodies nearby.
It was purely the immense dedication , will power and determination of Anantha aazhwar as well as the blessings of Balaji  that made him bear all the travails in clearing the overgrowth and ensure a constant supply of tulsi, jasmine , and other flowers to his beloved deity.

An pioneer who made it easier for succeeding generations of priests to deck the lord with flowers and in worship.
An maghizham poo tree right in the middle of the garden is said to be off shoot of the original tree planted by him .This is also the place where he shed his mortal coils.and it is believed that Sri Venkateswara in recognition of his selfless service visits the tree unfailingly every day.The processional deity of Srinivasar/Venkateswara  visit and halt ,twice a year in this very spot ,in remembrance and out of gratitude.

As we walked back to our lodgings ,came upon the fountains spraying water on granite Shanku and Chakram and crowds of devotees milling around noisily .My thoughts flew 1000years back  to the time Anantha aazhwar laboured all by himself in a inhospitable place with hardly any human beings around .Would he have ever imagined that this remote dark and silent [except for the menacing calls of animals and alarm cry birds] pilgrimage spot would be flooded with high mast lights burning fiercely at every corner turning the night into day and water so sparse then, would be emptying in gallons  from fountains and uncountable crowd of people would displace all those wild denizens with many of then munching bhelpuri as they watched the water, music and light show?
His lonely toil has been forgotten and blown away by the winds of time.In the fast paced life that we live in   he doesn't exist to the masses  nor would they care to know .It is only a few, who look back in gratitude at one man's solitary endeavour that made all this possible.

Photo:The garden laid down by Anantha aazhwar.The pond is right at the back.The small tree under the banyan tree at the centre is believed to have been grafted from the  original maghizhum poo tree planted y Anantha aazhwar.

Post script.Ananthaazhwar took only his wife's  help who obliged whole heartedly though she was in advanced stage of pregnancy .Pitying her plight Lord Venkateswara assumed the form of a young boy  and helped  her carry  the mud scraped out whilst aazwar dug out that pond .On seeing this the aazhwar threw  a stone that hurt the boy in his chin and chased him away when that lad insisted on helping his wife, since the aazhwar didnot want his 'punya' to be shared with an unknown person.Srinivasar's moorthy started bleeding in the chin that very instant and could staunched only when Anantha aazhwar sought forgivness and applied camphor on the dent .The camphor is  applied till date.

Date of travel and this write up --26.11.12