Thiru Adhyayana Uthsavam ~ Pagal Pathu 3 @ Thirymylai 2019

Generally, people get excited about Vaikunda Ekadasi and ‘Paramapada  Vasal’ ~ commonly called ‘Sorga vassal thirappu’.. .. this year Vaikunda Ekadasi falls on Monday 6^th Jan 2020  (21^st  day of Margazhi) ~ Pagal pathu uthsavam commenced on  27.12.2019 and today is day 3  ~ from 6.1. till 15.1.2020 will be Irapathu .. and on 16^th Jan 2020  is Iyarpa Sarrumurai  (interested in some detail !)

……… they are part of the Adhyayana Uthsavam beginning with Pagal Pathu, Irapathu – concluding with Thiruvadi Thozhuthal and Iyarpa Sarrumurai.  Legend has it that this Uthsavam hailing the significance of ‘Thiruvaimozhi’ of Nammazhwar, known as ‘Thiruvaimozhi Thirunaal’ was being celebrated right from the times of Thirumangai Mannan to Nathamunigal.  The Pagal pathu uthsavam is now on at Sri Vaishnava Divyadesams.

In life there are moments, when you feel extremely elated ~ one explicable moment is when you are at Thiruvarangam soil and  have darshan of Nam Perumal … as one travels with the purpose of worshipping at Booloka Vaikuntham [the heavenly abode of Lord Maha Vishnu on this earth] –the great place described by Thondaradipodigal as

“கங்கையில் புனித மாய காவிரி நடுவு பாட்டு *  பொங்குநீர் பரந்து பாயும் பூம்பொழிலரங்கந்தன்னுள்*

At the Bhooloka Vaikundam of Srirangam Divyadesam, it begins from Suklapaksha Ekadasi and celebrated for 23 days whence Namperumal listens to the vedas and Nammazhvar's Thiruvaimozhi as rendered by the Araiyars. The festival is divided into two parts, ten days before Vaikunda Ekadasi known as Pagalpathu  and  10 days from Vaikunda Ekadasi  known as Raapathu.  The adhyayana Uthsavam (the opportunity of chanting 4000 divyaprabandham) infront of Presiding deity and ensemble of Azhwars and Acaryas occurs in all divyadesams and all important Sri Vaishnavaite temples.

Sri Andal in her Nachiyar Thirumozhi   describes the Lord as having the white conch, wearing beautiful yellow silken robes, having tresses on shoulders hovering like bees over His lotus face, the Lord of immense compassion been worshipped at Vrindavan [Brindavan nearer Mathura, where Krishna grew up !] 

வெளிய சங்கொன்றுடையானைப் பீதகவாடையுடையானை*

அளிநன்குடைய திருமாலை ஆழியானைக் கண்டீரே? *

களிவண்டெங்கும் கலந்தாற்போல் கமழ்பூங்குழல்கள் தடந்தோள்மேல்*

மிளிர நின்று விளையாட விருந்தாவனத்தே கண்டோமே !

Let us fall at the lotus feet of Sriman Narayana singing the verses of Andal – which will ensure all goodness and prosperity.  Today is day 3 of Pagal pathu – and here are some photos of the Uthsava celebrations at Thirumylai Madhava Perumal Thirukovil.  The Lord Madhavar was exceptionally spectacular with a captivating diadem

~ adiyen Srinvasa dhasan [Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar]

29^th Dec 2019.