*சயமே அடிமை தலைநின்றார் திருத்தாள் வணங்கி* : Ekkattuthangal Thiruvooral uthsavam – thirumbugal purappadu 2020

*சயமே அடிமை தலைநின்றார் திருத்தாள் வணங்கி*

Ekkattuthangal Thiruvooral uthsavam – thirumbugal purappadu 2020

At the junction of TP Koil Street and Besant Road – there is the Southern arch of Sri Parthasarathi temple.  NKT National girls high school is a stone’s throw away – on 19.1.2020 around 0930 pm – Srivaishanavas were waiting in groups and hearing the sound approaching, everyone of them felt happy.  More gleeful faces could be seen shortly – those Sripadham thangigal and some more were visibly tired but extremely enthusiastic still and happy – after walking (not mere walking) more than 60 kms on that day ! ~ the reason for their happiness ?

ஆனந்தம்  என்ற பெயர்ச்சொல்லுக்கு  உண்மையான அர்த்தம் என்ன ?  -  நாம் ஒரு பொருளை ரசித்து அனுபவிக்கும்போது ஆனந்தம் அடைகிறோம். சிலருக்கு தூக்கம் கூட ஆனந்தத்தை தர வல்லது. .. ..  அருள் கொண்டாடும்  அடியவனான ஸ்ரீவைணவனுக்கு யாது சந்தோஷத்தை தர வல்லது? நம் அனைவருக்கும் "எம்பெருமானுடைய க்ருபைக்கு மேற்பட்ட  க்ருபை உலகில் வேறு  ஏதேனும் உண்டோ ?"

Dictionary would define  it as "felicity" or "blissfulness" or the "state in which the desires are satisfied. For those able to view  life through a positive rather than a negative lens – it is happiness.  .. the whole World runs after it, though it is available everywhere, more specifically inside everybody.  ‘Is not Happiness – a State of mind ?”

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation" in Psychological Review. Maslow subsequently extended the idea to include his observations of humans' innate curiosity. His theories parallel many other theories of human developmental psychology, some of which focus on describing the stages of growth in humans. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is used to study how humans intrinsically partake in behavioral motivation. Maslow used the terms "physiological", "safety", "belonging and love", "social needs" or "esteem", and "self-actualization" to describe the pattern through which human motivations generally move. This means that in order for motivation to arise at the next stage, each stage must be satisfied within the individual themselves.

There will be umpteen theories in Western World – to us happiness is associating everything with our Lord and being contented. The term happiness is used in the context of mental or emotional states, including positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. It is also used in the context of life satisfaction, subjective well-being,  flourishing and well-being.  For many decades now,  happiness research has been conducted in a wide variety of scientific disciplines ! ~ in our philosophy, to be happy simply be detached to Worldly virtues and .. .. be attached to the lotus feet of our Emperuman Sriman Narayana.

How often do you venture out in the midnight or early hours ! not by car but on a cycle or by walk at 2.30am in the morning of 19.1.2020, cows were dozing at Thiruvallikkeni streets, while the Temple area was busy – yes purappadu at midnight (early morning).  It is the annual ‘Ekkadu thangal Thiru Ooral Uthsavam’ – when Sri Parthasarathi visits His place at Ekkadu, nearer Guindy.  On the banks of ‘Adayaru’ lies Ekkattuthangal, now an industrial belt and at Ekkadu there is a piece of land owned by Perumal.  Sri Parthasarathi visits this place once an year and has thirumanjanam – this sojourn starts  @ 3 am. (it used to be around 1 am earlier)   Sri Parthasarathi perumal has purappadu in palanquin – traversing through the city, halting at many a places including Thirumylai Sri Madhava Perumal temple and Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal temple; has purappadu with Sri Peyalwar at Chithiraikulam;  reaches His land at around 11 am, has thirumanjanam, again starts around 3 pm, purappadu at Saidapet, reaches back Thiruvallikkeni.

This is similar to purappadus like – Namperumal’s visit to Jeeyarpuram, Devapperumal visit to Rajakulam / chitra pournami / seevaram parvettai, Veeraraghavar visiting Sriperumpudur, Kaliyan’s sojourn for 11 Garuda sevai – some purappadus where Perumal goes out of the precincts travelling long way – it actually is very arduous for those involved, yet – everyone relishes in doing kainkaryam is the essence of life.

It is the ‘return purappadu’ (thirumbugal) that people were waiting at TP Koil st junction.  Just as glee befell on their faces, sripadhamthangial who had carried the pallakku and walked (running most part) were elated on the kainkaryam well-accomplished.  Happiness was writ large on their faces unmindful of the physical challenges and difficulties – their feet had been hurt and bleeding, some had cramps, pains over all part of bodies, shoulders would be aching with blisters – yet they were so committed that nothing was thought of than the beautiful purappadu of Emperuman on their shoulders. Their happiness was because, they had been instrumental in Sri Parthasarathi Perumal providing darshan and thereby happiness to thousands of bakths on the way and at places like Lloyds colony, Mylapore, abhiramapuram, Alwarpet, TNagar, Kodambakkam, West Mambalam, Ashoknagar, Guindy, Ekkadu, Saidapet, CIT colony and more .. ..

People like me have never even walked more than 20 kms on a day – these youngsters – the kainkaryabarars [Sripadhamthangis, Thirukovil Battacharyas, ameena,  Veda adhyapaka goshti, other kainkaryabarars like nadaswaram, theevatti and many others who had just accompanied Perumal] had travelled with the Perumal for the whole day starting from early morning coming back so late.  Take a bow to them. Really really admire their spirit of bakthi and service to Lord Sri Parthasarathi. 

Whilst the physical body would have cried for rest at home, reaching the junction was reaching home but not yet complete – from here on divyaprabandha goshti restarts and the purappadu becomes slow celebration – Sri Parthasarathi goes to Ganapathi street with hundreds waiting to have darshan and provide fruits and other offerings to the Lord. Sri Parthasarathi enters back the temple and it is not yet over for the kainkaryabarargal – it was ‘Thai Visakam’ and goshti at Swami Nammalwar sannathi.

வியன் மூவுலகு பெறினும்போய்த் தானே தானே யானாலும்,

புயல் மேகம்போல் திருமேனி அம்மான் புனைபூங்கழலடிக்கீழ்,

சயமே அடிமை தலைநின்றார் திருத்தாள் வணங்கி, இம்மையே

பயனே யின்பம் யான்பெற்றது  உறுமோ பாவியேனுக்கே?

விண் முதலான மூன்று  லோக ஸாம்ராஜ்யங்களைப் பெற்றாலும்,  அதற்கும் மேலான - 'கைவல்யம் எனும்  தன்னைத் தானே அநுபவிக்கின்ற மோக்ஷம் பெற்றாலும் - அவற்றையெல்லாம் விட சிறப்பான நிலை என்ன என்பதை ஸ்வாமி நம்மாழ்வார் நமக்கு இங்கே அருளிச்செய்கிறார்.   மழைகாலத்து கருண்ட பொதிந்த  மேகம் போன்ற திருமேனி வாய்ந்த எம்பெருமானுடைய, அழகாக சாற்றப்பெற்ற புஷ்பங்களையும் வீரக்கழலையுமுடைத்தான திருவடி வாரத்திலே, தன்னை முழுவதும் ஈடுபடுத்திக்கொண்ட கைங்கர்யம் செய்யும் அடியார்களின்  திருத்தாள்களை வணங்கி, அவர்களது நிலைக்கண்டு பேர் உவகை பெற்று யான் அடைந்த பயனே பெரிய பேறு ! ~ மற்றே  சொன்ன  ஐச்வர்ய கைவல்யங்கள் எவையும்  இப்பேற்றுக்கு ஒக்குமோ? என உறுதிபட உரைக்கிறார் நம் சடகோபன்.

Swami Nammalwar asserts and guides us – what is bigger and better than the  wealth of the three worlds and the enjoyment of one's self in heaven, put together- such happiness shall never equal the joy that Azhwar found here and now, through serving the selfless devotees of the cloud-hued Lord's lotus-feet.  He exerts us to think of doing service to Emperuman and to those serving Him.

~adiyen Srinivasadhasan [Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar]

19.1.2020.

PS : last 3 photos – Perumal on the way to Ekkadu credit : Sri Kanakarajkumar.