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Thursday, May 14, 2020

Sapthavaranam ~ Thiruvallikkeni vettiver chapparam 2010


பொதுவாக மனித இனமும் உலகமும் ஒரு நாள் அழியும்.  அதுவே பிரளயம் என பல நம்பிக்கைகள் உள்ளன.   பூலோகம் வெள்ளத்தினால் அழியுமெனவும், பூகம்பம் உள்ளிட்டவையால் அழியும் என்பது அனைவரும் கருதக் கூடியது.  கடல்கோள் ஏற்பட்டு குமரிக்கண்டம் அழிந்ததைப் பற்றி தமிழ் இலக்கியங்கள் கூறுகின்றன.  வெள்ளம், புயல், நெருப்பு, ஆழிப் பேரலை எனும் சுனாமி போன்ற இயற்கைச் சீற்றங்கள் தவிர, போர்கள், அணு ஆயுத தாக்குதல்கள் என மனித இனம் அழியலாம் என சிலர் ஆருடம் கூறினார்.  முன்னாளில் பஞ்சமும், கொள்ளை நோய்களும் மனித இனத்தை தாக்கின.  இப்போது உலகையே அச்சுறுத்துவது 'கொரோனா' எனும் நுண்ணியிரி தாக்கம்.

Most theories of World coming to an end would point to ‘flood’ or the ‘deluge’ encompassing Nations, killing millions of people.  Floods, cyclones, earthquakes, tsunami, plague, wars, nuclear threat have all been the most feared ones by the mankind.  2020 has added a new threat – the Corona virus, Covid 19 emanating from Wuhan, China.   There are theories that pandemics are striking with greater frequency primarily because of deforestation, environmental degradation, rapid urbanisation, overpopulation, migration and growing animal and human conflict. There is no herd or population immunity against new pathogens such as the Sars-Cov-2 that causes the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), and till herd or population immunity crosses 70%, it will continue to spread.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisation director general who has been blocking darts hurled at him over the global health agency’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, has landed himself at centre of another bout of shadow boxing between the United States and China over letting Taiwan attend next week’s World Health Assembly as an observer. The self-ruled island, which Beijing considers a wayward province awaiting reunification, has been excluded from WHO membership due to objections from China. Taiwan attended the World Health Assembly as a non-voting observer from 2009 to 2016. But Beijing has blocked Taipei’s representation at the event after a China skeptic, Tsai Ing-wen was elected president in 2016. She was re-elected this year and is due to begin her second term on 20 May, two days after the WHA’s 18 May meet. More than a dozen countries have proposed resolutions for the WHO to let Taiwan attend the World Health Assembly as an observer, arguing that the world needed to hear Taiwan that has been held up as a model in fighting the virus first detected in central China’s Wuhan last year.

Heard of ‘Chrysopogonzizanioides’ and wonder what is has to do with a Temple related post, especially one on the last day of Sri Parthasarathi Swami Brahmothsavam at Thiruvallikkeni.  Today marks the 10th day – Sapthavaranam and siriya thiruther of Chithirai brahmothsavam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam.

Labelled Chrysopogon zizanioides as its scientific name, ‘Vetiver’ is actually a Tamil word and can be translated to English as “the root that is dug up”. After cleaning the root of the grass well, it can be soaked in an earthen pot filled with water.

Around 2,600 people with links to Koyambedu, a wholesale vegetable market in Chennai that has been declared a coronavirus hotspot, have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus so far - Dr J Radhakrishnan, special nodal officer is quoted as saying.  He  said the market became a hotspot despite precautions being taken, but all those who worked at the market have now been tested. Earlier this week, driven by the surge in cases from the popular vegetable market, Tamil Nadu went past Delhi to become the third-worst coronavirus-hit state; and today it has overtaken Gujarat too.

The AYUSH Ministry and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) are working together on validating four Ayush formulations against COVID-19 and the trials will start within one week. CSIR Director-General Shekhar Mande and MD Ayurveda and AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said that result will come within three months. Last week, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced that CSIR and AYUSH will work together on four different formulations," Mr Mande said. He added that AYUSH and CSIR collaboration has a larger perspective. "This is once in a lifetime opportunity. This type of study never happened in our country. These four candidates are - Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi + Pippali (Giloy) and AYUSH-64, which was invented for the treatment of malaria and its repurposing is going on," he said.

திருமங்கை மன்னனின் திருக்குறுந்தாண்டகம் ஒரு அற்புத பிரபந்தம்.  இறைவனைப் பெருநிதியாக வர்ணித்து மாந்தர்களாகிய நமக்கு எது செல்வம், எது உயர்ந்தது, நாம் என் செய்ய வேண்டும் என போதிப்பது !! ~ இங்கே ஒரு பாசுரம் : 

கேட்கயான் உற்றதுண்டு*  கேழல்ஆய் உலகம் கொண்ட,*
பூக்கெழு வண்ணனாரைப்*  போதரக் கனவில் கண்டு,*
வாக்கினால் கருமம் தன்னால்*  மனத்தினால் சிரத்தை தன்னால்,*
வேட்கை மீதூர வாங்கி*  விழுங்கினேற்கு இனியவாறே.

மனிதர்களுக்கு தேவைகள் : உணவு, உடுப்பு, இருப்பிடம் .. .. இவை கிடைத்தாயின், மேலும் பணம், பொருள், போகம், என தேடல் .. .. .. பண்டைய கால மன்னர்கள் -  தண்ணீர், வெற்றிலைப்பாக்கு, வாசனை திரவியம், மண்,  மாதர், ஆடையாபரணம், சூது சதுரங்கம்  என உல்லாசித்தனர்.  மனிதர்களின் வாய்வெகுவுதலும், பொழுது போக்குதலும்,  இப்பொருள்களிலேயே  மாறிமாறி நடந்தன  !! 




ஸ்ரீவைணவர்களான நமக்கு கிடைத்தற்கரிய நிதி - நம் ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணன் மட்டுமே!  - பவளத்தூண்  நெறிமையில் உயர்ந்த ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணனை மனம், வாக்கு, கருமம், சிந்தை அனைத்தாலும்  நினைத்து வாழ்த்தி வணங்கி உய்வு பெறுவோமாக !    இனிப்பான ஒரு பொருளை நாக்கில் வைத்தவுடன், தித்திப்பது போல, ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணனைக் குறித்த எண்ணங்களும். சிந்தையும், செயலும், ஆகிய அனைத்தும் இனிது, நமக்கு நன்மையே பயக்கும்.   

On the concluding day of Brahmothsavam is  -  ‘Siriya  Thiruther’ famously known as ‘Vettiver Chapparam’… occurring after ‘Sapthavaranam’- ‘dwadasaaradhanam’.It is an exceptional site to have darshan of five Emperumans at one place ~ and at around 8.45 pm, Alwars, Acaryas and Perumals will have  purappadu back to their sannathi. At 9.30 pm Sri Parthasarathi Perumal will start from asthanam to the traditional ‘mallari’ being played in Nadaswaram for the  purappadu in siriya thiruther – whence Thiruvarangathu Amuthanaar’s ‘ Ramanuja Noorranthathi’ is  rendered.  


The siriya thiruther is  famously known as ‘VettiverChapparam’… the scientific name of  vettiveris  - ‘Chrysopogonzizanioides’, a type of grass of Poaceae family, native to India.  Also known as ‘khus’ Vettiver can grow up to 1.5 metres high and form clumps as wide. This Ther is known as ‘VettiverChapparam’ – as it would have  many sheets made of this grass placed on the temple car.  One could feel the divine fragrance from a distance itself.   These vettiver mats were earlier even used in houses and as the air passes through it, there would be fragrance and natural cooling of air. 

Here are some photos taken during the purappadu of yesteryears . 

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan.   

Srinivasan Sampathkumar
14.5.2020.
Credits:  Divyaprabandha vyagyanam : Sri Kachi PBA Swami courtesy www.dravidaveda.org













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