Today is
Thiruvathirai in the month of Aadi ~ the masa thirunakshathiram of Swami
Ramanujar and reminiscing a purappadu of yesteryears on this occasion.
Globally,
over 14 million people have been infected with the virus and 602,656 have died.
It has taken just four days to climb to 14 million cases from 13 million
recorded on July 13.
There
was cheer when a downward trend in Covid-19 positive cases was seen in the city
after a fortnight’s complete lockdown and increased testing. That trend is now
at risk of being upended, owing to the callous public attitude towards physical
distancing at markets. The fear is that a situation like that at the Koyambedu
wholesale market, which became one of the largest clusters in TN, could develop
elsewhere. Sad, people in the city are
mad and go berserk at a little opportunity crowding at shops and elsewhere when
people are dying !
Maharashtra,
the worst-affected state, crossed the three-lakh mark on Saturday with Mumbai
reporting over 1 lakh coronavirus cases so far. Maharashtra has now more cases
than the United Kingdom, which has till now reported over 2.95 lakh infections.
The national capital, on the other hand is projecting an uplifting trend. For
17 of the last 20 days, including 11 in a row now, the number of people
recovering from Covid in Delhi has remained higher than newly detected
infections — no other state has come close to such a trend. The
home ministry’s ‘unified NCR’ approach for fighting Covid-19 seems to be paying
off with Delhi, for perhaps the first time, not figuring in the danger zone of
any of the key coronavirus watch lists. Much of
the change is being attributed to the shift in political approach after Union
home minister Amit Shah brought the warring chief ministers of the states that
make up the NCR to integrate efforts. The Centre stepped in with additional
resources and support directly monitored by Shah.
The
Mānasollāsa, also known as Abhilashitartha Chintamani, is an early 12th century
Sanskrit text composed by the South Indian king Someshvara III of the
KalyaniChalukya dynasty. It is an encyclopedic work that inter-alia states that
it is the sovereign’s duty to protect the forests where elephants thrive —
because only the richest and widest of forests can support the large,
long-ranging Elephas maximus.
Elephants are
the largest land animals on Earth, and they are most attractive and unique-looking animals, too. With their
characteristic long noses, or trunks; large, floppy ears; and wide, thick legs,
there is no other animal with a similar physique. Groups of elephants, or herds, follow a
matriarchal structure with the eldest female in charge. The matriarch relies on her experience and
memory to recall where the best spots for food, water are, and where to find
protection from the elements. The matriarch is also responsible for teaching
the younger members of her family how to socialize with other elephants.
Elephants are very social and can communicate with one another and identify
other elephants from distances of up to 2 miles using rumbling, low-pitched
sounds that fall below the audible range of humans. An elephant’s trunk is
actually a fusion of the upper lip and an elongated nose. The trunk alone can
weigh as much as 140 kg and can be a used as a deadly weapon. However, a trunk
can also be used to pick up a pin or a feather, offer comfort to a distressed
calf, push over a tree and hold 12 litres of water.
Silver markets rallied
during the week, reaching towards the $20 level before pulling back a bit. Gold
and silver prices per 22 carat and 24 carat have rose on Sunday following the
prices at international market. On MCX, Gold futures have increased by 0.2
percent to Rs. 50,610 while the silver has surged by Rs. 600 to Rs. 52,900 on
Sunday. MCX is nothing but the Multi Commodity Exchange where the metal items
are offered for trading such as gold, diamond and none ferrous items just like
the BSE for other commodities.
With protective
masks having become a part of daily accessories, now masks made of precious
metals such as gold and silver are gaining popularity. “Why not use a mask as
an ornament for now? Later, you could get it melted into and still obtain the
same value or get other jewellery made,” said Radhakrishnan Sundaram Acharya,
the owner of RK Jewel Works in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. A traditional
goldsmith, Radhakrishnan has worked in various functions in the
jewellery-making field for over 35 years. It was about three years ago that he
started making and selling clothes made of gold.
19th
April 2018 was ‘Akshyatritiya’ ~ a day marketed to be good to
buy gold and other ornaments. “Akshaya Tritiya” is the
day when Lord Parashuram, the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born. One
of the most important legends associated with observing AkshayaTrithiya is that
of Lord Krishna and Sudama [Kuchela].
Another significant occurrence is
that of the Pandavas receiving the Akshay Patra from Krishna. It was day 8 of Sri Udayavar Uthsavam – and
in the evening it was ‘ Yaanai vahanam’ for Swami
Emperumanar. The elephant vahanam in Thiruvallikkeni is silvery. Swami Emperumanaar had purappadu on the
silver elephant and the oozing grace simply outweighed the serenity and beauty
of the moon – one could see only the kindness and glory of Swami. Here are some photos of Swami Yathirajar on
Yaanaivahanam.
பண்தருமாறன் பசுந்தமிழ் * ஆனந்தம் பாய்மதமாய்
விண்டிட எங்கள் இராமானுசமுனி
வேழம் * மெய்ம்மை
கொண்ட நல்வேதக்கொழுந்தண்டம் ஏந்திக்
குவலயத்தே
மண்டிவந்து ஏன்றது வாதியர்காள் உங்கள் வாழ்வு
அற்றதே.
திருவரங்கத்து
அமுதனாரின் அனுபவம் : எம்பெருமானார் தன்னை
அண்டியவர்களைக் காப்பாற்றுபவராகவும், தான் விரும்பியவர்களுக்கு நல்லநெறியை காட்டித்
தருபவராகவும், அழகான யானை போன்றும் உள்ளார்.
நம்மாழ்வார் அருளிச்செய்த, அழகான பண்களுடன் கூடிய, தெளிவான தமிழில் உள்ள திருவாய்மொழி, ஸ்ரீமந்நாராயணன் எனும் கடலில் இருந்து, ஆழ்வார்கள் ஆசார்யர்கள் வழியாக எம்பெருமானாரை அடைந்து,
ஸம்ஸாரிகளைக் காக்கிறது. கம்பீரமான யானை போன்ற
எம்பெருமானாரின் வாதங்களை எதிர்த்து வாதம் செய்பவர்கள், வாழ்வு பயன் எம்பெருமானை அடைவதே
என உணர்ந்து அவரிடமே உபதேசம் பெற்றனர்.
அடியேன்
ஸ்ரீனிவாசதாசன்
Mamandur Veeravalli
Srinivasan Sampathkumar
19.7.2020.
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