Ekantha Sevai - Sri Parthasarathi Brahmothsavam day 3 - 2021

Ekantha Sevai - Sri Parthasarathi Special Brahmothsavam day 3 - 2021

காண்காண் எனவிரும்பும் கண்கள்,

கதிரிலகு பூண்டார் அகலத்தான் பொன்மேனி, 

 ~ can there be a better description than the words of Sri Peyalwar

Lord Sriman Narayana adorns  necklaces  that dazzle on His wide chest, "Oh, see, see!", craves my eyes”, says Peyalwar on the beauty of our Emperuman.  

In the ongoing Special Brahmothsavam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam  5.2.2021  is the third day – a very important day ~ it is Garuda Vahanam for Perumal.  Garuda is depicted as having the golden body of a strong person, has a white face, wings,  prominent beak, wears a crown – massive, strong – and more than anything else – ever devoted to Sriman Narayanan, carrying Him on his shoulders all the time. His devotion and being close to Emperuman all the time – Garuda, is admired as ‘Periya Thiruvadi’   

 Brahmothsavam  is a grand festivity – each day it is different Vahanam, and Perumal has classy alankarams … on Garuda vahanam day, thousands gather early in the morning to catch glimpse of the Lord as he comes out of the gate (Gopura vasal darsanam).  In the grand Brahmothsavam, each Vahanam, every purappadu has its  own charm, yet, if one were to ask the most majestic and most crowd-pulling ones,  it would be Thiruther and Garuda vahanam. !!  .. .. ..    On Garuda Sevai day, people from far and away come to the temple, offer vasthram (new clothes), place before Lord coconut, fruits & other offerings and have darshan of Lord in Garuda vahanam. 

Garuda Sevai purappadu after aesal at TP Koil street and halt at Gangaikondan mantapam, ended at around 1000 am.  Closer to 12.00 (noon) there was Ekantha Sevai ~ and hundreds were waiting to have darshan of Ekantha Sevai. Ekantham may mean solitude or loneliness ... in a different parlance, it would mean privacy ... in Temple parlance, it is construed to mean ‘Lord being alone – especially with lesser or no garlands and ornaments’ that is the stage when one can have darshan of the Thirumeni.  Everytime, you have darshan of Sri Parthasarathi, you get carried away by the most beautiful garlands made of most fragrant flowers..... today, it was a simple (rather most grand) single garland made of roses  and innumerable jewels  adorned Perumal and got beautified by that. It was indeed a very great darshan, as Perumal very slowly walked to the mellifluous tunes played by Nathaswara vithwan. Here are some photos of the grand event.

 

~adiyen Srinivasa dhasan [Srinivasan Sampathkumar]
5.2.2o21.