Ekadasi - Mamunigal 3 - 2023 - குணமணி நிதயே! நமோ நமஸ்தே

This evening there were sharp showers in the city – for close to half an hour, it rained so heavily that one felt  that city could be inundated at many places !

Precipitation is water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail. Precipitation is the main way atmospheric water returns to the surface of the Earth. Most precipitation falls as rain. Rain and snow are key elements in the Earth's water cycle, which is vital to all life on Earth. Rainfall is the main way that the water in the skies comes down to Earth, where it fills our lakes and rivers, recharges the underground aquifers, and provides drinks to plants and animals.

Although most people think raindrops look like teardrops, they actually look more like chocolate chip cookies. Like raw balls of dough dropped on a cookie sheet, the smallest raindrops, up to 1 millimeter in diameter, are actually spherical. At 2 millimeters raindrops start to flatten, because of the air pressure pushing up on them as they fall to Earth. This effect is increased at 3 millimeters, and depressions form on the bottom of the drops as the air pushes up on the drops harder. At 4 millimeters raindrops actually distort into a shape that looks like a parachute. When they get to be about 4.5 millimeters in diameter, raindrops are so big that they break apart into two or more separate drops !! 

Rain is liquid precipitation: water falling from the sky. Raindrops fall to Earth when clouds become saturated, or filled, with water droplets. Millions of water droplets bump into each other as they gather in a cloud. When a small water droplet bumps into a bigger one, it condenses, or combines, with the larger one. As this continues to happen, the droplet gets heavier and heavier. When the water droplet becomes too heavy to continue floating around in the cloud, it falls to the ground. Human life depends on rain. Rain is the source of fresh water for many cultures.  

The northeast monsoon in Tamil Nadu has intensified leading to widespread rainfall across several districts including Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Madurai, Nagapattinam among others since Wednesday night. Due to the heavy rainfall, schools in Madurai, Coimbatore, Theni, Tiruppur, Dindigul declared holidays. In Nilgiris and in four taluks of Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kothagiri, Kundah, holidays were declared for both schools and colleges. Driving on many city roads during the northeast monsoon is a risky affair. In many places, roads with potholes are proving to be a major obstacle course.

 

According to weather reports, many places in Tamil Nadu will continue to receive rainfall on Friday after which there will be a gradual dip in rainfall activity till November 15. A cyclonic circulation over the Comorin area and strong easterly/northeasterly winds will trigger rain over the State for a few more days. The low pressure area over the east-central Arabian sea will also influence rain in the southern and western parts of the State, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre. Most places of north Tamil Nadu, including Chennai, may largely experience a dry Deepavali, except for sporadic rain.

After that heavy downpour, it stopped and at 630 pm being Ekadasi day, Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman had periya veethi purappadu with Acaryan Swami Manavala Mamunigal on day 3 of Sarrumurai uthsavam.  It drizzled lightly – Perumal and Acharyar were covered and the purappadu occurred in a thrice.

Sri Erumbiappa in his work  to Varavaramuni Sathakam  extols Acaryar Mamunigal :  

குணமணி நிதயே!  நமோ நமஸ்தே;  குருகுல துர்ய நமோ நமோ நமஸ்தே |

வரவரமுநயே நமோ நமஸ்தே ; யதிவர தத்வ விதே நமோ நமஸ்தே ||  

சிறந்த குணங்களுக்கு நிதியாக இருப்பவரின் பொருட்டு வணக்கம். ஆசார்யர்களில் சிறந்தவரே உமக்கு வணக்கம்.    மணவாள மாமுனிகளே உமக்கு வணக்கம். யதிராஜரின் திருவுள்ளம் அறிந்தவரே உமக்கு வணக்கம்.  

Here are some photos taken during today’s purappadu.  

ஸ்ரீமதே ராமானுஜாய நம:   ஸ்ரீமத் வரவரமுநயே நம:

 
~ adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
9.11.2023