Dharmathipeedam vahanam 2026 ~ Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli !?!?!?!

 

Thiruvallikkeni Dharmathipeedam vahanam 2026

 

Sri Parthasarathi Emperuman Chithirai Brahmothsavam 2026  started this morning.  On day 1 morning it is Dharmathipeedam – one of the oldest vahanams dating back to more than 123 years - -as could be seen from the inscription – this vahanam dates back to Kali subakruth varusham 5004 Chithirai masam – the present year is Parabhava varusham -  Kali 5127– so two full 60 years have rolled by since its samarpanam.  This year a newer one has been dedicated to Emperuman and today Sri Parthasarathi Perumal had purappadu in new gold plated Dharmathi peedam.   Whilst the vahanam has been made new on the very similar lines of the older version, the golden plating has been done by Sri Thennacharya Sripadham trust.

 above - four  photos of the earlier one !

 

May not be out of place to read about a Italian Scientist - Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli and the snub of famous Napoleon Bonaparte that delayed industrialization of a great invention related to today’s post !!! Feeling deeply insulted, Brugnatelli returned to Pavia and refused to communicate with the French Academy of Sciences, the leading scientific body of the time.   

Sri Vaishnavism dwells on principles of Dharma – our purpose of life is to do dharma, kainkaryam to Emperuman and His devotees.  The concept of Dharma or law in ancient India was inspired by the Vedas which contained rules of conduct and rites and compiled in Dharma Sutras, were practiced in a number of branches of the Vedic schools. Their principal contents address the duties of people at various stages of life, the rights and duties of the kings and juridical matters. These were basis of Hindu Law. The earliest document throwing light on the theory of jurisprudence, which forms part of practical governance, is the Artha Sastra of Kautilya dating back to circa 300 B.C. The third chapter deals with Vyavahara i.e. transactions between two or more parties or Vivada or disputation 

Dharma in Hinduism, is an organizing principle that applies to human beings in solitude, in their interaction with human beings and nature, as well as between inanimate objects, to all of cosmos and its parts. It refers to the order and customs which make life and universe possible, and includes behaviors, rituals, rules that govern society, and ethics. Hindu dharma includes the religious duties, moral rights and duties of each individual, as well as behaviors that enable social order, right conduct, and those that are virtuous. Dharma is that which all existing beings must accept and respect to sustain harmony and order in the world. It is neither the act nor the result, but the natural laws that guide the act and create the result to prevent chaos in the world

Yato Dharmastato Jayah ( यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः யதோ தர்மஸ்ததோ ஜய:)   is an all important a Sanskrit shloka that occurs a total of 13 times in the Hindu epic,  the Mahabharata. It means "Where there is Dharma, there will be Victory". 

राजन्सत्त्वमयो ह्येष तमोरागविवर्जितः |

यतः कृष्णस्ततो धर्मो यतो धर्मस्ततो जयः ||

6.62.34 (Bhīṣma to Duryodhana)

 

O King! He is the embodiment of truth, devoid of any shadows of darkness or passion. Wherever Kṛṣṇa resides, there abides Dharma. Where there is Dharma there is victory. 

This is the motto of Supreme Court of India too.  The Dharma chakra logo of the Apex Court of the Nation has the wheel that appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion capital of Ashoka with 32 spokes. The inscription in Sanskrit “yatodharmastato jayah” means – Truth alone I uphold. It is also referred to - as the wheel of righteousness, encompassing truth, goodness and equity. 

The Muthalazhwargal (Pogai alwar, Boothathalwar and Peyalwar) met at Thirukovalur.... Poigai azhwar started singing the greatness of the Lord by lighting the Earth itself as the light and Ocean as the ghee...  he tells us :... ... எம்பெருமானை தங்கள் மனசார அனுபவித்து ஆசையாய் தங்கள் வார்த்தைகள் உரைத்தவர்கள் ஆழ்வார்கள்.  ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணின் பக்தர்களுக்கு இதோ பொய்கைப்பிரான் காட்டும் எளிய வழி : 

நன்றுபிணிமூப்புக் கையகற்றி நான்கூழி,

நின்று நிலமுழுதும் ஆண்டாலும்,- என்றும்

விடலாழி நெஞ்சமே வேண்டினேன் கண்டாய்,

அடலாழி கொண்டான்  மாட்டன்பு.  (முதல் திருவந்தாதி) 

வாழும் காலத்தில் வியாதியையும், கிழத்தனத்தையும் - இவற்றைப்பற்றிய கவலைகளையும், நன்றாக தொலைந்தொழியும்படி  நல்வாழ்க்கை பெற்றாலும், காலமுள்ள வரையிலும் ஸ்திரமாக இருந்து நிலம் முழுதும் ஆண்டாலும் - நாம் செய்ய வேண்டியது எல்லாம்  அண்டஜஸ்வர்யங்கள்  எல்லாவற்றையும் தனதாகப்பெற்ற  திருவாழியைக் கையிலேந்திய பெருமானிடத்தில்  என்றென்றும் சார்ந்து இருக்க, அவ்வெம்பெருமானிடத்திலே  ஆழ்ந்திருக்கிற நெஞ்சை  வேண்டுவோமாக.  !

Poigai alwar – directs the heart thus – diseases during life time are common; ageing and senility is certain – even if one is to live long long years and rule the Earth – we should always think of the Emperuman who has the discuss (Thiruvazhi) in His hand – it is eternally  blissful to have a mind deeply devoted to His lotus feet.  

Gold plating as we know, is  electro-deposition process that applies a thin layer of real gold onto base metals (copper, silver, brass) to enhance appearance, durability, and conductivity. Common methods include bath plating (immersion) and pen/brush plating (direct application), often used for jewelry, electronics, and decorative items.

 

Modern gold electroplating was invented in 1805 by Italian chemist Luigi Brugnatelli, who successfully used a voltaic pile to plate a thin layer of gold onto silver.  Luigi Valentino Brugnatelli (1761–1818) was an Italian chemist and inventor celebrated as the father of electroplating. In 1805, he achieved the first successful electrodeposition of gold onto silver using the Voltaic pile, a battery developed by his close friend and colleague Alessandro Volta.  His early experiments involved immersing silver medals in a gold solution and connecting them to a battery via steel wire. 

Despite his breakthrough, his work was initially rebuffed by Napoleon Bonaparte and the French Academy of Sciences, which led Brugnatelli to suppress the publication of his findings for years. It wasn't until nearly 40 years later that the process was industrialized by others, like John Wright.  In 1801, Brugnatelli accompanied Volta to Paris to demonstrate the newly invented Voltaic pile (battery) to Napoleon. When Volta introduced Brugnatelli as "my colleague, the great Italian chemist," Napoleon reportedly turned away and remarked, "There are no great chemists in Italy". Feeling deeply insulted, Brugnatelli returned to Pavia and refused to communicate with the French Academy of Sciences, the leading scientific body of the time.  Napoleon reportedly feared that if a cheap way to plate items in gold became common, it would devalue the currency and allow the lower classes access to what was then a symbol of ultimate wealth. The French Academy of Sciences refused to publish Brugnatelli's reports, and they even pressured other European scientific journals to ignore his findings.   

While Luigi Brugnatelli discovered the science, it was the Elkington brothers, George and Henry, who turned it into a global industry from their base in Birmingham, England. By 1840, they had successfully patented the first commercial electroplating process, effectively bringing high-quality silverware to the Victorian middle class. In 1840, they partnered with John Wright, a Birmingham surgeon who solved the biggest technical hurdle facing electroplating: finding an effective electrolyte. Wright discovered that potassium cyanide was the perfect solvent for gold and silver, allowing for a smooth, durable, and permanent bond. The Elkingtons purchased Wright’s patent for £300 plus a royalty on every ounce of silver plated.  They opened the Newhall Street Works in 1841. By 1880, the company employed over 1,000 people and operated six factories. They popularized the use of Nickel Silver as a base metal. This allowed them to produce items that looked like solid silver but were affordable for daily use. You can often find antique pieces stamped with "EPNS", a standard they helped establish.  Their quality was so high that they received Royal Warrants from Queen Victoria and other European monarchs. Their products were featured in the Great Exhibition of 1851 and even provided the flatware for the RMS Titanic.  Beyond spoons and forks, the Elkingtons pioneered electrotyping—the use of electricity to "grow" perfect metal replicas of museum-quality art.  

Here are some photos of morning purappadu of Sri Parthasarathi Perumal   at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam –  after dwajarohanam.  

adiyen Srinivasa dhasan. 
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
01.05.2026
Pasura vilakkam : Sri Kachi swami, dravidaveda.org.