Humour
is the quality of things that make people laugh, smile, or feel amused.But what got circulated about a show in Aaditya TV is beyond comprehension.
One cannot even say it is the - worst or "lowest" form of humour.Something on a great patriot cannot be
considered humour – its perpetrators must be punished !
Those
who acted in such a poor taste for sure do not know anything about the Nation
and freedom struggle.He was among the great patriots who underwent untold sufferings
at the hands of British… more than a century ago, his speech at Thai Poosa
Mantapam in the bed of river Thamirabarani at Tirunelveli [on the night of
9thMarch 1907] sent shivers and he was
convicted under sections 124A & 153A of Indian Penal Code by the Bench
consisting of CA White & Miller. In that famous speech, he had thundered
"As soon as the English people set foot in India, poverty also made its
appearance in the country. So long as the foreign Government exists we shall not
prosper. So long as we continue to be the servants and slaves of foreigners we
shall have to endure hardships.
The Great man is - Vandanam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai ~
more famous as VOC or Kappolottiya thamizhan
Though
starting with this, this is a post on the place where he made that speech –
Thiruvelveli.Tirunelveli
locally Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major
city inTamil Nadu.Tirunelveli is located 700 km (430 mi)
southwest of the state capital Chennai, 58 km (36 mi) away from Thoothukudi and
73 km (45 mi) from Kanyakumari. The downtown is located on the west bank of the
Thamirabarani River; its twin Palayamkottai is on the east bank... .. Thirunelveli, famous for temples is
also known for halwa, a sweet made of wheat, sugar and ghee.
The
temple that gave the place its name is the famed Nellaiyappar thirukkovil. This
is a beautiful example of the architectural grandeur of the Sri Nellaiyappar –
Gandhimathi Ambal Temple, one of the largest and most historically significant
temples in Tamil Nadu. Here is a
photograph capturing one of the pillared
corridors leading to the shrine (sannathi) of Goddess Gandhimathi Amman, the
divine consort of Lord Nellaiyappar (Shiva).
Every granite pillar is a masterpiece of Dravidian
craftsmanship, adorned with exquisitely carved yalis, deities, dancers, and
mythical motifs. The perfectly aligned rows of pillars create a striking
perspective, drawing the devotee's gaze naturally towards the sanctum,
symbolizing the spiritual journey from the material world to the Divine.
The temple has a history spanning nearly 1,400 years,
with the earliest structures attributed to the Early Pandyas (7th century CE).
Over succeeding centuries, the Later Pandyas, Vijayanagara rulers, and Nayaks
expanded it into the magnificent complex seen today. The corridors and
mandapas, particularly around the Amman shrine, are renowned for their finely
sculpted monolithic pillars and harmonious proportions.
A few interesting
architectural observations in this photograph:
•Perfect axial symmetry: The corridor is
laid out on a precise east-west axis, a hallmark of temple planning.
•Yali brackets: Many pillars feature
imposing yali (mythical leonine creatures), believed to symbolize strength and
the protection of the sacred precinct.
•Monolithic granite construction: Most of
the structural pillars were carved from single blocks of granite, demonstrating
the engineering skills of medieval South Indian artisans.
•Natural lighting: The shafts of daylight
entering through the openings in the roof gently illuminate the stone floor and
pillars, creating a dramatic interplay of light and shadow. This subtle
lighting effect changes throughout the day and enhances the spiritual ambience.
•Visual perspective: The diminishing rows
of pillars produce an almost infinite sense of depth, making this one of the
temple's most photogenic corridors.
It was very
attractive from a photo perspective with strong lead lines, repeatedsculptural patterns, balanced symmetry,
controlled natural light and exceptional texture in the granite carvings. It conveys not just the scale of the temple
but also the serene atmosphere experienced by devotees as they approach Sri
Gandhimathi Thayar.
It is a fine
architectural study of one of the finest Pandya–Nayak temple corridors still
preserved in South India.
Reminiscing the
past - Nov 2014 - two nonagerians - His Holiness Sri Perumpudur Appan Parakala
Ramanuja Embar Jeeyar Swami, who was into his 90s at that time and Dr VV
Ramanujam who was 95+ at that time.
Both great
scholars, have written many works for our sampradhayam and both Vaikundavasis
now
Imp
pre-script : How many Gold coins do you
have ?
Those who were extremely good in studies might have got Gold medals,
rest bought them in 1G, 2G and … … dreamt of buying a Kilo of Gold. The Indian love story for the ‘yellow
metal’.....has no 7 year itch !! .. it is Rs.14010/- for 1 gm of 22 ct gold. Though I
am a strong advocate of buying Gold in e-form, the yellow metal does offer a
personal satisfaction to hold and have in solid form. From the days of Emperors and Kings, gold is
seen as a physical asset with finite supply undiminished in value. From the
naturally found nuggets, gold is minted in the forms of bars and coins. The largest gold coin ever minted was a $1m Canadian Maple Leaf - is 52cm in
diameter.
Not exactly a post on buying Gold, but on gold
coins found elsewhere !!!!
We go
to Temples, worship Emperuman, forget our worries and are blissfully
happy… .. in the midst of festivity in any Temple, there is something
unmistakably heard .. .. .. that makes you happy ! - the sound of music –
not only that of Temple bells – more of Mangala Isai – Nadaswaram & Thavil.
In South Indian Culture
and in Carnatic music, Nadaswaram plays a very prominent role.
The wind instrument is a mangala
isai karuvi (auspicious one) and is
played in all religious functions, marriages and all good events. The Mangala vadhyam is usually played in
pairs, accompanied by thavil. Some of
the famous vidwans would include :
Thiruvavadudurai Rajaratnam Pillai , Dr. Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai,
Thiruvizha Jaisankar, MPM Sethuraman & Ponnusamy, Sembanar koil
brothers, Namagiripettai Krishnan,
Karukurichi Arunachalam, Sheik Chinna Moulana, and many more……….. there are so many vidwans in
Mylapore, Thiruvallikkeni .. .. and we are spell-bound by their music.
Yesterday it was enthralling
Nadaswaram music played by MKSN Manikandan and Chittoor Devarajulu.
ஆச்சாமரத்தில்தான்
நாதஸ்வரம் உருவாக்கப்படுகிறதாம். கீழே மரத்தால் நீண்டு காணப்படும்
வடிவத்திற்கு “அணசு” என்று பெயர். இது ரோஸ்வுட் அல்லது வாகை மரத்தில் செய்யப்படுகிறது.
“சீவாளி” என்ற நாணத்தட்டையால் செய்யப்பட்டதைப் பொருத்தி வாயால் ஊதி இதை
இசைக்கிறார்கள். திருவாவடுதுறை, திருவாலங்காடு போன்ற இடங்களில்
நாணத்தட்டை பயிரிடப்பட்டு அதைப் பக்குவம்செய்து ஸ்ருதி எத்தனை கட்டையோ அதற்கு ஏற்றாற்போல்
சீவாளி செய்யும் வல்லுனர்கள் உள்ளார்கள்.
Nagasawaram-thavil music
is so inseparably woven into the fabric of temple ritual that one is synonymous
with the other. Mallari is played by nagaswaram artists, with
thavil accompaniment, when the processional deity (utsava murthi) sets out (for
thiruveethi purappadu) from the gopura vaasal.
At Thiruvallikkeni
divyadesam, during Chithirai Brahmothsavam of Sri Parthasarathi Peruma, every
day during Pathi ula, Nagaswara vidwans from various places come and
perform. On Theerthavari day it was special - Vidwan MKSN Manikandan and
Chittoor Devarajulu and their troup
The man of this post MKSN Manikandan is son of a prominent Nadaswaram vidwan Mambalam Sri MKS
Natarajan and has an impressive history
of few decades performing in Temples and other religious occasions. Their family has released numerous musical
albums.
Devotees at Triplicane
were treated with a grand musical performance yesterday during Pathi Ula. Likely you would have noticed the ‘Golden
Nadaswaram’ and few more gold coins adorning the Nadaswaram of Sri Manikandan
as medals - they include - Hearteen shape one presented by Sundaram
Pillai Deyvendiran; SA Rajalingam … .. .. and… .. and one presented by our
beloved Ex-CM Puratchi Thalaivar MGR.
The music was enthralling
and kept us spell bound – thanks and special appreciations to Sri MKSN
Manikandan & Chittoor Devarajulu.
ஸ்ரீவைணவம்
ஒரு எளிய மார்க்கம். நம் சித்தாந்தம் போதிப்பது, எம்பெருமானையே நினைத்து, அவனை
சேர்வதற்கு அவன் திருவடிகளையே போற்றுவோம். அவனுக்கு கைங்கர்யங்கள் செய்வது மட்டுமே
நமக்கு விதிக்கப்பட்ட தலையாய கடமை. தியானம் செய்தற்குரிய பொருளை தியானம்
செய்கிறவன் தம் மனதிலே நிறுத்தி , உள்ளத்துக் கொள்ளும் தெய்வம் எம்பெருமான்
ஸ்ரீமன் நாரணன் மட்டுமே - .திருமாலே வேதத்தின் வித்தாக, வேத முதல்வனாகக் கொள்ள
வேண்டும்.
இதையே
ஸ்வாமி நம்மாழ்வார் தமது திருவாய்மொழி பாசுரத்தில் :
கறுத்த மனம் ஒன்றும் வேண்டா கண்ணன் அல்லால் தெய்வம் இல்லை
இறுப்பதெல்லாம் அவன் மூர்த்தியாய் அவர்க்கே இறுமினே.
என அறுதியிட்டு
உரைத்தார். கண்ணனை தவிர
வேறு ஒரு தெய்வமில்லை என்று அறுதியிட்ட
மதுசூதனனை அறிவீரா !?!?
In 3228
BCE in Mathura, was born Bhagwan Sree Krishna who by his deeds and
living, made ever lasting impression upon mankind’s
collective consciousness—re-educating the world about devotion and dharma as
well as the ultimate reality.
How many of
us will admit our mistake, when challenged, that too by an unknown ! –
Madhusudan did .. .. the reverered person was delivering sermons with hundreds
following, whan an avadhut whose presence irked and agitated the learned
audience asked - "Madhusudan,
with all your knowledge, do you still take pleasure in defeating someone in
debate? Does that give you pride?" The acclaimed king of
sannyasis bowed his head silently, and then admitted the truth of the
accusation.
To
understand the full perspective, he was an ardent follower of Shankaracharya
who proclaimed that there is only one ultimate reality, that is, the nirguna
Brahman, which is devoid of any attribute - Sri Krishna. The
words of Madhusudhana Saraswati in his book ‘advaita siddhi sara sangraha’ mangala
shloka, verse 2 categorically explains thus.
வங்காளத்தில்
பிறந்ததாக கருதப்படும் மதுசூதன சரஸ்வதியின் இயற்பெயர் கமலாயனர். நியாய சாத்திரங்களை
கற்று, தலைசிறந்து விளங்கிய மதுசூதன சரஸ்வதி, இல்லறத்தை துறந்து சந்நியாச வாழ்க்கை
மேற்கொண்டு வாரணாசி சென்று, அத்வைத வேதாந்த சாத்திரங்களை கற்றறிந்தார். (c.1540–1640) அத்வைத மரபில் வந்த வேதாந்த தத்துவாதி ஆவார். இவரது குருமார்கள்
விஷ்வேஸ்வர சரஸ்வதி மற்றும் மாதவ சரஸ்வதி. இவரது படைப்புக்களில் தலைசிறந்து விளங்கும்
அத்வைத சித்தி எனும் நூல், மத்துவரின் துவைத தத்துவங்களுக்கு அற்புத விளக்கங்களை அளிக்கிறது.
மதுசூதன சரஸ்வதி 22 வேதாந்த சாத்திர நூல்கள் இயற்றியுள்ளார். அவைகளில்
12 தத்துவ நூல்கள் மற்றும் விளக்க உரை நூல்கள் ஆகும். மற்றவை தோத்திரங்களும்
நாடகங்களும் ஆகும்.
மதுசூதன
சரஸ்வதி, அக்பரின் காலத்தவர், அவரால் மதிக்கப்பட்டவர். இந்தியில் இராமாயணம் எழுதிய
துளசிதாசரின் நண்பர். மதுசூதன சரஸ்வதி அத்வைதியாக இருந்த போதும் கிருஷ்ணரிடம்
பெரும் பக்தி கொண்டவர். ஆதிசங்கரரின் பிரம்ம சூத்திரம் மற்றும் பகவத் கீதை விளக்க உரை
கருத்துக்களுக்கு மாற்றாக பல இடங்களில் விளக்க உரை எழுதியவர் மதுசூதன சரஸ்வதி. வட இந்தியாவில்
அத்வைத தத்துவத்தையும், வைணவ தத்துவத்தையும் இணைக்கும் பாலமாக விளங்கியவர். இதோ இங்கே
அவர் தம் அம்ருத மொழிகள் :
வம்சீ விபூஷித கரான் நவநீரதாபாத்
பீதாம்பரா தருண பிம்ப பலா தரோஷ்டாத்!
பூர்ணேந்து ஸுந்தர முகாத் அரவிந்த நேத்ராத்
க்ருஷ்ணாத் பரம் கிமபி தத்வமஹம் ந ஜானே!!
வேணுகோபாலன்
என புகழுடன் திருக்கைகளிலே புல்லாங்குழல் ஏந்தி, மதுரகானம் பாடும் எம்பெருமான்
கிருஷ்ணன் பட்டு பீதாம்பரங்கள் அணிந்தவன், முழுநிலவு போன்ற முகம் கொண்டவன்,
கோவைப்பழம் போல் சிவந்த உதடுகளைப் பெற்றவான், கார்மேகம் போல ஒளி வீசுபவன் - எங்களை
உய்விக்க வந்த எம்பெருமானே - உம்மைத் தவிர வேறு யாரையும் நான் அறிந்ததில்லை.
கண்ணன் அல்லால் தெய்வமில்லை ! –
அந்த கண்ணன் எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி
அல்லால் வேறு மற்றோருவர் இல்லை.
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).
Everytime, you have
darshan of Sri Parthasarathi, you get carried away by the most beautiful
garlands made of most fragrant flowers..... on Garuda sevai around 12 pm occurs
the grand Ekantha sevai when Perumal adorns single garland made of
roses and innumerable jewels. This year on 3.5.2026 it was a single beautiful garland of big Roses
… .. in few yesteryears there have been combo of Rose, Sampanki and magizham
floral garlands too. It was indeed a very great darshan, as
Sri Parthasarathi Perumal very slowly walked to the mellifluous tunes
played by Nathaswara vithwan. Here are some photos of the grand event.
Chennai
and nearby districts witnessed intense rainfall on Monday despite Cyclone
Ditwah weakening, leading to waterlogging, tree falls, ... and .. .. a colossal loss for Triplicane and
Srivaishnavas.
Thiruvallikkeni
sadly lost one of the doyens of Srivaishnavism – Manthrapusham Bashyam
Swami. Tall, ever smiling, he endeared
himself to all by his way of living, pleasing manners and sharing his knowledge
with youngsters.
Born
in Sept 1931, he was educated in Madras University. He was a respectful high
official with Tamil Nadu Govt working in various capacities and retiring as
Dist Development Officer.
He
was a very regular in arulicheyal kainkaryam at Thiruvallikkeni
divyadesam and did ‘Manthrapushpam’ kainkaryam without missing a day for more
than 3 decades. Even after turning 94,
he was fit and had firm steps – and continued his kainkaryam pleasingly.
Sadly,
on 1.12.2025 - Sri UVe Thirumalai
Sudarshan Bashyam Iyengar Swami
(Manthrapushyam kainkaryam at Sri Parthasarathi swami thirukovil) breathed his
last and attained acharyan thiruvadi. He
had lived a complete life with his grandsons / granddaughters all well placed.
He
lived in Nagoji Street and in recent years has been living at Apartment in TP
Koil Street, just before Gangai kondan mandapam (on top of Shoppers Hut). Understand
the obsequies will be at home around 2.30 pm today (2.12.2025). He maintained good health throughout without any ailments.
Om
Shanthi.
I
knew him personally as he would always greet with a very pleasing smile and
nice words. Here are some photos of him
taken on various dates.
Today
is Karthigai Thiruvonam – at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam after Sri Parthasarathi
Emperuman siriya mada veethi purappadu, during Thiruvanthikappu there was this
excellent rendition of a Carnatic song by Nagaraj in Nadaswaram and Sai Shanmuganathan
in Thavil. Here is a short video. : https://youtu.be/pxbl07JxzTY
Oh, Srinivasa
(Dwelling place of Lakshmi), lord of auscpicious Thiruvenkadam (Ezhumalai),
Victory to you, Oh Govinda (friend of cows), Oh, Mukunda (liberator), Oh
Endless One. You earned the fame as the refuge of the meek, where have you seen
one more meek than me?
Oh, lord of the seven
hills, one who is praised by the whole universe, Illusory one, Oh, husband of
AlarmElmangai; Oh, lord of the Universe, wielder of the wheel and the conch. I
seek the refuge of your feet, free me from fear!
It is a
beautiful keerthanai by Sri Papanasam Sivan fondly addressed as Tamil
Thiyagayya was a famous composer who lived in last century (1890 – 1973). He was
conferred Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971.
He also composed music in Kannada and Tamil cinema in early stages of
movies. Blessed with long
life, he lived like a wandering mystic, enriching the repertoire of classical
music by his priceless compositions. As a child he was known as Ramayya. Since
he was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva, and since he used to sing Bhajans in
praise of Lord Siva especially in Papanasam, he came to be known as Papanasam
Sivan. He was a prolific writer giving us around 500 kritis, excluding the film
songs. The title ‘Tamil Tyagayya’ was
conferred on him by the great Simizhi Sundaram Iyer, when he heard Sivan
singing the song ‘Unnai Thudikka Arulthaa’ in Kuntalavarali raga during the
Tyagaraja Rathotsavam at Tiruvarur. The bulk of Sivan’s compositions are in
Tamil, his mother tongue. He has also composed some kritis in Sanskrit
Hamsanandi is a
prominent, hexatonic (six-note) janya raga (derived scale) in Carnatic music,
known for its meditative, intense, and joyful mood. It is a relatively new but
popular raga, often sung in the evenings, and sets a mood of yearning and
fervent appeal due to the absence of the panchamam (Pa) note. Hamsanandi is an evening rāgam
Web searches reveal
there are many popular Cinema songs of various composers on this raag. Here are some: -
·காலையும் நீயே, மாலையும்
நீயே; காற்றும் நீயே, கடலும் நீயே - படம் 'தேன் நிலவு' - AM ராஜா
·என்ன கொடுப்பான் எவை கொடுப்பான்
என்று இவர்கள் எண்ணும் முன்னே - படம் கர்ணன்; இசை : விஸ்வநாதன் -ராமமூர்த்தி
·ஏழு மலை இருக்க நமக்கென்ன
மனக்கவலை, ஏழேழு பிறவிக்கும் எதற்கும் பயமில்லை, படம்: திருமலை தெய்வம் - இசை குன்னக்குடி வைத்தியநாதன்
·வேதம் ! - வேதம்,
அணுவிலும் ஒரு நாதம், நான் பாடும் ராகங்கள் நாத விநோதம்: படம் சலங்கை ஒலி ; இசை இசைஞானி இளையராஜா
·நாத வினோதங்கள் நடன சந்தோஷங்கள்,
பரம சுகங்கள் தருமே; படம் சலங்கை ஒலி ; இசை இசைஞானி இளையராஜா
·ராக தீபம் ஏற்றும் நேரம்
புயல் மழையோ - படம் : பயணங்கள் முடிவதில்லை, இசை இசைஞானி இளையராஜா
·ராத்திரியில் பூத்திருக்கும்
தாமரைதான் பெண்ணோ, ராஜசுகம் தேடி வர; படம் - தங்க மகன்; இசை இசைஞானி இளையராஜா
Papanasam Sivan, was
born 90 in Polagam, a village in Tanjore
District, as the second son of Ramamritha Iyer and Yogmbal. His early years
were spent in Travancore where he learnt Malayalam and obtained a degree in
grammar from Maharaja Sanskrit College. He first learnt from Noorani Mahadeva Bhagavatar, son of
Parameswara Bhagavatar. Later, he became the disciple of Konerirajapuram
Vaidyanatha Ayyar, a well-known musician.
His elder brother P Rajagopala Iyer’s daughter was VN Janaki, who became
the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1988 albeit for a very brief period.