Thiruppanar ~ அணியரங்கன் என்னமுதினைக் கண்ட கண்கள்

Happy to be living in Thiruvallikkeni  Divyadesam ~ though the primordial purpose of darshan of Emperuman in His purappadus is not happening from 20^th Mar 2020.

Moving slightly away, at Triplicane, as in many coastal areas – one finds their door grills, vehicles and many other metal properties corroding faster – one witnesses this on the shower head, the    orange stain of metal corrosion.  The immediate answer is salinity – salt water, salt water prevalent in air, being closer to sea.  The natural Q is what will happen to those mammoth ships that float on sea water.  It can be   catastrophic. Hulls can collapse, ballast tanks weaken and motors fail, all because of rust. There’s no way to fully eradicate it.  It’s a billion billion  scourge that afflicts Navy destroyers, cruise ships, merchant cargo vessels, general carriers, container ships and more -   without fear or favor.

Rust is an iron oxide, a usually reddish brown oxide formed by the reaction of iron and oxygen in the presence of water or air moisture.  Given sufficient time, any iron mass, in the presence of water and oxygen, could eventually convert entirely to rust. Surface rust is commonly flaky and friable. Rusting is the common term for corrosion of iron and its alloys, such as steel. Many other metals undergo similar corrosion, but the resulting oxides are not commonly called rust.

Miles away, in the Southern end of Arabian peninsula, there has been renewed anger in Yemen after Houthi leaders again refused to allow UN inspectors to board a rusting oil storage vessel moored off the port city of Hodeidah. Yemeni authorities accused the Houthis of risking an environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea, and called for a tougher UN line against the Iran-backed militias. The FSO Safer has been moored 7 km off the coast of Yemen since 1988. It fell into Houthi hands in March 2015, when they took control of the coast around Hodeidah. The vessel has been described as “a ticking time bomb” amid fears that the 1.4 million barrels of oil it contains will start to seep out. Without movement, the vehicle is rusting !

Back, today is Revathi in the month of Purattasi and in two months time it would be Sarrumurai vaibhavam of Sri Thiruppanar.  கார்த்திகை மாதம் ஒரு சிறப்பான மாதம்.  திருமங்கை மன்னன், திருப்பாணாழ்வார்     சாற்றுமுறைகள்  - கூடவே திருக்கார்த்திகை தீப உத்சவம்.

We know rusting exists on Earth and Mars, but now scientists have found that there is rusting on the moon as well. The images sent by Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan 1 orbiter - India's first mission to the moon, show that the moon may be rusting along the poles.  This is a surprising discovery since rust, which is also known as iron oxide, is a reddish compound that forms when the iron is exposed to water and oxygen, and moon's surface is not known for the presence of water and oxygen. 

While our Moon is airless, research indicates the presence of hematite, a form of rust that normally requires oxygen and water. That has scientists puzzled. Mars has long been known for its rust. Iron on its surface, combined with water and oxygen from the ancient past, give the Red Planet its hue. But scientists were recently surprised to find evidence that our airless Moon has rust on it as well. A new paper in Science Advances reviews data from the Indian Space Research Organization's Chandrayaan-1 orbiter, which discovered water ice and mapped out a variety of minerals while surveying the Moon's surface in 2008.   Water interacts with rock to produce a diversity of minerals, and M3 detected spectra – or light reflected off surfaces – that revealed the Moon's poles had a very different composition than the rest of it.

Generally, Karthigai would fall on ‘karthigai nakshathiram’ – after which there would be no purappadu, so there would be years whence there would be no sarrumurai purappadu of Thiruppanazhwar.   This year 30.11.2020 would be grand as it would be Thirukarthigai Deepa uthsavam as also Thiruppanar sarrumurai being ‘Rohini in the month of Karthigai’.   A similar thing occurred on 02.12.2009 and here are some photos of Thiruppanazhwar and Sri Parthasartathi perumal purappadu and chokkapanai fire  in 2009.  

The sacred Cauvery flowing across enriched all areas on its banks ~ the Chozha empire flourished due to that.  Historically, Uraiyur [also spelt Woraiyoor] was  the capital of the Empire at some point time  – it  had big palatial buildings and bigger choultries feeding the poor all the time.   Woraiyur figures prominently in the Sangam works like Pattinapalai and Purananuru. Literature reports that, Karikala Cholan beautified its fortifications, gateways, tall mansions and temples.  Uraiyur over the period is known by various names such as ‘Thirukkozhi, Nikalaapuri, Uranthai, and Kozhiyur’. The word Urayur in Tamil literally means "the residence" ~ perhaps meant to be the abode of the Lord Himself.  Legend has it that ‘cock attacked the elephant of the king’ and realizing the valour, the place came to be known as ‘Kozhiyoor’ too.  

For Sri Vaishnavaites, this places assumes significance for this is a Divyadesam ~ more so as every year Lord Num Perumal from Thiruvarangam visits this place.  The presiding deity here is Azhagiya Manavaalan in  standing posture possessing ‘Conch [Thiruvazhi] and Chakra in His hands.  The Thayar is Kamalavalli Nachiyar ~ who is in the main sannathi itself alongwith Perumal.    There are separate sannathies for Swami Nammalwar; Sri Ramanujar and ThiruPanazhvaar.   

This place has added significance of being the avathara sthalam of Thirup Paan Azhwar for whom there is a separate sannathi.  The prakaram is not big and on the left side of the corridor is the sannidhi of Thirupanar.  Here is  one of his immortal verses:

அமலனாதிபிரான் அடியார்க்கென்னை ஆட்படுத்த*

விமலன் விண்ணவர்கோன் விரையார் பொழில் வேங்கடவன்*

நிமலன் நின்மலன் நீதிவானவன் நீள்மதிள் அரங்கத்தம்மான்*

திருக்கமலபாதம் வந்து  என்கண்ணினுள்ளன ஓக்கின்றதே.

 

Azhwar totally immersed with bakthi, refers to the Lord as Vimalan, glorifying His blemishlessness and magnanimity.  The immaculate  Lord Ranganatha [Arangathamman]  cleanses the massive dirt of ignorance of the worshippers and imparts purity to them. Indeed He is the purest of the pure and the most auspicious among the auspicious.   The Lord “Nimalan” is the one who bestows boons on his devotees even unasked and unsolicited, enhancing His greatness still further. And when someone thinks of such magnanimous Lord – the Lotus feet – the very thought gets ingrained in the eyes of Azhwar who could see nothing else and melts with the benevolence of Lord Ranganatha. 

 

As starts the thaniyan ~ ஆபாதசூடம்  ~ from the feet to the crown, perhaps was his resolve when he started singing, but he cannot take his eyes off the Thiruvadi.   Such was his bakthi.  Sri Thirup Paanazhwar’s  thirunakshathiram falls on “ Rohini in Karthigai month.” The Azhwar,  an amsam - Sri Vatsa of Sriman Narayana sang mellifluous paeans in praise of Lord.  Such was his blemishless devotion to Lord Aranganathar that he claimed that he does not want to see anything else with his eyes that saw the most benevolent Lord Arangar.

~ அண்டர் கோன் அணியரங்கன் என்னமுதினைக் கண்ட கண்கள்

மற்றொன்றினைக் காணாவே.

 

adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
07.10.2020