Sri Varadha Raja Perumal Garuda Sevai 2025

 

In this earthly World full of conflicts, people often are listless, fear everything and do not have a composed mind. What should they look to ?  on the other side, people are obsessed with material things !!  . 

இப்பூவுலகத்திலே மானுடர்கள் : -  நான், என்னுடையது, எனது குடும்பம், எனது குழுமம் என ஸம்ஸார மண்டலத்திலே   கிலேசங்களுடன்  அலைகின்றனர்.  துக்கங்களை கேட்கும் போதெல்லாம்,  கஷ்டங்களை பார்க்கும்போதெல்லாம் என்னை யார் காப்பார் என புலம்புகின்றனர். மற்றோரு பக்கம், மாந்தர் காணும் பொருட்கள் மீதெல்லாம் ஆசைப்படுகின்றனர்.  பொருட்செல்வம் ஈட்டி - அதுவே தங்கள் வளமை என இறுமாப்பு கொள்கின்றனர்..  

Likely, You would have observed children – ask them about their favourite belonging ! – it could be a  dinosaur T-shirt, a pencil, tea cup, play cycle, car, electronic gadget or whatever – they are extremely possessive and attached – most modern children are not taught to share their playthings with their siblings even, leave alone cousins and friends !!  Modern children spend most time on smart mobiles, playing computer games – and seeing videos – they play a couple of games, try to win. But the fix is in: experimenters have arranged that he will win one game and lose the other (and, to avoid suffering harm, will win a third and final game at the experiment's end). After winning and after losing, they are the champions of their own World without realizing what the challenges are there in the earthly World

Obsession – what – the noun would mean a persistent disturbing pre-occupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling – succinctly compelling motivation !

An obsession is a recurring thought of something or someone, where it always seems to be in a person’s mind.  Obsessions may be a passing occurrence or a long-term interest, and may or may not be uncomfortable experiences. Obsessions may often reoccur in your daily life as:  thoughts, dreams, urges,  fantasies, and the like. 

One may think the US President as one who could possess, get whatever he thinks of !  President Donald Trump has plane envy. “You look at some of the Arab countries, and the planes they have parked alongside the United States of America’s plane—it’s like from a different planet,” he marveled.   To compensate, Trump is now considering accepting a plane from Qatar, an energy-rich monarchy that has long sought to curry favor with the U.S. president.  It is a biiiiig plane ! and a  gesture that plays directly to the ego of a billionaire who has long preferred oversized planes, personalizing airliners too big to land in some airports over the more nimble jets that most executives prefer. Trump’s planes, impractical as they may be, definitely make a statement.    

Turning back obsession is not for children alone - in fact it is WE. As a grown up the attachment could be iPhone, two wheeler, Car, watch, chain, ring and gadgets as personal belongings.  Every branch of science, from evolutionary psychology and anthropology to consumer research and neuroscience, have affirmed that our belongings fill many emotional needs. They comfort us amid loneliness and boost our confidence about our abilities. In fact, our possessions do not just make us feel secure by substituting for important people in our lives; we actually see these objects as an extension of ourselves. We believe—or perhaps act as if we believe—that in some way, our very essence permeates our things. If these things become damaged or lost, we ourselves feel damaged or lost. Stated baldly, our relationship with our stuff is more weird and crazy than we ever think of. 

History abounds with tales of Kings and mighty who conquered places but were consigned to dust and forgotten, also spiritual seekers who renounced all worldly possessions in their quest to find enlightenment. After much self-deprivation himself, Buddha discovered that “The Middle Way” was a more wholesome approach – having enough to satisfy one’s needs but not so much as to be self-indulgent. The inescapable fact of life is that no one can take any of their things with them when they die. We are born with nothing and we die with nothing. The things we acquire while we’re alive can help or hinder us in our journey but, in the end, they are all stripped away. Over-attachment to material things is ultimately futile. 

In most Nations, in modern cities - the killer roads affect  mankind in a big way – there are so many road accidents – killing and maiming people.  …. and in 2020 – mankind feared something new .. .. a dreaded Corona virus named as Covid 19 – things were different for a while – no regular traffic, city roads devoid of vehicles for few months.    Covid 19 affected people in a very big way, killing and spoiling health; besides the Virus, stress anxiety, uncertainty of future, lurking fear of the disease, economy and others took  a heavy toll of supple humans. 

Keep away your attachments, your obsession to material things – none of them is permanent; none of them will help when you are in real need.  Bow and attain the feet of Emperuman.  Like a ship caught in stormy ocean signalling in distress, I stood shivering in the ocean-of-birth and was lamenting and crying towards God. With exceeding grace and divinity, HE  heard me and came to me, with a conch and discus in hand and became one with me.  .. He is my eternal saviour says Swami Nammalwar. 

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. !!  .. .. ..  The Brahminy kite  is considered to be the contemporary representations of Garuda.  The annual brahmothsavam of Sri Varadharaja Swami occurs in Vaikasi every year. At Thiruvallikkeni, there would be purappadu once a day only -    day 3 is   the famous Garuda Sevai – when Lord is taken in procession on vahanam of Garuda also known as Periya Thiruvadi. Garuda Sevai at Kanchipuram is the most famous one with lakhs of devotees coming to have darshan.   The very darshan of Lord Varadha Rajar on Garudan will rid us of all evils.  The glorious darshan would provide us immense confidence to fight everything  .. … .. 

ஆவாரார் துணையென்று   அலைநீர்க்கடலுள் அழுந்தும்

நாவாய் போல்,  பிறவிக் கடலுள்  நின்று நான்   துளங்க,

தேவார் கோலத்தொடும்   திருச்சக்கரம் சங்கினொடும்,

ஆவாவென்று   அருள்   செய்து   அடியேனொடுமானானே.  

 

கஷ்டங்களில் இருந்து என்னை காப்பாரொருவருமில்லையேயென்று கதறிக் கொண்டு, அலைகள் ஆர்ப்பரிக்கும்  கடலினுள்ளே அமிழ்ந்துகிற சிறு படகு போல  நானும்  சம்ஸாரக்கடலினுள்ளே சிரமப்படும் வேளையில்  - எம்பெருமான் ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணன்  தனது, திவ்யமான வடிவோடும், திருவாழி திருசங்குகளோடும்கூடி எனக்கு அருள் செய்து   என்னோடும் கூடினான்.  இவ்வளவு எளிமையான எம்பெருமான் எனக்கு துணை இருக்கும் போது - அவனது பக்தர்கள் ஏன் கவலைப்பட வேண்டும் !  ~ என வினவுகிறார் ஸ்வாமி நம்மாழ்வார்.  

Here are some photos of Sri Varadha Raja Perumal Garuda sevai at  Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam.   

adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
13.5.2025