Sri Azhagiya Singar Garuda Sevai 2026

 

Sri Azhagiya Singar Garuda Sevai 2026

 

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; Indonesia adopts a more stylistic approach depicting a Javanese eagle (being much larger than a kite).  Well,  Eagle is far different than the Brahminy Kite !! 

Moving away,  Mexico’s main national symbol is the coat of arms: a golden eagle perched on a prickly pear cactus, with a snake in its beak and talon. It appears in the center of the national flag, which is one of Mexico’s other key national symbols. 

The Aztec were a Nahuatl-speaking Mesoamerican people who built a powerful empire in central Mexico before the Spanish conquest. More precisely, many of them called themselves the Mexica, and “Aztec” is the later broader label used for their civilization. Tenochtitlan was their great capital city, founded around 1325 on islands in Lake Texcoco. It became one of the largest and most impressive cities in the Americas, with canals, causeways, temples, and a huge population, and its ruins now lie beneath modern Mexico City. 

The Brahminy kite and the Aztec eagle are both powerful bird symbols, but they come from very different cultural worlds. The Brahminy kite is an actual bird in South and Southeast Asia, often linked in Hindu tradition with Garuda and auspicious presence, while the Aztec eagle is primarily a mythic-national symbol tied to the Mexica founding legend and war identity.   The Brahminy kite is a real raptor species, scientifically Haliastur indus, and it is widely recognized in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and nearby regions. The Aztec eagle is not a specific zoological species in the same way; it is a symbolic eagle image central to Aztec iconography and later Mexican identity.

In Hindu and related regional traditions, the Brahminy kite is often treated as an earthly reflection of Garuda, the divine bird and Sriman Narayanan’s vehicle, and it can carry auspicious or sacred associations. In Aztec mythology, the eagle is associated with divine destiny, sovereignty, and the founding sign of Tenochtitlan, where the eagle became a state symbol rather than a bird linked to a single avian species.  The Tenochtitlan founding legend says the Mexica were told to keep traveling until they saw a eagle perched on a cactus, often shown devouring a serpent, and that spot would be their new city. That omen was said to appear on an island in Lake Texcoco, where they founded Tenochtitlan in 1325, the city that later became Mexico City.  

The eagle was a divine signal from Huitzilopochtli, the Mexica god of sun and war, confirming they had reached the destined place. In later Mexican symbolism, the image came to stand for national origin, identity, and continuity from the Aztec past. For the Aztec, Tenochtitlan was not just a capital; it was the sacred center of their world. The founding legend of the eagle sign helped make the city’s origin story powerful and enduring, and that imagery still appears in Mexico’s national symbols today.

எம்பெருமானுக்கு எப்போதும் கைங்கர்யம் செய்யும் கருடாழ்வார் பெரிய திருவடி என சிறப்பிக்கப்படுகிறார்.  அழகான பட்டு உடுத்திய கருடனின் மீது பெருமாள் எழுந்து அருளும் கருட சேவை மிக அழகும் கம்பீரமும் நிறைந்தது.   கருடன், காச்யபர் என்கிற மகரிஷிக்கும் வினதைக்கும் பிறந்தவர்.  'வினதை சிறுவன்' என பெரியாழ்வார் மங்களாசாசனம்.  வினதையின் மற்றொரு புதல்வன் அருணன், சூரியனுக்கு தேரோட்டி.   

கஸ்யபருக்கும் வினைதைக்கும்  கருடன் மிக்க பலசாலியாகவும்  , தன் விருப்பப்படியே நினைத்த உருவெடுக்க வல்லவனும், நினைத்த இடத்திற்குச் செல்ல தகுந்தவனும், நினைத்த அளவிற்கு சக்தியைப் பெருக்கிக் கொள்ளத் தக்கவனும், காந்தி மிக்கவனும்,  நெருப்புக் குவியல் போன்ற ஒளியுடன் பிரகாசமாக பிறந்தான்.  மின்னலைப் போன்ற பார்வையுடனும், யுக முடிவின் நெருப்புக்கு ஒத்த காந்தியுடனும், இருந்த அந்தப் பறவையானவன் (கருடன்), பிறந்தவுடனேயே வேகமாக வளர்ந்து, உருவத்தைப் பெருக்கிக் கொண்டு வானத்தில் பறந்தான்.  

In the ongoing Aani Brahmothsavam for Sri Azhagiya Singar  at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam today  27^th June 2026     is the third day – a very important day ~ it is  Garuda Vahanam for Sri Thelliyasinga  Perumal.  Garuda is depicted as having the golden body of a strong person, has a white face, wings,  prominent beak, wears a crown – massive, strong – and more than anything else – ever devoted to Sriman Narayanan, carrying Him on his shoulders all the time. His devotion and being close to Emperuman all the time – Garuda, is admired as ‘PeriyaThiruvadi’.  

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 vassal darsanam). (around 5.30 am)   On Garuda Sevai day, people from far and away come to the temple, offer vasthram (new clothes), place before Lord cocoanut, fruits & other offerings and have darshan of Lord in Garuda vahanam.  It is a day of masses ~ teeming crowds, chanting the name of Lord SrimanNarayana, offering him everything including hundreds of vasthrams – all roads would read Madaveethis as people rush to have darshan of Lord on Garuda and enjoy the aesal and other festivities.  

The streaming bakthas had the pleasure of His darshan and here are some photos of Garuda Sevai purappadu.      At 05.30 am, people waited to have the glimpse of Lord coming out of western Gopuravasal, then there was grand aesal – and after halt at   Gangaikondan mandapam,  purappadu resumed by 8 am and concluded around 10.15 am.  

adiyenSrinivasadhasan 
Mamandur Veeragalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar

 

நாராயண மந்திரம் - நலம் தரும் பெரு மருந்து

 

நலம் தரும் சொல்லை நான் கண்டு கொண்டேன் - "நாராயணா" என்னும் நாமம்.

Thiruvallikkeni Hamsa vahanam infront of Sri Parthasarathi koil entrance !

 

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Hamsa vahanam 2026

 

Sri Parthasarathi Perumal Hamsa vahanam 2026

 

Humans have been endlessly fascinated and yet puzzled by the mysterious seasonal emergence and disappearance of birds. Birds are very interesting and affable.  Though one may see some nests, how birds sleep, how do they get their food, how they raise their family, how do they live and stave off their predators are all mysterious.  Birds migrate across continents.  Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway, between breeding and wintering grounds. Many species of bird migrate. Migration carries high costs in predation and mortality, including from hunting by humans, and is driven primarily by availability of food.   

Migration of species such as storks, turtle doves, and swallows was recorded as many as 3,000 years ago by Ancient Greek authors, including Homer and Aristotle, and in the Book of Job. More recently, Johannes Leche began recording dates of arrivals of spring migrants in Finland in 1749, and modern scientific studies have used techniques including bird ringing and satellite tracking to trace migrants. Threats to migratory birds have grown with habitat destruction especially of stopover and wintering sites, as well as structures such as power lines and wind farms. 

Away, the  world’s oldest known wild bird, a Laysan albatross named Wisdom,  a female Laysan albatross (mōlī)   is at least 75 years old as of 2025. Bandedin Dec 1956, by Chandler Robbins reared what is known to be at least her 40th chick in 2021. The bird hatched the baby on the Midway Atoll in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean. The feat aroused interest in the minds of researchers as it has stretched the boundaries of human knowledge of how birds live.  The  septuagenarian seabird has been raising chicks with her mate, named Akeakamai, since at least 2010. Laysan albatross are typically believed to partner up for life, but given Wisdom’s longevity, she had to find several new companions after she outlived her former mates.   

On  third day of   Special Brahmothsavam of Sri Parthasarathi   Emperuman this day (3.5.2026) – it is Garuda vahanam in the morning and  ‘Hamsa Vahanam’ in the evening.  The Thiruvallikkeni Hamsa vahanam is one of the heaviest among the vahanams.  The bird Hamsa  is known for its purity and powers.  Thirumangai Mannan in his ‘Thirunedunthandagam’ draws a reference to the Hamsa bird.  

Milk is a nutrient-rich, white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for infant mammals. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to its young and can reduce the risk of many diseases. It contains many other nutrients  including protein and lactose.  As an agricultural product, dairy milk, is extracted from farm animals.   Human  milk consumption has played a key role in global economic and agricultural developments for over 10,000 years. Given its popularity, cow's milk has been the subject of numerous scientific studies in recent history.  Today with an annual production of 187.75 million tonnes (as per 2018-19 data) India accounts for about 22% of the world’s milk production. India’s journey from a milk deficit country to one of surplus has been momentous. Initiated in 1970, Operation Flood was arguably the world’s most ambitious dairy development programme that transformed India into one of the largest milk producers. India’s milk production rate in the past few decades has, in many ways, been symbolic of the upward trajectory of the country’s economy and influence.  

A lamellae  in cell biology, is used to describe numerous plate or concentric layers or disc-like structures at both a intra-cellular, cellular, tissue and higher level. Granums in chloroplast are interconnected by intergranal lamellae. They are the sites of photosystem I. Simply put, lamellae may be considered as multiple parallel or concentric layers of membranes as in chlorophyll  -  relevance here ?!?  

The hamsa ( हंस)  is an aquatic bird of passage, which  in modern parlance has been  interpreted as the goose, the swan,  or even the flamingo.   In Greek mythology, Zeus king of the Olympian gods takes the form of a swan to seduce a beautiful princess Leda.  In Irish mythology it was said that swans which flew in the sky by day were actually beautiful women at night. They would remove their swan suits and bathe in forest ponds. The Hamsa, vahanam  of Lord Saraswathi  is a familiar leitmotif in Indian art, literature, sculpture and textiles. It is an aquatic bird that resembles a goose or a swan. It is reputed to eat pearls and to be able to separate milk from water and drink only pure milk.  The Hamsa represents the perfect  harmony between spirituality and life.  Hamsam is attributed qualities of  purity, detachment, divine knowledge, cosmic breath (prana) and highest spiritual accomplishment.  

Water birds separate good water from the bad water. They have a sieve like structure (lamellae) in its mouth which separates water from mud. Probably this is what leads to the belief that Swans can separate milk from water and drink only milk, or perhaps they really can. In Sanskrit Ksheera means milk and pure water. Here are some photos of Sri Parthasarathi  Perumal in Hamsa vahanam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam. 

~adiyen Srinivasadhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar

 

Welcoming new Tamil Year (Parabava)

 

இன்று போல ஓர் இனிய நாளில், மழை மேகங்கள் கண்டு இன்புற்று, காட்டில் உள்ள மயில் தன் அழகிய தோகையை விரித்தாடியதைக் கண்ட வான் கோழி, (இங்கே இந்த சிறு கருங்குருவி) தன்னையும் அந்த மயில் என்று எண்ணிக் கொண்டு, தன் சிறகுகளை விரித்தாடியது

 

இனிய பராபவ தமிழ் வருஷ புத்தாண்டு நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள்.

மயில் போன்று பெரிய அழகிய தோகைகள் இல்லாவிடினும், முயற்சி செய்பவரே வெற்றி பெறுவர்.

 

14.4.2026

Cygnus atratus ~ Black Swan theory ....... Mamunigal Hamsa vahanam

 

Here is a picture of a Black Swan – have heard -  popular theory called – Black Swan theory.   

 

Everyday we must think of our Greatest Acharyar – Periya Jeeyar - Saint Vara Vara Muni, the last of the ‘Poorvacharyars’ in the grand galaxy of preceptors, known as Azhagiya Manavala Nayanar, before he was ordained the holy order of  Sanyasa.  It is none other than our most adored Acharyar  “Swami Manavala Mamunigal” - the reincarnation of Sri Ramanuja who was himself an incarnation of Adisesha. 

“Yathindra Pravana Prabhavam” is an ancient work on the biography of “Sri Manavala Mamunigal” written by Swamy Pillailokam Jeeyar, (a sishya of Manavala Mamunigal)  - it  details  the lives of Swami Nampilai, Pillai lokachariar,Azhagiya Perumal Nayanar, 24,000 padi, and birth of 36,000 padi, Thiruvaimozhi Pillai and Swamy Manavala Mamunigal.  Our most reverred Acharyar lived for 73 years on this earth performing many Kainkaryams and undertook  pilgrimages to many Sri VaishNavite Dhivya dEsams. Most of his life was spent however at Srirangam . His devotion to Udayavar (Yatheenthirar); Swami Nammalwar and Namperumal was extraordinary.

 

Today 8.4.2026 is Moolam nakshathiram in the month of Panguni.  Reminiscing our Acharyar ThiruAvathara Uthsavam   at Thiruvallikkeni – here are some photos of day 7 purappadu of Mamunigal in   Hamsa vahanam on 24.10.2025.

 

Pictured at the start is a Black Swan -  Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus Cygnus.  The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks.  There are six living and many extinct species of swan; in addition, there is a species known as the coscoroba swan which is no longer considered one of the true swans.  The hamsa  is an aquatic migratory bird,  referred to in ancient Sanskrit texts which various scholars have interpreted as being based on the goose, the swan,  or even the flamingo.   Bird Hamsa is the vahana of Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma.  

Jean Vogel, in 1952, questioned if hamsa is indeed a swan, as  Dutch ornithologists George Junge and E.D. van Oort he consulted, swans were rare in modern India while bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) were common. According to Vogel, Western and Indian scholars may have preferred translating hamsa from Sanskrit to swan as the indigenous goose appears plump while the swan (and, Vogel adds, the flamingo) appears more graceful.   However, some Ornithologists have criticized Vogel's view as being over-reliant on artistic representations from south India and Sri Lanka, where the white swan is rare.  American ornithologist Paul Johnsgard, in 2010, stated that mute swans (Cygnus Olor) do migrate to the northwestern Himalayan region of India every winter, migrating some 1000 miles each way.   The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae.  

The term black swan primarily refers to the Australian waterbird (Cygnus atratus), but it is also a widely used metaphor in philosophy, finance, and pop culture for unpredictable, high-impact events.   In Western Australia, the black swan is a major regional symbol, appearing on the state flag and coat of arms.

The term  “Black Swan theory” -  was popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb's book, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. A "black swan event" has three key traits:  -  Rarity: It is an outlier that lies outside the realm of regular expectations. Extreme Impact: It carries massive consequences (e.g., the 2008 financial crisis or the 9/11 attacks). Retrospective Predictability: People concoct explanations after the fact to make it seem like it was predictable.  

Interesting !
 
adiyen Srinivasa dhadan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
8.4.2026

 

Hamsa Vahanam ~ Madhuramangalam

 

Eye-captivating, colourful, beautiful Hamsa vahanam @

Sri Vaikuntha Perumal and Sri Embar thirukkovil, Madhuramangalam

சிந்தாமணியே திருவேங்கடம் மேய எந்தாய்! ~ Sri Lakshmi Balaji temple

 

This morning I had queried -  இந்த அழகான சிலை எங்குள்ளது !! யூகிக்க முடியுமா !!   – Clue : திவ்யதேசமல்ல, பிரபலமான கோவில் அல்ல, சென்னை மாநகரத்தில் !!

 

எம்பெருமான் உறையும் சிறப்பான இடங்கள் -  பரமபதம், திருப்பாற்கடல், திருவேங்கடம், ஏனைய திவ்யதேசங்கள். இத்தகைய  அஸாதாரண ஸ்தலங்களை தவிர பல இடங்களில் நாம் சேவிக்க ஸ்ரீனிவாசர்  திருக்கோவில்கள் அழகுற அமைந்துள்ளன.   இவ்வாறு  வந்த இடங்களிலும்  ஜ்ஞாநாநுஷ்டாநங்ளிற்சிறந்த யோகிகளின் மனத்தைத் தேடியோடாமல்  அடிநாய் ஆன நம் போன்ற பக்தர்களின் மனதிலும்   தேடிப்பிடித்து வந்து புகுந்து நம்மை ஆட்கொள்வதே அவன் சிறப்பு. 

In the concrete jungle of Chennai, the  Pallikaranai Marshland,   is a vital freshwater and brackish wetland designated as a Ramsar site, supporting rich biodiversity with numerous resident and migratory birds, reptiles, and fish, acting as a crucial natural flood buffer for the city despite threats from urban development, pollution, and waste, with ongoing efforts for its conservation and boundary demarcation.  Over the years it has become a crucial stopover for migratory birds and a natural flood buffer for the city, although it faces threats from urbanization. It's a major birdwatching spot, home to diverse species like flamingos, pelicans, ibis, and crocodiles, and supports various reptiles, fish, and butterflies.  

A Ramsar site is a wetland designated of "international importance" under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (1971). These sites are recognized for their ecological value, biodiversity, and critical habitats for species like waterfowl. They are managed through international cooperation to ensure "wise use" and sustainable conservation.  

And .. as we travel from Velachery crossing the marshlands cutting across the Pallavaram radial road leading to Thuraipakkam on one side, there is this long bridge at Kamakshi hospital junction / NIOT, we reach Pallikaranai, on way to Medavakkam, further to Tambaram.  One comes across -  Sree Balaji Dental College & Hospital, established in  1989,   now boasting a vast built-up area and  state-of-the-art clinical departments.  Here the road branches off to Kamakoti Nagar, another suburb, this time with neat row houses and villas. 

 

இதோ இங்கே கலியன் திருமங்கைமன்னனின் திருமொழி பாசுரம் - திருவேங்கடவன் விஷயமாக  : 

வந்தாயென்மனம் புகுந்தாய் மன்னிநின்றாய் *

நந்தாத கொழுஞ்சுடரே எங்கள் நம்பீ! *

சிந்தாமணியே திருவேங்கடம் மேய

எந்தாய்! * இனியான்  உன்னை என்றும் விடேனே.

 ஒருகாலும் அணையாத  சிறந்த தேஜஸ்ஸாயிருப்பவனே!;  எங்களுடைய குறையை நிரப்பவல்ல பூர்ணனே!; நினைத்த மாத்திரத்தில் எல்லாவற்றையும் கொடுத்தருள வல்லவனே! ; திருமலையிலெழுந்தருளியிருக்கும் பெருமானே!  நீர் என்னருகே வந்தீர், என் மனம் புகுந்தீர், மனதுக்குள்ளே பொருந்தி நின்றுள்ளீர்கள். இனிமேல் அடியேன் உம்மை ஒருநாளும் விடமாட்டேன்.உமக்கு பணி கைங்கர்யங்கள் செய்து, உம்மை அடைவதே பிறவி பெரும்பயன்.  

Kamakoti Nagar is  a residential area that has this beautiful temple of Lord Srinivasa – ‘Sri  Lakshmi Balaji temple”.  This is relatively new temple, of recent decades with Lord Srinivasa worshipped as ‘Lakshmi Balaji’ – uniquely Srinivasar having Lakshmi in the lower half of His body.   Just as Shiva and his consort appear in a single form as Ardhanareeswara, in this temple, Balaji and his consort appear in a single form like this.  

The moolavar vigraham is around seven foot high impressive and has Alarmelmangai thayar sannathi and Andal sannathi on either sides.  The temple also enshrines vigrahams of Lakshmi Narasimha, Anjaneya & Swami Emperumanar Ramanujar.  Garuda stands  facing towards the sanctum.   The flagstaff and bali peedam are inside the temple itself.

 
Here are some photos of this beautiful temple.
 
adiyen Srinivasa dhasan
Mamandur Veeravalli Srinivasan Sampathkumar
24.1.2026