In most temples when the thiruvArAdhanam was being performed, there would definitely be the presence of an elephant. In our custom, the Swami was always celebrated as a king. Many would come and tell me, that when they went to the temples to do dhyAnam, there were lots of noise within the temple disturbing them. Temple essentially is not a place for either dhyAnam or japam. By and Large, the temple is meant for celebrating the perumal and experience joy at seeing bhagavan. There should be the sound of drums, divine instruments, veda parayanam and prabhandam should be heard. There should be thousands and thousands of devotees coming and going, there should be lots of procession and thus a temple will be filled with uthsavams.
The Bhagavan himself loves celebration. If we keep the bhagavan in a corner, bhagavan wont be happy. A child and the deivam is one, it is said, in what way? in the way its loved and celebrated. The moment we see a child, we would like to cuddle it, praise it, kiss it and say loving words, play with it, take it out in the evening for a walk in the park, beach or get sweets for the child and likewise if we keep engaging the child, the child will be filled with joy and happiness. Similarly if we treat the bhagavan with the same love by conducting uthsavams, taking the bhagavan out on processions, bhagavan will be happy and on top of that, Lord Vishnu Hari are lovers of celebration. Thats why in all temples there were elephants.
The Bhagavan himself loves celebration. If we keep the bhagavan in a corner, bhagavan wont be happy. A child and the deivam is one, it is said, in what way? in the way its loved and celebrated. The moment we see a child, we would like to cuddle it, praise it, kiss it and say loving words, play with it, take it out in the evening for a walk in the park, beach or get sweets for the child and likewise if we keep engaging the child, the child will be filled with joy and happiness. Similarly if we treat the bhagavan with the same love by conducting uthsavams, taking the bhagavan out on processions, bhagavan will be happy and on top of that, Lord Vishnu Hari are lovers of celebration. Thats why in all temples there were elephants.
If you leave Tamil Nadu and for example go to Guruvayur in Kerala, being such a big temple with so many priests yet for Guruvayurappan, today a Kadura vahanam or a yaana vahanam or a karpagha vahanam for that matter is not there. There will be elephants but that will be in a procession called Sriveli. There wont be a chariot procession. Only in Tamil Nadu there is a Brahmotsavam, 10 day celebration both day and night there will be chandraprabha, suryaprabha uthsavams for the perumal including Garuda vahanam, Sesha vahanam, hanumantha vahanam like that there will be continuous processions.
Therefore in all the temples of Tamil Nadu there is brahmotsavam. If we go to any temples we can ask, when is the tiruvila, chitramasam tiruvila, vaikasimasam tiruvila, pangunimasam tiruvila all the 10 days there will be kolahalam. All the 10 days there will be both processions by day and by night. Whereas in all other temples there will be a tiruvali for 10 days in a year, in Srirangam however, there will be uthsavam All-year round everyday. On some pretext or the other there will be a uthsavam in Srirangam and in order to participate in all this one should be in Srirangam.
In those days, before the perumal there will be a palanquin and there will be an elephant followed by musical instruments playing, veda parayanam, namasankeerthanam goshti. With all this the perumal dressed in royal attire, there will be a drum which will be played, a person with a whip will strike the ground saying "perumal is coming", "perumal is coming". With drum beats, whip strikes, elephants coming, horses coming, veda parayanam singing, divya prabhandam singing, bhagavathars performing namasankeerthanam, thousands of devotees following, chathra, chamara respects being done with thiruchinnam was the way it was happening in almost all divyadeshams.
Over time, mostly the number of elephants have started to come down in most temples today.
In a temple how the abhivriddhi (growth) will be known is by the way the thiruvArAdhanam has been performed punctually on time. This should happen on time exactly. Then the swami sannidhyam ("power of HIS presence") will be maitained in the diety. Secondly there should be veda parayanam. Thirdly there should be prabhandam. Fourth there should be namasankeerthanam. Every now and then katha shravanam should happen, kAlakshepam about the bhagavan should be told. Then the "prasada" distribution should happen. Many devotees should come often to the temple. Mainly there should be an elephant in the temple. Once in 12 years, there should be a samprokshAnam, if all this is happening as per the schedule and on time, then the sAnnidhyam of the bhagavan in the temple will be growing ("abhvriddham"). If any of these is lacking then the sAnnidhyam will come down. As the elephant is a manifestation of bhagavan, elephant also has a most important place in the temple. Sadly many temples dont have elephants, but some have. The elephant however will be kept in a mantapam and brought out for porrapAdu during uthsavam time. Sometimes the elephant will come and salute the bhagavan. But in Srirangam, all the 365 days in a silver vessel everyday the elephant will bring the theertham (water) for the thiruvArAdhanam of the perumal from River Cauvery. This happens even today in the kshetram of Srirangam. During aippasi (thulA) mAsam (Sept-October english months), those in South India who had wished to go to Kasi and take bath in the ganges should not go. During this aippasi (thulA) mAsam, that ganges in the North comes down to the River Cauvery itself. If we instead go to the North to see Ganga, it will be like ignoring the guest who has visited our home. In the Mahabharata it is said that Arjuna himself after touring the divine places, came during the aippasi (thulA) mAsam and stayed on the banks of River Cauvery. In the Amma mantapam, Cauvery, Arjuna took his bath in the river, performed lots of charitable acts and built a mantapam for the perumal which is called Arjuna mantapam.
In Srirangam, the Cauvery bath itself is great and that too in the aippasi (thulA) mAsam its far more greater. In this aippasi (thulA) mAsam, that same elephant which was bringing the water in silver vessel, now will bring the same water in a Golden vessel. During this time the elephant will have a golden umbrella with golden chamaram (fan) and with all that paraphernalia, that itself will be a great uthsavam to watch for 30 full days. No other divyadesham has this. This vaibhavam is a great one happening only in Srirangam.
We have been saying that the easiest way to attain the bhagavan is by namasankeerthanam, everyone will have a doubt how we can see God. But for the one performing namakeerthanam will be able to see GOD. One way is by being truthful, stand in dharma, have unflinching faith and the other way is by performing namakeerthanam. But say if the person who is performing namakeerthanam who will not possess any of the above mentioned gunams, he will not care for the jeevan by his side, not have even the basic humanitarian considerations, even such a person can see the bhagavan. But this is contrary to the fact that one can see the bhagavan only if he isa suddhatma, possess the dharmic qualities, truthfullnes and drida bhakthi vairagyam vishwasam. How contrary this is? One is very slim, the other is fat, one is dark and the other is fair, one is tall, other is short like this. Even to Sakshath Naradar, the bhagavan has said that one should have the necessary qualities of vairagyam, dridanishtam - "Avipakka kashayanam durdarsha aham kuyoginam", but to those performing namakeerthanam such qualities are not found, how will these then attain the bhagavan. Not only that "name bhakthaha pranisyathi", the bhagavan says in the Gita as well. My devotee will never perish and those words also we need to keenly understand. "namE bhakthaHa pranishyathi" - my devotee will not perish, who? prahlada will not perish, ambarishan will not perish, why? if they will not perish then what is purpose of performing bhakthi? For prahlada to attain moksha, for ambarishar to attain moksha, Gopikas to attain moksha - all this is no thing to be debated at all. IT IS GAURANTEED FOR THEM, good gathi, paramapadam is sure for them. The reason for "namE bhaktha pranishyathi" is for the likes of Ajamila, being a durAcharan chants the nama will also be protected. This is the main thing. If you understand whose name is this, it is enough. "Jagatprabhum deva devam anantham purushottamam" - the name is of Jagadeeshwaran, eko vishnur mahatbhutam and its the name of the BHAGAVAN, not the name of kuppan or subbhan. The nama prabhavam is such. How will one get the darshanam of the bhagavan by performing bhagavannamakeerthanam is "Even is he is not fully filled with good qualities "gunapoornan", as he keeps doing this namakeerthanam all the sins in his mind will be cleared. As his sins get cleared, the sad buddhi "good thoughts" will develop and manifest and as good thoughts develop, he will become a suddAtma, then once he has become a suddAtma he will develop the desire to see the bhagavan, the desire for Jnanam will come, vairagyam will come, bhakthi will come then he will see the bhagavan.
Thats why, when "name bhakthaHa pranishyathi" was told by bhagavan in the Gita, bhagavan also told another, that if bhakthi for ME is present in the devotee, then "Kshipram bhavathi dharmAtma" - I WILL MAKE HIM A DHARMATMA VERY QUICKLY. I WILL CERTAINLY MAKE HIM A GOOD PERSON. Why, because he has developed love and concentration for me, he has developed a desire to tell my name always. So I will make him a good person, I will give him gnana, bhakthi, vairagyam as well as give my darshanam to him also.
THEREFORE FOR THOSE PERFORMING NAMAKEERTHANAM CAN NEVER PERISH!
Radhe Radhe!!
Read more translations of the other episodes at: http://aranganinarumai.blogspot.com
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