Arangathil azhaitha mamazhai’
Sri Swamiji bestowed me the good fortune of being with Sri Swamiji when he was at Srirangam and with divine blessings, I proceed to pen the wonderful experience on 24th August in the Srirangam temple.
24th August – was a Friday and it was spcial day for all Krishna bhaktas! Yes, it was the very day which heralded the descent of our most divine Radha Devi. Our Swamiji has graced a lovely song, ‘ Radhai pirandanale…’ to celebrate this divine day.(http://www.madhuragitam.org/Compositions/radhai-pirandanale)
Sri Swamiji told us that he wished to arrange for some pooja to Radha Krishna deity in Srirangam temple. (He is called sweetly as Kuzhal oodhum pillai by Srirangam devotees – a beautiful translation of the name of our Master denoting Sri Krishna playing the tunes of divine love through his flute). This Radha Krishna deity is in the embankment of the ‘Chandra Pushkarani’ – considered one of the most holiest of divine ponds, where divine history says a soul starts his sojourn to the blessed abode of Sri Vaikuntam! The gate to the pond and hence to this sanctum is locked and hence not all can have the good fortune of having the darshan.
This divine wish of our Master to do thirumanjanam or a simple pooja of offering nivedhanam (sacred offering) and Harathi was conveyed to the authorities. They readily agreed for the simple pooja and chose evening time for this divine service. The time indicated was after 6pm.
We all eagerly joined Sri Swamiji in the Premika Vedasramam near the Thayar sannidhi and entered the temple through the Thayar sannidhi portal. As we entered, unexpectedly a Sri Vaishnava was distributing sweet prasadam in the gopuram entry itself! It was Thayar prasadam! We did not notice it, but our beloved Master misses nothing! As we passed by Sri Swamiji told us to collect the prasadam! It was chakarai pongal! It was as if Sri Ranganayaki Thayar welcomed our beloved master sweetly and affectionately. like only a divine mother could!
As we rushed to catch up with our Master, Sri Swamiji stopped in front of the ‘Mettu Narasimhar’ sanctum, waited for us to catch up with him, accepted a little portion of the prasadam and showed us that Sri Kambar rvealed his Ramayanam first in the mandapam to the left side of Mettu Narasimhar sanctum. Since the sanctum was raised to about 10 feet , the sanctum has a prefix of ‘mettu’ – meaning ‘raised’.
We proceeded towards the Chandra Pushkarni. Sri Swamiji was detailing the greatness of this divine ‘theertham’ (pond). We were about 30 minutes early. Sri Swamiji entered the Sri Ramar sanctum which is to the right of Pushkarini. As Sri Swamiji walked in the sanctum, the Bhattar (Sri Vaishnava priest) explained that Sri Ramar here was in ‘marriage kolam’ hence Sri Sitadevi was to his right side. During pattabhisekam She sits to His left. Sri Rama was looking majestic and very tenderly graceful. Sri Swamiji used to refer this state as ‘Prasanna Gambhiram’. We could see this divine quality in the archavataram himself!
Sri Swamiji read the various divine poems / songs painted on wall of Sannidhi. He liked the way they covered both Valmiki Ramayanam and the paasuram / Kambar’s poems describing the greatnss of Lord Rama.
Sri Swamiji expressed His wish to sit and spend a little time in the steps of Chandra Pushkarni. Official permission was granted for only Sri Swamiji and two Veda Patasala teachers were the fortunate ones to accompany Sri Swamiji into the pond. We were silently watching the trio from the grill gate overseeing the pond.
Soon devotees coming to the sanctum took notice of Sri Swamiji and we overheard one middle aged lady,’My morning starts with Vittalan who comes home daily through the television and then only after Azhaikindran Arangan do I cook with haste for my family. It appears to be Sri Muralidhara Swamiji in the pond. I pray I could get his blessings today!’ Another mami excitedly called her grand daughter and her daughter to get blessings and darshan of our beloved Master. Seeing all this, we all felt at top of the world!
Sri Swamiji sat in meditation there for about 20 minutes, circumambulated the pond and came out to join us at about 6pm.
The neivedyam (sacred offering) was not ready yet. So Sri Swamiji sat in one of the Mandapams outside Sri Ramar sannidhi. It was then He told us the background of this pooja.
Sri Swamiji started to recite Atma nivedhanam stotram, we all joined Him. While the recitation was going on, many Sri Vaishnava families noticed Sri Swamiji and were standing hesitantly in proximal distance. Sri Swamiji affectionately smiled and beckoned them. He sweetly enquired about their family and filled them with joy unspeakable!
‘We are truly blessed by Sri Rangan that we should get your darshan in His divine temple itself!’
‘After watching vittalan and ‘Azhaikindran arangan’, we were praying for your darshan, we are truly blessed to have your darshan so soon, that too under the shadow of Sri Ranganathar’s feet!’
After a brief while, Sri Swamiji turned to us and said
‘Today is Radhastami, shall we chant Radha Devi’s names?’
We all joined Sri Swamiji in his ‘Radhe Radhe, Radhe Radhe…’ eka nama akhanda dhara bhajan…
Soon the message came from the priests that they are ready for the pooja. We eagerly went behind our Master to the sannidhi of Sri Radha Krishnar on the embankment of the pond in the far side of the Pushkarini. The priest took some ‘kesari’ Neivedyam and karpooram for harathi.
As we neared the sannidhi, something unexpected happened!
It was drizzling, like sprinkling of rose water when one is welcomed as a guest to a host’s home!
We rushed to the Radha Krishnar sannidhi and what a divine treat it was!
There was Chaturbhuja Gopalan wielding the flute and to his right was our beloved Radha Krishna locked in a sideway embrace, with Krishna holding a device (two bellows with a tube attached!) and Radha Devi was trying to snatch this device. Sri Swamiji was drinking in this divine sight and we were wondering what this device was!
The divine couple was truly bewitching. As soon as Sri Swamiji reached the sanctum and had the glimpse of the divine couple the drizzle strengthened to a sudden heavy downpour! The EXACT moment Sri Swamiji had the darshan, drizzle matured into the heavy downpour and poured it did! For four hours! There were no rains for more than a month! Till the time this article was written there were no repeat rains! It was a ‘welcome’ rain!
Barsatha barsatha barshana rani krupa!
Piyo piyo pyare mana nish dina saar!
Sri Swamiji then hastened with us to take cover under the mandapam of Veda Vyasar and Thondaradipodi Azhwar sannidhi. The priest said that this was the only ancient sannidhi of Veda Vyasar in Tamil Nadu! The uniqueness of this Veda Vyasar was that he had both his hand offering refuge (abhaya hastam). Sri Swamiji was so delighted to behold the two great avatars together. Both gave us the scriptures that established the supremacy of Nama Keertan (Srimad Bhagavatham and Thirumaalai!)
THe priest then explained other details and sheepishly added, ‘Swamiji knows everything, But it is our tradition to explain the greatness of the deities while doing harathi!’ Sri Swamiji gave such a sweet smile!
We were touched by the simplicity , humility and directness (aarjavam) of this true Sri Vaishnava!
Now we rushed back to the sannidhi of Sri Rama.
Now all of us were thinking, about the perfect timing of the rain when Sri Swamiji had Radha devi’s darshan. But we did not want to ask Sri Swamiji of this, but prayed that he himself graces us with a c(l)ue.
After a while when the rains showed no signs of lessening, Sri Swamiji softly called us aside and said, ‘Once a great Mahatma was to have darshan of Madurai Sri Meenakshi Amman. On the particular day, some government higher official was to visit the temple and so the Mahatma did not go ahead with the temple visit. In the late afternoon it so happened that the official did not make it and so the devotee who wished that this Mahatma have Meenakshi’s darshan, took him to the sanctum sanctorum. The moment the Mahaan stepped into the sanctum, Madurai got a heavy downpour which was totally out of turn and off season.’
Sri Swamiji continued, ‘I had the fortune of meeting this great mahaan after a long gap a few years back. The moment we met, the clouds burst into a heavy downpour. I thought it must be because the Mahaan was very happy resulting in the rains from above. But I did not mention anything. The Mahatma on his own accord, recounted his Madurai experience and said, ‘Meenakshi was very happy that He had gone for the darshan and hence it poured heavily.’ He very subtly indicated the cause for the sudden rain when we met.’
This way Sri Swamiji also subtly gave us the cue we were praying for! We not only enjoyed the divine shower but also this lovely shower of our Master’s soft words.
Radha Devi must have been delighted with Sri Swamiji coming for her darshan on the auspicious day of her descent!
The mother spake, indicating her shower of grace and joy, through the shower from above.
We also had the fortune of getting drenched in this divine shower by our beloved Master’s grace!
As we returned home thrilled and chilled by the graceful downpour, the nectarine words of our beloved Master were found in our lips
‘AzhiyE mAmazhaiyE engal rAdai pirandanaLE’ (O divine discus and the great rain! Our Radha is born!)
PS: Later Sri Swamiji himself revealed the ‘device’ in Krishna’s hand. It was a பீசான்குழல் – the desi pump used to spray colours on Holi day. The Radhe Krishna deity spoke the whole leela of Sri Krishna trying to celebrate Radhastami with a colour spraying pump and Sri Radha Devi resisting his effort to drench her with colours spoiling her new dress, mother Kalavathi has stitched with love for her beloved child! A Radhastami we all would never ever forget till our last breath!
