Our Gurunaathar Sri Sri Anna’s Jayanthi Mahotsavam 2024

At the Divine Village of Senganoor, which our beloved Sri Swamiji considers the holiest amongst all holy places -as this is the very village which our Sri Sri Anna chose for his divine descent – the divine celebrations of Sri Sri Anna Jayanthi commenced on the 20th August 2024.

20th August 2024
At the Premika Janmastaan, the utsavam started with the routine prabodhanam to divine deities of Sri Sri Anna and Sri Manni. The Divine Padukas of Sri Sri Anna were taken for a grand procession with elephant, camel and dancing horses, accompanied by 4000 Divya Prabandham chanting, Rig-Yajur-Sama Veda chanting, and singing of Sri Sri Anna kirtans by our Satsang Bhagavatha group. This palanquin procession, led by Sri Swamiji, was attended by hundreds of devotees.

After morning prasadam at about 8:30am, all the Divine works of Sri Sri Anna were placed on a silver throne and Sri Swamiji performed ceremonious worship of the divine works of Sri Sri Anna. Then, in the presence of Sri Swamiji, Sri Vishnupriyaji led the parayanam of Lagustotramala Part – 1 – Vishnustotrams, till about 11am. About 100 devotees participated and followed the parayanam of this grantha graced by Sri Sri Anna.

While the parayanam of Sri Premika granthas was going on, in Sri Sri Anna Sannidhi, the Thepperumanallur Sri Narasimha Bhagavathar group started the sampradaya ashtapadi bhajan that went on till 11:30 am. This was followed by theertha prasadam in the sanctum and mahaprasadam for all devotees in Ambi Illam.

At 4pm, our Sri Swamiji gave a pravachan on the significance of the Divine Descent of Sri Sri Anna. Touching on the divine lives of Sri Krishna, Sri Mahaprabhu and Sri Ramakrishna Pramahamsa, Sri Swamiji expounded that, for an avatara to descend, there should certainly be a pressing need, a trigger or a prayer. An avatara purusha should also be the one to show a path, which is line with the Vedas and also practical to follow at their time of their descent. Our Sri Sri Anna is such a unique descent of Bhagavan.

Sri Sri Paduka procession in the evening, was on hamsa vahanam (mount of swan). With all the usual retinue, the grand procession started at 6:30pm and went up to 8 pm. After this, Bhagavatas gathered at Sri Sri Anna’s Sannidhi to sing songs of Sri Sri Anna’s Govinda Shatakam for about an hour, followed by Dolotsavam to Sri Sri Anna and Sri Manni. And, this way, the daily routine was set as follows:

6am – Parabodhanam at Sri Sri Anna sanctum
7 – 8am – Sri Sri Anna Paduka procession in palanquin
8:30-11:30 am – Parayanam of Sri Sri Anna’s works at Groundfloor hall
8:30-11:30 am – Traditional Ashtapadi bhajan by various Bhagavata groups at Sanctum.
11:30am – Teertham at sanctum post pooja
4-6pm – Pravachan by Shuddha Premika Vidya Kendra Bhagavatas on Sri Sri Anna’s Sri Vaishnava Samhita
6:30-7:30 pm – Procession on different Vahanas
8 – 9pm – Kirtan of various shatakams graced by Sri Sri Anna
9pm – Dolotsavam

21st August 2024
After prabodhanam and the morning palanquin procession, parayanam of Sri Sri Anna granthas was led by Shuddha Premika Vidya Kendra vidyarthis from 8am–11am. Sri Swamiji led this morning parayanam. The day’s parayanam was chanting of the Tamil work – Bhagavatha Dharma Saaram, rendered by Sri Vishnupriyaji. This was followed by parayanam of Bhakti Paatam – a sweet concise work on devotion in Sanskrit by Sri Sri Anna, led by Sri HariHaraSubramanian Bhagavathar.

Parallelly, the traditional Ashtapadi Bhajan continued at the sanctum, led by Chennai Sri A Srikanth Bhagavathar. At 4pm, BhagavathaSri Namdev rendered a pravachan on Sri Shankara Bhagavatpadacharya’s life. This is from a humungous work (of more than 7500 verses) by Sri Sri Anna titled Sri Vaishnava Samhita – a Premika Grantha which chronicles life stories of about 150 Vaishnavas and Acharya Purushas of our Divine Land in Sanskrit, covering nine sampradayams (religious traditions) and few others who do not strictly come under any traditional lineage. The evening procession was on Punnaimara vahanam – the mount of Punnai Tree (martwood tree vehicle). The 8-9pm sankirtan was on Sri Sri Anna’s Sri Radhika Shatakam.

22nd August 2024
After prabodhanam and the morning palanquin procession, Premika Grantha parayanam led by Sri Vishnupriyaji, was on Sri Ramanuja Kummi – a sweet Tamil work graced by Sri Sri Anna on Bhagavat Ramanujacharya, followed by the soulful chanting of Sri Janaki Vijayam led by Bhagavatha Sri Sridhar. The morning Ashtapadi bhajan was led by Sri Ashwin Bhagavathar. The evening pravachan was on Sri Bhupadevar and Sri Sridharapadar from Sri Vaishnava Samhita Part 1, by Sri HariHaraSubramanian Bhagavathar. The evening procession was on Kamadhenu vahanam. Sri Sri Anna’s Gitavali was sung from 8pm–9pm at the sanctum, followed by dolotsavam.

23 August 2024
The morning prabodhanam and Sri Sri Padukas procession was followed by parayanam of Sri Sri Anna’s “Divyadesa Vaibhavam” – which details the sthala puranam of all divyadesams and many other important divine places (abhimana sthalas) by Brahmasri Srinivasa Bhagavathar.

The morning ashtapathy bhajans was led by Sri Gnanaguru Bhagavathar. The evening pravachan was by Srivaths Bhagavathar on “Leela Shukar and Sri Madhusudhana Saraswathy” – from Sri Sri Anna’s Vaishnava Samhitha – part 1.

The evening procession of Sri Sri Padukas was on “Muthu pallakku” – the palanquin with a pearly shade. The night kirtans were from Sri Sri Anna’s “Keerthanavali” which are kirtans in sanskrit on the 108 divyadesams attuned  to the divine works of Azhwars.

24 August 2024
The usual festivities included the morning parayanam of Sri Sri Anna’s “Sri Radhika Vilasa Champu Mahakavyam” by Sri Vishnupriya ji, ashtapathy bhajan by Hosur Sri Krishnamurthy Bhagavathar, evening pravachan by our Sri Swamiji on Sri Sri Anna’s divine qualities and Sri Sri Anna’s experiences with other mahatmas. Sri Swamiji also shared some of his personal experiences with Sri Sri Anna.
The evening procession was on “Horse” mount. The night kirtans were on Sri Sri Anna’s Yugala Shatakam.

25 August 2024
The morning’s parayanam was continuation of “Sri Radhika vilasa Champu Mahakavyam” and “Vaishnava Samhitha” – Part 1 uptil the divine life of Sri Adishankara Bhagavadpada by Sri Vishnupriyaji and Brahmashri Kapila Vasudeva Bhagavathar respectively.

The Ashtapathy Bhajans ware led by Srivanchiyam Sri Muralidhara Bhagavathar. The evening pravachan was on “Sri Bhagavan nama Bodhendra Saraswathy Swamigal” by Brahmashri Srinivasa Bhagavathar from Sri Sri Anna’s Vaishnava Samhitha – part 1.

The evening procession was on Simha vahanam. Night kirtans were on Sri Sri Anna’s “Sri Raghava Shatakam“.

26 August 2024

The morning parayanam was on Sri Sri Anna’s work detailing the finer aspects of devotion to the divine couple – Radha Krishna called “Sri Krishna Bhakthi Rasodayam” by Brahmashri Sridhar Bhagavathar and the continuation of Sri Vaishnava Samhitha part 1 by Sudarshan Bhagavathar. Sri Priyavratha Bhagavathar spoke on the first shloka of Srimad Bhagavatham.

The grand “Sri Sri Paduka Pattabishekam” with elaborate thirumanjanam and royal upacharas to Sri Sri Padukas was performed by Sri Sri Anna’s thirukumaarar Sri Hariji, who delivered a pravachanam at the completion of the pattabishekam. Sri Sanath Bhagavathar rendered Sri Ramayana Pattabisheka Sarga parayanam.

The Ashtapadhi bhajans were concluded by Udayalur Sri Balarama Bhagavathar. Evening pravachan was on “Sri Sridhara Aiyaval’s” life based on Sri Sri Anna’s Sri Vaishnava Samhitha by Brahmashri Kapila Vasudeva Bhagavathar.

The evening procession was on elephant vahanam and night kirtans were on “Sri Theertha Shatakam”

27 August 2024
The 7th day festivities came to a grand completion with early morning “thirumanjanam” of Sri Sri Padukas and grand “chariot” utsav of the SriSri Padukas . The ratha utsav was led by 10 sets of Nadaswara vidwans and it was indeed a grand procession. Sri Sri Anna’s thirukumaarar Dr.Ranganji offered pooja to the Sri Sri padukas in the Ratham and initiated the rath procession by pulling the cord of the Chariot (Ratha vatam)

As the festivities concluded by about 08:30 am, the devotees left for their respective towns to start their Janmashtami celebrations with sacred divine memories of this year’s grand Sri Sri Anna Jayanthi celebrations.

Radhe Radhe!