Day 2

20/05/2011- Temples Covered : Guruvayur

We got up at 2 30 AM and took bath in Narayana Saras ( Pushkarini ) and stood in the huge queue to have a glimpse of the Divine Child , Sri Krishna. Sri Narayaneeyam rendered by P.Leela was played through the loudspeakers and it was a divine experience hearing the lovely and melodious recitation while waiting to have the darshanam of Bhagawan. After waiting for an hour , we slowly made our way to the Lord's Sanctum Sanctorium.

As we inched towards the Saanadhi , the glorious form of the Lord met my eyes. The Lord was dressed like Bala Krishnan. He was wearing small ornaments on His ears , necklaces and a red Kaupinam. The Tirumugham was annoited with Sandal Paste and He had a silver Thilakam on His Forehead ( Snikdath Swethorthwa Pundraam Sulalithaam Bala Baallendu Veedhim - Sri Narayaneeyam). The Lord was wearing a beautiful and a fragrant Thulasi garland and was having a Mayil Beeli over His Head. The swaroopam of Sri Guruvayoorappan just cannot be described in words.

Sri Narayana Bhaathadri's Verses came to my mind when I came close to Bhagawaan. " Sooryasprithi kireetha oordhwa thilakaam....". I cried to the Lord to give me Gyaana , Vairaghyam , Bhakthi and finally Moksham at the end of my life. I pleaded the Lord to give me a
heart full of compassion and also Prema Bhakthi to serve Him till my last breath. I surrendered to Him and unburdened all my worries at His Lotus Feet. After the glorious darshanam , we did a pradakshinam and collected some prasadhams from the Melshanthi Swmai. The Swami was kind enough to give some chandanam and also the kaupina vasthram of Guruvayooorapan which indeed is the rarest of prasadams. It is definately the most cherished and prized possession a devotee can get. I prostrated before the lord near the Dwajasthambham and recited a few Dasakams of Narayaneeyam.

We left the temple and went back to our room for taking rest. It was already 5 AM before we returned. We had a sound sleep and got up only at 11 AM. We had some coffee in a nearby eat out and took bath. We went to the temple by 12 30 after completing our Morning and Afternoon Anushthanams. The Ucchi Kaala Aradhana of Bhagawan was going. The crowd was minimal at this time. We had to wait for the Araadhanam to get over before proceeding to have the Darshana Sowbhagyam of Perumal. Thyagaraja Kritis were beautifully rendered by the Nadaswaram and the divine music took us to greater devotional heights. The temple bell was rung thrice before the Lord's Sannadhi Doors were thrown open to the Devotees who were anxiously waiting to see their beloved Krishna.

This time , Lord was dressed as Sri Rama with a bow in His Hand. Perumal was extremely majestic and Beautiful in that Thirukolam. I got a chance to stand for 10 minutes to completly adore His beauty from Head to toe. Hats off to the Namboodhri who performed this awe-spiring alankaram. We purchased the world famous paal payasam and also some abisheka thailam from the prasadam counter. We went to Ramakrishna Lunch home (a brahmin run hotel) near East Nada for partaking lunch. Lunch was very tasty .

We originally planned to visit Thirvittuvakode Divya Desam - near Paatambi in the evening but due to a bus strike , our plans got cancelled. We were disappointed as we couldnt visit this divya desam but we took it as Perumal's Sankalpam.

Once again , we went to the temple at 4 pm to see the evening Seeveli. The Lord was mounted on an elephant and was brought around the temple thrice. We joined the queue after Seeveli and had darshan of Perumal to our heart's content. It was around 6.30 pm after we completed sevai. Once again , we stood near the Dwajasthambham and had darshan of the Lord during Deeparadhanai. We prostrated before the Lord and requested Him to give us many more darshana bhagyams in the future.

We returned to our room and packed our things. We checked out of the Lodge and proceeded to Mamiyoor Temple. It is customary to visit Mamiyoor after the darshanam in Guruvayoor. After the sevai of Mamiyoorapppan , we left to the railway station to catch the 8 45 Pm train to Trichur. We reached Trichur at 9 30 pm and had a light dinner at Shanthi Bhavan outside the station. We took rest in the waiting room and waited for the 12 05 am train to Chenganur.

Kerala Divya Desams - Day 1- Thirunavai

19/05/2011 - Thursday

Temples covered : Thirunavai and Guruvayur.

We boarded the 4 10 pm train from Calicut and reached Kuttipuram at 5.10 pm. Kuttipuram is a big town with many facilities. There are many lodges and eatries. We had a cup of coffee and boarded the bus to Thirunaavai. Thirunaavai is locally known as Thiru Naavaya. It is only 7 Kms from Kuttipuram. We reached the bus stop at 5 40 pm. It took us 10 Minutes to reach the temple. This Divya Desam is on the banks of Bharatha Puzha. It is said that this river is holier than Ganga!. Many Keralites come to this Kshetram for performing Pitru Kaaryams. It is also known as Dakshina Kaasi as there are temples of Sri Vishnu , Siva and Bramha.

STHALA PURANAM :

Goddess Mahalakshmi and Gajendra used to offer lotus flowers for worshipping Perumal. As

Thayar would pluck the flowers for aaradhana daily before Gajendran, the

elephant got dejected and approached Perumal and told that henceforth it

had to go elsewhere to get lotuses for Perumal. As Perumal did not want

his devotee to get dejected, He appeared before Goddess Mahalakshmi

and Gajendran and said that Thayar could be with Him and accept the

offerings made by Gajendran. Hence, only in this Malai Naadu divya

desam, there is a separate shrine for Thayar.

2) NAVAYOGIS : There were 9 siddha yogis who would always be together

and offer worship and meditate on Lord. In due course, 8 yogis attained

moksha and the vigrahams worshipped by them also disappeared and as

a result of this, the ninth yogi got dejected and stopped offering worship to

Perumal. When questioned by Perumal, he said that he was missing his

companions and Perumal with his maya showed the 8 yogis. The 8 yogis

agreed to stay there but said that they would be invisible to human eyes

and the 9 th yogi could feel their presence In due course, the 9

the yogi requested Perumal to make him also invisible. But Perumal insisted that

the vigraham worshipped by the 9 th yogi must be kept there itself and

Perumal blessed the 9 yogis saying that they could offer worship to Him at

that place forever. Hence, what we see now is the vigraham worshipped

by the 9th yogi.

OUR EXPERIENCE :

We had a refreshing bath in the river and we performed the evening anushthanams. It is really such a wonderful experience to do Sandhyavandhanam along the banks of a holy river in a serene atmosphere. We went to the temple at 6 15 pm. The Evening Aradhana for the Lord was going on. The temple is medium in size. There is a huge Gold plated dwajashthambham with the emblem of Sri Garudaalwar on top of it. Pancha Vaadhyam was being played. After waiting for 10 minutes , the Doors of the Sri Kovil ( Garbhagruham ) was opened , enabling all of us to have the darshan of our Dear Lord Mukundhan. Deeparadhana with Nakshatra Haarathi was performed and we had Darshan to our heart's content. Sri Mukundhan was wearing a beautiful silver Kavacham. His Thirumugham was annoited with Sandal Paste and He was wearing lots of Vasthrams and Fresh Smelling Garlands.

The Melshanthi gave us Chandanam and some flowers on a banana leaf. We did a pradakshinam around Perumal's Sannadhi. There is a seperate Sannadhi for Thaayar who is known as Sri Malar Mangai Naachiyaar. She was beautifully dressed in a red Paavadai and Lotus Garland. Thaayar is in a unique standing posture in this Divya Kshetram. After Pradakshinam , we sat near the Dwajasthambham and recited the Paasurams on Thirunaavai. After doing Mangalasasanams , we once again had Perumal's Darshan to our heart's content and left the temple with a heavy heart. We caught a bus to Kuttipuram and then another bus to Guruvayur.

After an hour's travel , we reached Guruvayur at around 8 45 pm. We checked into Lakshmi Lodge - Rs 400 for a Double Room. My friends were feeling tired and i decided to go to the temple for watching the evening Seeveli and the Kathakali performance.

STHALAPURANAM OF GURUVAYOOR :

GURUVAYOOR, the sacred shrine of Lord Krishna attracts lakhs of devotees

every year. This is one of the most famous piligrimage centers like Sri rangam,

Tirupati , Puri etc. Like Puri, this is also not a divya desam but it is an

ABHIMANA STHALAM”. The idol of the Lord Guruvayurappan was worshipped

by Lord Krishna Himself. To set an example to everyone, Lord Krishna used to

perform nitya thiruvaaradhanai to His own image and preached the world to

perform pooja to their ishta devata. When Dwapara yugam was coming to an

end, Krishna asked Udhava, one of his greatest devotees to take care of the

vigraham when He left this mortal world. He also advised Udhava to take the

help of Guru in locating a suitable place for worship. As Dwaraka was to

submerge, the idol had to be removed from that place. . As ordered, Guru and

Vayu took the idol and after a long search, they reached the present Guruvayur

and placed the idol for worship. They were guided by Parasurama in locating a

suitable place for worship. Lord Parasurama took them to a tank full of lotus

flowers. It may be mentioned here that at that time, the place was occupied by

Lord Shiva and His consort. Originally there was a temple dedicated to Lord

Shiva. Lord Shiva, out of his abundant devotion to Perumal moved from that

place to Maamiyur and a temple was constructed for Perumal by Viswakarma,

the divine architect. As Perumal was brought by Guru and Vayu, He came to be

known as GURUVAYOORAPPAN and the place came to be known as

GURUVAYOOR.

After the Evening Pooja , Sri Guruvayoorappan comes out in a grand procession riding an elephant. The Lord personally supervises the Bali offered to the Attendant Dieties. This is known as Seeveli. During Seeveli , Pancha Vadhyams and Nadaswaram are played. The Temple is fully lit up in oil lamps and it is a grand feast to the eyes. The Lord goes around the temple three times before returning to the Garbha Gruham. I had a good darshan of the Utsavar. While the Seeveli is going on , the Garbha Gruham Doors are closed. We cannot have Sevai of the Moolavar. The Garbha Gruham Door is temperorily opened for 5 minutes for placing the Utsavar back. I was standing near the Dwajasthambham and i had a nice darshan of the Moolavar who was dressed as Kalinga Narthana Krishna. Everyday , the Moolavar is deccorated in a different alankaram with chandanam during the Ucchi Kaala Aradhanam. The Main Vigraham of Sri Guruvayoorappan is very attractive and there are no words that can describe His Divine beauty!!. After that , the Lord is put to sleep and Ghee is distributed as Prasadham to the devotees. I received the prasadham and went to the Seeveli Mandapam where Kathakakali is performed everyday. Kathakali is known as Krishnattam. A section of Srimad Bhagavatham is potrayed thru Dance. I watched for a while and then went back to the Lodge. All of us had dinner and retired for the night !!

Kerala Divya Desams

With the grace of the Lord and the Acharyas , Adiyen was able to visit 8 Malai Nadu Divya Desams and Guruvayur.The following write up will contain the Sthala puranam , our experience and travelling directions. Adiyen hopes it will be useful to those who are planning to make a visit.

General points about Malai Nadu Divya Desams

1. The temples usually open at 4.30 AM and close at 11 AM. It reopens again at 5.30 pm and closes by around 7.30 pm.

2. There is no seperate sannadhi for Thayaar except in Thiru Naavai.

3. All the temples have a sannadhi for Bhagavathi and Ganesha.

4. Kerala Temples follow Tantrikam for the worship of the Lord. Sri Vaikhanasa or Sri Pancharathra Agamam are not followed here. It is very interesting to watch the Aradhana procedure. The priest will show many mudhras to the deity during the worship.

5. The chief priest is known as Melshanthi and the asssistant priests are called Thanthris. They follow a very high level of Achaaram and are very sincere in their worship. Even while giving prasadham to devotees , they drop the prasadam from a distance to avoid physical contact !!.

6. The Male devotees are not allowed to wear any upper garment and should come in veshti.

7. The temples are maintained very neatly.

8. No electrical lights are used in the Garbhagriham. It is fully lit with oil lamps. It is a beautiful sight to see Emberuman glowing among the Lights.

9. There is quite a distance between the Main Diety and the place where the Devotees are allowed to have Darshan. Therefore , we have to really look carefully and closely to have a good sevai of Perumal.

10. Generally , Keralites are very friendly people and most of them can understand Tamil. They are more than happy to guide if you need any assistance.

A Wonderful Article about the Significance of Thiruman Kaapu

The Vaishnavite Paribhasha(colloquial) for wearing ThirumaN (Auspicious Clay) is ThirumaN Kappu Saatal. The key word here seems to be Kaapu or Protection. That protection is achieved thru the Lord"s weapons like Panchaayudhams . Like Dig Bhandhanam before Mantra recitation, the request for protection of the limbs of one body and protection from above, behind, sides etc is a well known practise in Ahnikaas (Performance of Daily rituals prescribed).Hence , ThirumaN Kappu can be viewed as a Kavacham , that confers protection on the Vaishanavaas wearing that by invoking the weapons and the power of the Lord. The freedom from fear of the ThirumaN kappu wearing Vaishnavas referred to relates to the Mahaviswasam of the Vishnu Bhaktas in Lord"s protection .

Dvadasa Oordhva Pundrams (12 Naamams)
Forehead, Presiding lord is Kesavan. His color is invoked as Golden. His weapons are 4 Chakrams. The direction assigned to him is East.` Centre Portion of Stomach, the next site to wear Urdhva Pundram has Sriman Narayana as the presiding deity. His Color is visualized as Blue.His Weapons are 4 Conches .The direction of protection offered by him is West.Thus it goes on for the rest of the 10 Urdhva Pundram.

Incidentally, Urdhva Pundram is associate with Urdhva Rethas celebrated in the Vedic Passage "Urdhva Retham virupaksham Viswaroopaya Nama:" Urdhva Pundaram is also symbolic of Sattvika Guna by Lord Krishna In Bhagavat Gita ( Urdhvam Gacchanti Satttwasthaa:).Reference to this is from Naaradheeyam.In this context, this souce says that the Vishnu Bhaktaas should not wear Tiryak Pundram(cross , horizontal wearing of the Pundram) even as a playful matter. Vishnu Dharmottaram establishes guidelines as to which finger to use in applying ThirumaN. Pavitram wearing finger and the middle finger are taboo. One should apply ThirumaN , while sitting. The Thirucchornam used must be sanctified. Any vermillion paste wont do. The people , who have had Bharanyaasam should wear the Yellow choornam and others the Vermillion version.

The thirumaN wearing has to have the White two lines and the Red/Yellow line at the center, housing the Divine coulpe, who are never seperated. The two white lines are like temple for them. Lord Himself says that he and His consort love to reside in the temple created by the two broad white lines of ThirumaN. Narrow crowding of the two lines are not desirable to him.

On the Sampradhayam(tradion) side, there are number of mantras to create the paste of clay with water in one"s palm.Nrsimha Beejam is to be drawn at the center after completing the preparation of the paste.The Veda Mantras used in the preparatory rituals are 7 in number. Panchopanishad Mantra, Ashtaaksharam,Vishnu Shadakshara Mantram, Dwaadasaaksharam, Dwayam(Mantra ratnam), Vishnu Gayatri are to be included in the appropriate phases of the Pundram wearing ceremony. In between the 12 Names of the Lord to be recited at the time of the decoration of the individual parts of the body, the 12 names of Sri Devi are to be added.They are: Sriyayai nama:., Amrutothbhavaayayai Nama:, Kamalaayayai Nama:,Chandra Sodharyayai nama:, Vishnupatnyayai nama:, Vaishnavyayai nama:, Varaarohayayai nama:,Harivallabhyayai Nama: , Saarnginyayai nama:, Devadevikaayayai nama:, Surasundaryayai nama:. Maha Lakshmyayai Nama:, Sarvaabhishtapalapradhaayayai nama:. Guru vandanaams are also involved.

Shastras stress the importance of adorning our foreheads with Oordhva pundram or Tiruman or namam. The two upward lines of Tiruman, accompanied by the SriChoornam(red or yellow or orange) in the centre, are what every Srivaishnava is supposed to wear on his forehead always. Such oordhvapundram is to be worn not only on the forehead, but at eleven other places on the body too, making a round dozen. The very picture of a Srivaishnava with dvAdasa (twelve) oordhvapundrams adorning his body evokes in us veneration and devotion. Though it is ordained upon every vaishnavite to wear these every day, it has now become the practice to follow this injunction only on special days like marriage, upanayanam, seemantham, shrAddham etc.

While this was the position a few years back, the current scenario has deteriorated so much that even a single tirumaN is worn only on these special days. "KEsavam DAmOdaram cha sarvadA na parityajEt" says the Smriti,underlining the importance of never being without Tiruman, at least those worn on the forehead and the nape of the neck. Wearing Tiruman is currently viewed as old hat and unfashionable. And if one does wear it with courage, it attracts derogatory remarks or, at the least, derisive glances from the idle and unholy.

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Fearing the prospect of being an object of derision and adverse comment, most of us have stopped wearing Tiruman altogether, while some do it on special days. Yet others, even if bold enough to wear it every day after bath, religiously rub it off before setting foot outside, afraid of others witnessing us in such a state. Worse than all these, some of us even make fun of those with conviction enough to follow the practice, oblivious to criticism and comment. Talcum powder, perfumes and other cosmetics are applied with verve and vigour, but alas! not Tiruman. There are yet others who make a compromise between abandoning the practice altogether and keeping vestiges of it alive, and wear just Srichoornam alone, as a concession to nagging elders. Some others, after putting on Tiruman, feel something lacking and apply a dash of ash horizontally, displaying proudly their non-denominational credentials and broad perspective.

Levity apart, why should we apply oordhvapundram at all, whether one or a
dozen? What do we gain therefrom, except the curious glances of some passers-by and derisive comment from the more offensive? What practical benefit do we derive from the practice, which would encourage its continued performance? What does it stand for and what is the scriptural authority behind it? Is its continued observance required in this age of satellites and missiles or is it a a mere vestige of anachronistic observances?

We are told by none other than the Lord Himself that He resides along with
Taayar on the foreheads of those wearing Tiruman. The two parallel white lines of Tiruman indicate the Lord's holy feet, while the red or yellow vertical line in between signifies Piratti's(consorts) presence. Here is the BrahmANda PurANa sloka attesting to this,One who wears oordhvapundram provides a temple for the Lord on his own forehead, says this couplet, pointing out the Lord resides with pleasure in those who wear His tiruvadi with devotion.

That this practice is hoary and age-old, The word "oordhvam" means "upwards": according to Shastras, Paradise and other worlds of pleasure, ephemeral and eternal, lie above us, while worlds of pain and punishment inhabited by sinners lie below us. Hence the wearing of Tiruman in an upward direction is symbolic of our vertical movement on the spiritual plane.

In our Sampradaya, this adornment on the forehead in known as "tiruman kAppu".

The use of the word "kAppu", referring to protection, is significant, for, it denotes the constant protection afforded to the wearer. Tiruman thus acts as an effective and inexpensive shield against all untoward things and as a guard against all evil forces. It is said that Yama kinkarAs have standing orders not to harass Vishnu bhaktas and to confine their terrifying tantrums to others, for even Yama's writ doesn't run over devotees of the Lord-("prabhuraham anya nruNAm na vaishnavAnAm"). It is the Tiruman Kappu that affords instant identification of the wearer as a staunch votary of Emperuman, thus saving him from the clutches of the hounds of hell.

Like an Eton tie, a Harvard sweat shirt or a Cambridge Rowing Cap, the Tiruman Kappu too is a badge of membership, establishing the credentials of the wearer as an ardent devotee of the Lord and providing instant access to the Old Boys' Club of those who belong to the Lord. It was, and still is the practice, to brand our belongings like pots and pans, to facilitate their identification, should they get mixed up with others'. Some have their initials or whole names etched on the pots while some put in distinctive marks. Similar to this practice, the wearing of Tiruman is to identify ourselves as the slaves of the Supreme Lord and Master, existing solely for His use and pleasure. What better way of inculcating the spirit of service to Bhagavan, than to constantly remind ourselves of His SwAmitvam (Lordship) and our own status as His belongings, by wearing His holy feet symbolically on our foreheads? That this SEshatvam of ours is not only towards the Lord but also towards His Consort, is signified by the Srichoornam.

A word here about the practice of wearing Srichoornam alone: It is the Divine Duo who should be the subject of our adulation, adoration etc. It is no use espousing only one of them, for neither would be pleased by the rejection of or indifference towards the other. If proof were needed, we only have to remember what happened to Soorpanakha, who coveted the Lord and tried to do away with Sita Piratti, and the example of Ravana, who developed an infatuation for Mythily, to the exclusion of Emperuman. Hence, Tiruman is complete only when worn with Srichoornam and vice-versa. Tiruman alone is worn only when we contract some Asoucham or theettu, indicating the importance of Piratti in the whole scheme of things. Similarly, wearing of Srichoornam alone would definitely not please either the Lord or His Consort, who is His constant companion. It would be as if we were separating Emperuman and His inalienable companion, who has vowed never to be apart from the former even for a second.

Apart from any other reason, Tiruman serves as an adornment to our foreheads.

Readers would surely agree that the Lord's feet, worn symbolically, considerably enhance our looks and serve as a distinct decoration to our visages. Worn just right, neither too broad nor too narrow, with neither too sharp edges nor blatantly blunt ones, occupying just the right proportion of the forehead and touching the hairline, Tiruman and Srichoornam serve as effective enhancements of our looks

With such a plethora of reasons, is it any wonder that our elders scrupulously adhered to this practice themselves and exhorted us too to follow suit?

We can now see why we should wear Tiruman. However, there is an extremely strange practice being followed at our temples, irrespective of the Agama or sampradaya to which they belong, which is quite puzzling.
We find the Lord at all divyadesams and other sannidhis scrupulously wearing Tiruman and Srichoornam on His own forehead. While many of the Utsava Murth is sport just a tilakam on their visages, the Moola bEram is invariably adorned with oordhva pundram. We are puzzled, because none of the reasons cited above for adopting the practice applies to Emperuman. If Tiruman indeed signifies the Lord's feet, would not its application to the Lord's forehead amount to His carrying His own feet on His brow? Would this not amount to an apachAram or insult to the Lord? And if we wear it to signify our slavery to the omnipotent Lord, what would be the purport of putting it on the Lord's forehead, since He is the Matchless Master? If we wear it for our protection ("Kappu"), what protection does the Lord need and from whom? If Tiruman serves as adornment to our faces, does it do so for the Lord too, whose beauty and brilliance are unparalleled and need no enhancement?

The Lord is so enamoured of His devotees, that He wishes to follow them in all their practices. When we love somebody a lot, we tend to follow in their footsteps, emulating and imitating whatever they do and say. Similar is the state of Emperuman, who loves us so much that He considers whatever is good for us as good for Him too, whether or not He needs it. When our two year-old child takes a morsel of baby food from its own bowl and tries to feed us, would we spurn the proffered food because we have outgrown the gruel?

When the proud mother is dressing up her child, applying powder to its face and body, if the child snatches the powder and tries to smear mother's face with it in an attempt at beautification, does the loving mother wipe off the powder immediately and scold the toddler for the gesture of love? Similar to all this, Bhagavan too accepts with gratification all that we do for Him in good faith and proudly sports all the adornments we see fit to decorate Him with. Otherwise, there is little reason for the Lord to have a ceremonial bath every day, for He is the cleanest of persons, with a tirumEni that never attracts any impurity or dirt. Nor does He need His teeth to be cleaned, feet to be washed or to perform Achamanam now and again. Still less does He need to be fed with the mundane morsels we offer Him.

However, like the adult accepting the loving and imperfect ministrations of a child, the Lord too accepts whatever we offer Him with devotion. He accepts them not half-heartedly, but with a heart brimming over with gratitude. He accepts them with pride, as the offerings of His own offspring, however imperfect. It is thus that He sports a TirumankAppu too, though He has neither the need nor the compulsion therefore.

If His devotees feel He looks better with TirumankAppu, He readily accepts it as His regular adornment, irrespective of the need or necessity for the same.

When the Lord Himself is prepared to wear TirumaNkAppu for our sake, should we not do it at least for His sake? Instead of fighting shy of doing something which we ought to feel proud of, instead of caring for what unconcerned and undiscerning third parties may think, instead of forgetting our own stature in the spiritual firmament and trying to ape others who are still on the bottom rung of the ladder, if only we think of adorning ourselves with oordhva pundram with justifiable pride, if only we do it with the realization that it is the Lord's very own tiruvadi that is purifying our forehead, if we prefer the Tirumankappu to other cosmetic embellishments we currently favour- it would only be then that the Lord is really pleased with us.

We would command new respect if we turn a blind eye to derisive glances and deaf ears to snide comments. It is well worth remembering that the world is full of malicious critics who would have little good to say about us, whichever course we adopt. Given this prejudiced attitude of mortals, should we really care about what others think, as long as we are convinced that what we are toeing is the straight and right path trodden by countless emancipated souls before us? This mental block against correct conduct, once removed, would open the floodgates of spiritual fortune and lead us on to the Lord and all that He has to offer us.

Courtesy :

Sriman Ramakrishna Dixitulu

Hereditary Archaka

Tirumala Temple

Website for Sri Vaishnava related E-Books

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Azhwar thiruvadigale Sharanam !

Om Namo Narayanaya - First Post

Lakshmi Naatha Samarambhaam Nathayaa Muna Madhyamaam

Asmath Acharya Bharyanthaam Vande Guru Paramparam !

Dear Bhagavathas ,

Welcome to Adiyen's Blog ! . In this blog , adiyen will share my views on Sri Vaishnavam and also my travel experiences to various Divya Desams and Abimana Stalams.

The reason why adiyen chose this unique name for the blog is from the following pasuram of Swami Nammalwar from Tiruvaimozhi :-

" mikkAr vEda vimalar vizhungum en akkAra kaniyE"  Here , the Lord is described as a delectable fruit, so sweet that it could  be made of sugar candy- "akkAra kani". This akkAra kani is consumed with  delight by no less than the Celestials-"vEda vimalar".

Adiyen will share with all of you with whaterver little knowledge that i have about Sri Vaishnavam - the Ocean of Nectar !!

Kindly pardon me if i make any mistakes in translating the pasurams or giving my opinions about Sri Vaishnava Philosophy. 

Also , please feel free to share your ideas and comments

Azhwar Tiruvadigale Sharanam !