A pilgrim’s jottings on a 3-day whirlwind pilgrimage, May 4th, 2024 (Tirunelveli)
May 4th at dawn in Tirunelveli — when I set out on my “yaathra” to all 9 of the Nava Tirupati “divya desa kshetras”— threatened to be a torrid day.
The weathermen in the newspapers, and on TV channels, were all warning of severe heat wave conditions across much of Tamil Nadu … and Tirunelveli was no exception…
It was with a mild sense of trepidation that I asked my car-rental driver, Rajah, who was going to chaperone me to all the 9 sacred Sannidhis over the course of the day ahead, how he thought we were together going to cope with the prospect of the searing summer heat burning down on us while we shuttled from one temple to another over the 60+odd kilometre landscape…
Rajah said this by way of setting my anxiety to rest : “Don’t worry, Sir, consider yourself fortunate that in this heat wave not many pilgrims are going to be thronging the 9 temples as they usually otherwise do … You’ll be quite lucky in fact to have hassle free , leisurely Darshan at every Sannidhi …. But that doesn’t mean too leisurely , Sir, for we must make sure we land up at each shrine at the appropriate time before the archakas finish up all the morning rituals and temple-services and shut close the temple doors and themselves rush home to beat the sizzling afternoon heat . So, please Sir, let’s hurry up now and quickly get a move on without further ado”.
I was grateful to hear driver Rajah’s wise words that were so reassuring and made me for a moment realise that every proverbial dark cloud in even the terrible heat of a Tirunelveli summer sky did after all have a proverbial silver lining too.
By 7 AM that morning we hit the road to the first stop on my whistle-stop pilgrimage . Rajah told me he was going to drive me first to the “ooru moola sthalam” —- the prime place of worship in the land. It was Sri Vaikuntam!
In a way my heart gladdened immediately on hearing that this was going to be the first of the Nava Tirupatis visited on my itinerary …. I just couldn’t help a silent thought to myself : If Sri Vaikuntam was going to be the very first destination before me in this world, perhaps in some deep, mysterious another sort of way it presaged being the ultimate destination too for me in the other world?
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The temple is associated with the planet Surya, the Sun god. I entered the great doorway of the Sri Vaikuntam temple mid-morning. The sky was cloudless and both the dazzling rays of the sun and a mild morning breeze were streaming into temple before me.
Draping the uttiriyam around my waist ((upper cloth in the traditional Sri Vaishnava attire (svaroopam) of “panchakaccham”)), I eagerly strode into the long, stone-cobbled corridor that led me into the vacant praakaara of the temple of Sri Vaikuntanathan aka Kallapiraan.
The temple occupies an area of 5 acres (2.0 ha) and is surrounded by a granite wall 580 ft (180 m) long and 396 ft (121 m) broad. The rajagopuram, the temple’s gateway tower, is 110 ft (34 m) tall. The granite wall surrounds the temple, enclosing all its shrines and two of its three bodies of water.
Once I was inside the temple I had to walk across a couple of large and smaller mantapams —- Mani Mantapam, Vaahana Mantapam, and Swarga Mantapam before I could reach the Ardha Mantapam beyond which was situated the sanctum sanctorum.
These mantapams are splendorous marvels of ancient temple architecture —- dozens of stone pillars, lofty columns , baroquely sculpted overhangs, high rise platforms, sub-shrines and magnificent roof arches … The Chola and Pandya styles are distinct.
As I walked through the hallowed , silent spaces I couldn’t take my eyes off what I was witnessing …
I then thought to myself : perhaps this magnificence and grandeur is only a small, suggestive preview to be enjoyed here in this world at the present time … in other words, a trailer of what the real Sri Vaikuntam might well turn out to be in the Abode of Sri Vaikuntanathan in his eternal abode — a million times more delightful, as it were?
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As I continued walking across the vast length of the Mantapams and praakaara, marvelling at the sights along my path, I couldn’t suppress a sudden pang of self-doubt springing to mind:
Perhaps it was only out of the Almighty’s Dayaa or divine compassion that after three score and seven years, I had at last been bestowed this privilege and honour of visiting this magnificent grand temple at Sri Vaikuntam for the very first time. But then what likelihood or certainty is there at all that this same Lord Kallapiran would deign to grant me similar privilege and honour in the greater Sri Vaikuntam, the eternal one high up in the heavenly realms? Would I be deserving of it? After all , I knew I was myself but a mere mortal soul that was a Kallan beyond redemption … a kallan of the many Kaladushanan tribes that fill the world …. so full of sin, “vikaara”, “klesha”, so full of untruth, deceit, vice, vanity, infirmities and deformities …. For what reason or pretext then would Vaikuntanathan find me worthy of being welcomed into greater Sri Vaikuntam ? None whatsoever , I thought ….
I quickly forced myself to snap out of such sombre thoughts. I told myself not to go dwelling upon worlds or times far beyond the mortal clime.. and far beyond mortal conception or comprehension. Just savour the moment at Sri Vaikuntam that is here and now, right before your eyes … I thought to myself …. for this too is a gift bestowed upon you by divine kindness. Count your blessing … and ask for no more.
It is often said that when a pilgrim takes 2 steps towards Bhagavan, he takes 20 steps towards the pilgrim! All religions of the world say that very emphatically, don’t they?
Well, you have travelled hundreds of miles from home (in Chennai) — again I thought to myself — to get here this morning, finally, to Sri Vaikuntam for the very first time in your life of sixty-odd, long years. How many miles, do you think, will Vaikuntanathan now travel to meet you here?”
“You will never know, of course …. But then never mind. The Darshan you are about to have of him is in itself verily your just reward. Consider yourself deserving of it… And so ask for no more..”
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It was with those humbling, chastening thoughts buzzing around somewhere inside my mind that I strode forth towards the Dhwaja-Stambham, the tall sacred flagstaff in the forecourt of the temple.
For no reason at all… right then and there, and right out of the blue … into my mind and out of some submerged corner of my memory came tumbling out the lines of the 30th verse of Swami Vedanta Desikan’s “Dayaa Satakam”:
The verse above had hardly entered my mind and I had hardly finished reciting it momentarily within my mind when lo and behold ! Sri Vaikuntanathan Himself with his divine consorts, Sri Vaikuntavalli and Sri Bhudevi, emerged out of the main entrance of the temple in “purappaadu” procession —- all bedecked in floral and bejewelled finery, being carried aloft in a grand palanquin to the sounds of naagaswaram music, the rhythmic beats of thavil percussion and to the lilting chant of the divya Prabhandham !
The palanquin I saw was being carried towards where I stood and then the Deity’s carriage stopped there beside the “dhwajha-sthambham” … and Vaikuntanathan and his consorts towered over me ! And I stood there transfixed and trembling at the sight of Sri Kallapiran!
It seemed as though in answer to all of the fanciful questions that only a few minutes ago had been roiling inside my mind were now being answered by Bhagwan himself! The archa murthy as revealed itself before me in full, brilliant regalia…. it left me awe-struck and dumbfounded. Vaikuntanathan as “utsava archa murthy” in that moment seemed to be saying to me rather teasingly:
“My dear fellow, you took the trouble of travelling so many miles from home to see me in my temple and worship here. I didn’t wait for you to get to me all the way inside the sanctum, did I ? Here I am, and as you can see, I’ve come rushing along with even my spouses out of our sanctum only to welcome you at our gates!”
“So now, dear fellow, why would you ever doubt the old saying of what the wise ones have always affirmed to the world at large? That if you were to take only two steps towards me , I shall leap 20 steps forward towards you ? …. And yes, let me assure you I’d do so even if you happen to be an “aparaadha Chakravarthy”! The emperor of Sin”!
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After the “purappaadu” procession left me , I turned quickly and went into the ardha Mantapam and past the “dwaara paalakas” to worship the “moolavar” idol of Vaikuntanathan in the sanctum. The deity here is of bewitching beauty indeed …. And one can easily imagine why Nammazhwar broke out into so many ecstatic “paasurams” sung in praise of this Lord Almighty here. After Darshan on my way out I came across two pundits seated in the Mantapam singing the “paasurams” ….
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As I exited the great temple and went back into the car, that particular old saying that God Almighty rushes forth 20 steps to meet his “bhaktha” in response to 2 that the devotee takes towards Bhagavan kept nagging me … What exactly does such religious thought or belief signify? Does Bhagavaan really rush forth in all eagerness to meet the Bhaktha? Is God then unmindful of even leaving behind his very own abode in Sri Vaikuntam that lies beyond the ambrosial celestial-sea of milk called “tiruppaarkadal”?
With such thoughts swirling about within my mind, I climbed back into my cab-driver, Rajah’s rental car, and then all of a sudden I remembered the mystic lines from the verse of Sri Peria Azhwar’s “paasuram”:
பனிக்கடலில் பள்ளி கோளைப் பழக விட்டு*ஓடிவந்துஎன்
மனக்கடலில் வாழ வல்ல மாய மணாள நம்பீ!*
panik kadalil paLLikOLaip pazhakavittu Odivandhu en
manak kadalil vaazhavalla maayamaNaaLa nambee!
Leaving behind the cool pure milky ocean “thirupArkadal” You came running to me to dive into the sea of devotion inside my heart! And you chose then to live there in eternity!
வடதடமும் வைகுந்தமும் மதிள்துவராபதியும்*
இடவகைகள் இகழ்ந்திட்டு என்பால் இடவகை கொண்டனையே.
vadathadamum vaikundhamum madhiL thuvaraa pathiyum
idavakaigaL igazhndhittu enpaal idavagai koNdanaiyE.
You even gave up the “milky ocean” (tirupaarkadal), even “srivaikuntam” & the fort of dwarka, once the city of yours on earth; only to come rushing into my heart and make yourself at home there!
(“senniyongu” : periazhwar Tirumozhi )
So, Peria Azhwar’s own verses do confirm that yes indeed, Bhagavan does hasten forth from Sri Vaikuntam towards wherever his Bhaktha might happen to be after taking no more than just a few Godward steps — figuratively speaking, Bhagavan rushes forth 20 times faster than the devoteee!
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A spiritual minded disciple once posed this question to the guru:
You often say that if we take one step towards God, God will take a hundred steps towards us. Does that not mean that God is very far away from us?
The guru answered: No. It means that if you make an effort to cultivate just one good quality, all the other good qualities — Kalyaana guna — will develop naturally within you.
The analogy below will explain what I mean:
A woman was once given a beautiful lantern as first prize in an art competition. The lantern was made of beauties stained glass. She took it home and hung it in her drawing room in a prominent place. She gazed at the lantern and admired its setting.
While enjoying the beauty of the piece against the backdrop of her living room, she one day observed that some of the paint on the wall had begun to crumble. She decided to paint the whole wall.
When she had finished painting, she looked at the room and the lantern again and noticed that a window curtain behind was dirty. She immediately washed it.
Then she noticed that the carpet on the floor was worn out and the threads were fraying badly. So she removed the carpet and replaced it with a brand new one.
Finally, the room looked fresh and new. And the lantern in the middle of it all looked even more beautiful now than before !
It all began with her hanging the lantern in the room, and that by itself slowly led to the room becoming clean and beautiful.
Similarly, if you begin to do one good thing in life, many good things will follow in its wake — it will be like a rebirth. God is the repository of all good qualities …. “Anantha Kalyaana guna-gaNaan” — If you imbibe just one such “guna” of his, you will get closer to God, and soon all other his other good qualities too will follow you and become part of you. This is the only way in which this transformation is possible. And that is what really meant when it is said that if you take 2 steps towards God, he will take 20 steps towards you !
(To be continued)
Sudarshan Madabushi