GMS12ClayFlowers Published:09 Sep 2019 8 PMUpdated:09 Sep 2019 8 PM Sakthi Vikatan சக்தி கொடு! – 12 Give Sakthi - 12 சக்தி விகடன் டீம் Sakthi Vikatan Team வி.ஆர்.சுந்தரி, ஓவியம்: பாரதிராஜா Authoress: V. R. Sundari. Painting: Bharathiraja. |
1.
When Puraṭṭāci
(Mid-Sep — Mid-Oct) month arrives, you know what the street scene is
like in town. Our friends, acquaintances, men on the street, the
educated, unlettered, the rich, and the rest wear turmeric-tinged
clothes, sport Tirumaṇ
Kāppu
(wearing the Vaishnavite Nāmam
on the forehead body and limbs) on the forehead and body parts.
They carry globular water vessels decorated with Nāmam
and flower strings and go street by street chanting ‘Govindā,
Govindā.’
2.
The devotees collect alms at least from seven households
announcing the holy name of Govinda. These devotees walk many miles up
the Tirupathi mountain, obtain reverential Darsan of Perumāḷ,
contribute and return home. Let us explore the reason for the Puraṭṭāci
month’s event.
3.
King Thoṇḍamāṉ
had an inordinate Bakthi to
Ēzhumalaiyāṉ
(The Lord of the seven hills). To reflect the depth of his devotion, he
built a magnificent temple and made arrangements for Archaṉai
(worship, offering) with gold flowers.
4.
The worshipful services took place
according to Sāstrais
injunctions. One day, as usual, when the king performed the services,
mud flowers, along with the gold flowers, fell in the sanctum.
5.
The king felt out of sorts.
He felt something was amiss. From then on, he offered worship guardedly
with nothing left to chance. It happened again: The mix of the mud and
the gold flowers fell.
6.
The king’s mental anguish heightened. How did the mud flowers
come pouring down? It is a holy play of Perumāḷ,
the Lord of the hills, to alleviate the difficulties of his servitor.
7.
Bhīmaiyā,
a potter who lived in Kuruvai village, is a man of high morals and never
had a desire to take other people’s property. He always chanted, ‘Govindā,
Govindā.’
8.
Though he was the repository of ethical conduct, he
was born with a handicap: a congenital clubfoot. Yet, he prepared the
mud pots with care and eagerness.
9.
Though he had a physical handicap, his mind and soul were pure
with no deficiency. He worshipped daily Tiruvēṅkadavaṉ
and received Darsan of the Lord of the Hills on a Saturday in the month
of Puraṭṭāci
(mid-Sep to Mid-Oct).
10.
Though the cellphone is scratched and dirty, you will still get
the connection with an intact SIM Card in it. Likewise, though there is
a physical handicap, the magnetic mind of the potter, the repository of
good qualities, drew Perumāḷ
to him.
11.
Yes! The Lord of the Hills came looking for the
servitor.
12.
The Lord of the seven hills
came in the potter’s dream, presented to him a view of his holy feet,
and disappeared. That day was Puraṭṭāci,
Saturday, early in the morning.
13.
The potter had
horripilation and tingling in his body.
14.
Is
Bhīmaiyā
not a potter? He made a mud idol of
Ēzhumalaiyāṉ.
It was a carefully hand-molded Vigraham with an abundant and pure
Bakthi, gone in its making, and so had the manifestation of the deity in
the idol.
15.
The potter worshipped daily the holy clay idol of
Ēzhumalaiyāṉ
with offerings of flowers. Besides that, he observed Viratam and prayed
every Saturday, the day of the first dream Darsan.
16.
When he made his clay pots, the thoughts dwelled on Mālavaṉ.
Sometimes, he draws Mālavaṉ’s
form into his mind; those times, he was not self-aware and regarded
clumps of clay as flowers and performed Archaṉai
with them.
17.
The ingrained habit of worship with clay lumps as flowers became
a daily routine without his self-awareness. Let him worship the
Lotus-Eyed (=Kamalakkaṇṇaṉ)
with chunks of clay as flowers.
18.
Let us go back to the king Thoṇḍamāṉ,
unhappy with the shower of gold flowers with pieces of clay.
19.
“Perumāḷē,
Govindā!
How is it that the lumps of clay, mixed with gold flowers, fall during Aḍiyēṉ’s
worship? How are you going
to alleviate this problem? Bhagavan appeared in the dream of the
frazzled king.
20.
“Bakthā!
(Devotee). The worship offered by a potter gives me happiness. You go
and witness the potter’s worship. You will discover the reason for the
changes taking place during your worship.” Saying such cryptic words,
Bhagavan disappeared.
21.
The dream faded and
ended. Having received the explanation from Bhagavan himself for his
mental anguish, will the king remain quiet? The king decided to pay a
visit to the potter, as commanded by Bhagavan. Thinking that if he went
with his soldiers, there will be an unnecessary excitement and pose an
impediment to his task on hand. He went with no entourage.
22.
Then, Bhagavan appeared in the dream of the potter and said,
“Bakthā!
On the day others hear of the greatness of your devotion, I will reward
you with Mukthi (liberation). He disappeared soon after that.
23.
Having arrived at the potter’s stall, the king remained out of
sight of the potter and surveilled his activities. The potter, as usual,
sat before the clay model of Tiruvēṅkadavaṉ’s
idol, made his clay pots, kept his eyes closed, sprinkled the clay
flowers, and worshiped him.
24.
The king, looking at the potter, was overwhelmed with
distress. His eyes were brimming with tears.
25.
‘I worship with gold flowers. Who could be the better of the two?
I thought in that vein. This potter’s worship is purer and
better. Vēṅkatavaṉ
came to give me this dream visual and offer his grace and blessings. He
showed me the purer form of worship,’ said the king to himself.
Coming from his hiding place, he rushed to the potter and
embraced him.
26.
The king said, “Ayyā!
Vēṅkatavaṉ
accepted your worship.” The king narrated the dream visual he had of
God. A tingle passed through the body of the potter.
27.
The potter shouted, “Perumāḷē!
You gave me grace and blessing to receive liberation.” That moment
itself, the potter received Mukti (liberation).
28.
Witnessing this event,
he returned to his palace with a joyous heart. He installed his son as
the regent, left for the sacred mountain, put his mind to worship of the
Lord of the hills, and attained Mukti.
29.
Though the potter had a physical disability, his mind and soul
were pure with no deficiency but full of devotion. Is it not true that
God paid him a dream visit on a Saturday in the month of Puraṭṭāci
and conferred on his blessings and grace?
30.
Holding the custom, on every Puraṭṭāci
Saturday, the servitors in remembrance of Tiruvēṅkadavaṉ
observe the Viratam. They carry the vessel from house to house,
supplicate for God’s grace, and beg for alms. The rich and the educated
participate in this observance of the Viratam.
31.
Likewise, on Puraṭṭāci
Saturday, a multitude of devotees go on foot up the Tirupathi hill. That
is still a sight to see even today.
32.
Among us, many entertain a thought with contempt: ‘Shucks! Puraṭṭāci
is upon us. These vagabonds show off streaks of red and white Nāmam
on their foreheads, carry vessels in the hands and go begging from house
to house.’
33.
Just stop and think!
34.
Would we usually wear yellow
sarongs (=
துண்டு),
sport Nāmams,
go to seven or eight houses and ask for alms?
35.
That the servitors ask for
alms is a sign of shedding ego and an attempt to obtain God’s grace.
Whether or not we go on peregrination to Tirupathi, and receive Darsan
of the Lord of the seven hills, we should not mock the pilgrims. That
itself guarantees us God’s grace.
36.
Let us sing the praise of Puruṣōtthaman
(Viṣṇu,
the Supreme Being) and receive boons and grace.
News: December 11, 2019. Earlier, ISRO Chairman K Sivan offered prayers
at the Tirupati Balaji temple in Tirumala before the launch of
satellites from PSLV C48.
While speaking to media, he said that PSLV C48 is a historic achievement
by ISRO, as this is the 50th launch for PSLV and the 75th launch from
Sriharikota.
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