SrI: Dear BhakthAs: A flood of memory indundates me as I hear this query. Srimans Rengarajan , Pattangi ,Venkatesan and Sudarsan have already responded . As a servant of Lord RanganAthA at His abode here in North America at Pomona , NY , it is my pleasure to use this occasion to sing the glories of "Rangan alias Arangan ". In Swamy Desikan's Sri PaadhukA sahasram(RPS) , one experiences the nuances of the references to Rangam and the KshEthra NaaTan of Rangam/SrI Rangam. In the first slOkam of RPS , Swamy Desikan addresses the Lord of Rangam as Ranga PruTvIsan ( Lord of the earth/space of Rangam ). It is as fundamental as that . The general belief is that the power of all the dhivya dEsa Emperumans arrive and reside after ardha Jaamam worship at Rangam and then return for their individual worships at their own temples at dawn. Such is the power of Rangam for us ! Some other PaadhukA Sahasra Naamams for Lord of Rangam "Rangan -Arangan " in the first 100 slOkams of RPS are: 1. Rangapathi ( RPS: 5), 2. Ranga Kshithi RamaNan ( RPS:10) 3. RangAdhIsan (RPS:13); 4. Ranga DhurINan ( RPS: 16) 5. RanganATa: (RPS: 19); 6.RangEsan (RPS: 35 ,65,87 ) 7. Ranga-kshONi-bhruth (RPS:37,59); 8. Ranga Bharthu (RPS: 49, 52, 58, 64,69,72 ) 9. Ranga Kshithi Pathi ( RPS:63) ; 10.Ranga NarEndran (RPS:72); 11.RangAdhipathi( RPS:91) Ranga Bharthu: is the ThirunAmam of choice here. He is our Lord. All Jeevans are wedded to Him in our tradition . Our AchAryAs offer our hand in marriage to Him during the sacred rite of SaranAgathy. He is our BharthA (Husband).He is at Rangam/Arangam . Rangam is the Naataka MEdai in Sanskrit and Arangam is the Tamil word for the same stage , where the chess match is being played betweeen RanganAyaki and RanganAthan : PasyanthIshU sruthishu paritha: sooriBhrundhEna saardham madhyE kruthya ThriguNa Phalakam nirmitha sTAna bhEdham visvAdhIsa praNayini adha vibrama dhyUtha vrutthou BrahmEsAdhyA dhadhathi YuvayOraksha-saara-prachAram --SrI Sthurthi SlOkam (meaning): Oh RanganAyaki! You and Your Lord are playing the chess (ChathuRANGAM) game for amusement . The ChathuRANGAM board is Moola Prakruthi. The color of the squares there for movement of the Pawns et al are white, red and black ( Sathva-RajO-TamO GuNams). Both of You roll the dice at Rangam and move the pawns and enjoy the play /dance of those bound by their karmAs from Brahma downward. The Nithyars and Muktha Jeevans enjoy watching this game at SrIRangam. ELEVEN of the Twelve AzhwArs enjoyed watching this game and saluted the Lord of Rangam , Rangan/Arangan with choice words in their 247 Paasurams celebrating Him . They refer to Him as Tennarangan or the Rangan of South . The Rangan of North is ofcourse ThiruppARkadal NaaTan /KshIrAbdhi NaaTan , who recieved 51 paasurams from TEN AzhwArs. There at the Milky ocean , He rests under AshtAnga VimAnam in His vyUhA State with His Devi: Kadal MakaL NaacchiyAr . At His Tennarangam , He is actively engaged in His play as ArchA Moorthy. Let us enjoy a few naamams form the AzhwAr AruLiccheyalkaL on Rangan/Arangan : 1.PeriyAzhwAr in PoocchUttal Paasurams: ************************************** ThiruvudayAL MaNavALA ! ThiruvarangatthE kidanthAi -- PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi: 2.7.2 AamAraRiyum PirAnE! aNiarangatthE Kidanthi ! --PeriyAzhwAr Thirumozhi: 2.7.8 2.ANDAL in NaacchiyAr Thirumozhi:11th decad ******************************************** No other "AzhwAr" could addresss the Lord endearingly as His Divine Consort , SrI ANDAL: " Theemuhatthu naahaNai mEl sErum THIUVARANGAR" " yennARANGATTHINNAMUDHAR " ( Yenn-Arangatthin-innAMUDHAR) . " senkOludaya Thiruvarangac-chelvanAr" " macchaNimAda MathiLarangar " " nallArkaL Vaazhum NaLiRARANGA NaahaNayiAn" " TiNNAr MathiL Soozh Thiruvarangac-ChelvanAr" " tEsudaya dEvar Thiruvarangac-ChelvanAr" " avaLaik-Kaipidittha PeNNALan pENumoor pErum ArangamE" ( The reference is to KrishNAvathAram here and the vivAham between RukmiNi and the Lord , who abducted Her at Her request in front of all kings and her family . A Raakshasa VivAham followed and the Vaishika VivAham was carried out at DhwArakai. These words can equally refer to ANDAL . The Lord took Her hands in Vaidhika VivAham ( kaitthalam PaRRinAn / AvaLaik-Kaipiditthan )and became Her Lord .ANDAL states here that place,where the Lord wedded Her is SrIrangam /Arangam). 3.KulasEkarar's PerumAL Thirumozhi *********************************** " Thiruvarangap-perunahar" , " Kadiyarangam , aNiyarangam ,MathiLarangam , kaLimalar Pozhil Arangam , Ponni aNi Arangam , Tennarangan , EmpirAn Yennarangan , TiNNa MaamathiL Tennarangan " "Aadip-Paadi ArangavO yenRazhaikkum " (Here He celebrates the BhakthAs shouting eith Joy the name of Rangan (RangavO) and the redeeming dust from their scared feet: ThoNDaradippodi). " IyyanE ArangA-venrazhaikkinREn " "ANDaVANan Arangan , Aadhi-Aayanarangan" "Aranga nahar EmpirAn , AtthanE AranganE " 4.1:Thirumazhisai: Thirucchandha Viruttham ******************************************* " vaNdiraittha sOlaivEli mannu seerARANGAME " "ARANGAM yenbar Naanmuhatthayan paNintha kOilE " (here , AzhwAr connects the name of Arangam to the temple itself at SrIrangam , where the divine drama takes place). " Ponni soozh ArangamEya PuNDarIkan " "virumbi ninRirainjavERkku IRANGARANGA-VAANANE " (The Lord of Rangam out of His compassion/irakkam listens to the prayers of His BhakthAs and blesses them). "Ponni Soozh ArangamEya , Poovai VaNNa Maaya kEL" 4.2:Thirumazhisai: Naanmukan ThiruvandhAthi ******************************************** "Paalil kidanthathuvum , PaNDarangam mEyadhuvum " (Here Vada Arangan and Tennarangan are jointly addressed ). "AvanennayALiarnagatthu ,ARANGIL Avan yennai yeythAmal Kaapaan " --30th paasuram (AzhwAr has MahA VisvAsam in RanganAthan and states that Lord of Rangam will not throw him at the sharp edge of the spear of SamsAram to suffer ). "NaahatthaNai Arangam " " AaL Paartthu uzhi taruvAIkaNDuloLLenrum Ninn thAL paartthu uzhu tarvEn tanmayai-- kEtpArrkku arum poruLAi ninRa AranganE Unnai virumpuvathE viLLEn Manam --Naanmukhan ThiruvandhAthi : 60th Paasuram ( Oh Lord of Rangam , RangA , RanganAthA! You are always searching for those, who would become Your daasa bhUthans.You search far and wide for them. Oh Ranga VihArA! You stay as the most noble meaning for those , who seek You thru pramANams.You must accept me and understand my status, which is wandering all over in search of Your sacred feet.My mind does not seek anything else as the Target to be attained (PrApyam ,adaya vENDuvathu) .Oh Lord ! You perform different kinds of enjoyable dance at Your RangasthAnam.The vEshams ( attires and the moods of Yours as the Divine actor) of Yours at Ranga Sthalam in this Prakruthi maNDalam are many.Those reveal the deep meanings (arum poruL) of Your many splendored dances at Ranga KshEthram . I will not let You go ever). 5.1:ThirumAlai of ThoNDaradippodi (all the 45 Paasurams) ******************************************************** All of these Paasurams are about Rangan . Here are some excerpts: "ArangamA-naharuLAnE , Namm Arangan " "KaattinAn Thiruvarangam Uybavarkku Uyyum VaNNam " -- ThirumAlai: 10th Paasuram (The recent write up of Sri Sampath Rengarajan about Kaarthikai DhIpam held by Utthama Nambi at the Lord's sannidhi for the benfit of Thirumangai to show the way for Moksham is pertinent here ). " namm SEvahanAr maruviya Periya Koil MathiL Thiruvarangam " " ANDar kOn amarum sOlai aNi Thiruvarangam " " IyappAdu aRutthut-thOnRum Azhahanoor Arangam yenRE" "Tann Paal aadharam peruha Vaittha azhahanUr Arangam anRE " ( The Azhagiya maNavALan grows further and further the attachment to Him at Aranagam ). "Arangamaa Koil KoNDa karumbinai kaNDu koNDEn " "Paayu-neer Arangam tannuL " ( In the theater with the Cauveri River flowing around ), " Pongu neer paranthu paayum Poompozhil Arangam TannuL" "Arangaarkku aatcheyyAthE aNiyatthEn ayakkinREnE " " aaruLar KaLikaNN AmmA ArangamA NaharuLAnE " 5.2: ThirupaLLiyezucchi ************************ ThoNDaradippodi with the basket of TuLasi Maalai hanging from his shoulders appears at the sannadhi of the Lord and addresses Him endearingly as "ArangamA-naharuLAnE " and requests Him to wake up from His yOga NidhrA and to bless all those assembled in front of His Sannidhi at that early hour of the morning. (To Be continued ) Ranga, Ranga , Ranga ! Oppilaippan Koil VaradAchAri SaThakOpan/V.Sadagopan
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