Gorgeous outfit for
deity
The deity adorned with the Ratnangi.
ONE OF the more popular Divyadesas in the South is
Thiru-aheendrapuram, situated 3 km west of Cuddalore on the banks of
the holy Garudanadi (now called Gadilam) and at the foot of the
Oushadhadri Hill. It has been praised by Thirumangai Azhwar in one
decad in Periya Thirumozhi (III-1).
The Sthalapurana is in 14 chapters. It presaged the
arrival of a great sage as a human incarnation of the Lord's Ghanta
(bell) who would attain fulfilment in his penance carried out on the
Hill (it implies Sri Vedanta Desika). When he was about 20 years old
and had mastered all Sastras, he came to this place, worshipped Sri
Nrisimha at the hill, prayed to Garuda who appeared before him and
initiated him in Hayagriva Upasana which helped Desika attain
religious knowledge to its greatest depths.
A golden moment of glory arrived on September 16 at
Thiru-aheendrapuram, when the presiding Deity, Sri Devanatha was
adorned with Ratnangi crafted embedding precious gems in
gold, thanks to the devotional fervour of Bhaktas all over the
country as well as from across the seas.
The divine form of the Lord had captivated Sri
Vedanta Desika (1268-1369) so much so that he composed three works
in praise and honour of the Lord. He says in Verse 14 of Sri
Devanayaka Panchasat, "the effulgence, radiated by your Form and
Divine Limbs, highly pleasing to the Devis, who would envision you
without a wink, confers on the jewels and the weapons an additional
charm; indeed they cannot enhance your charm by any stretch of
imagination. I can never experience a sense of satiation even by
perennially looking at your charming Form." Who will ever attempt to
decorate what is a personification of charm already?
The Lords of the places like Tirumalai,
Kanchipuram, Thiru-aheendrapuram and Srirangam are dear to those who
reside in these places. Swami Desikan's compositions in praise of
these deities are well-known but devotees of every holy place
delight in fancying that Swami Desikan was preferentially attached
only to the Lord of their place.
Of the many deities, Lord Devanatha is the only one
who has been the subject of Sri Vedanta Desika's devotional
compassion in three languages — Sanskrit, Prakrit (a dialect of
Sanskrit) and Tamil. Sri Devanayaka Panchasat dwells on the
greatness of the Lord as creator and protector and also describes
His charming form from head to toe.
Sri Achyuta Satakam of 101 verses in Prakrit takes
the form of an effusion in the character of a Nayaki-Nayaka bhava
and yet reveals profound Vedic truths and declares the basic
doctrines of the Visishtadvaita philosophy.
Sri Desika who has the particular ornament for
himself and sports it during his festivals, rightly reputed for
their pomp and paraphernalia, commensurate with his greatness and
services to the divine cause, would have had indeed wished for a
similar outfit for His much-loved favourite deity as well.
Services rendered in this connection by the two
office-bearers of Sri Devanthan Ratnangi Kainkaryam Committee
deserve special mention.
They are Dr. V. Sadagopan, a patron of religious
causes and a discerning scholar on spirituality, religion, music and
temple culture and his sister, Padma Veeraraghavan, who has
organised women groups in choral singing in the Lord's service and
has accomplished services to deities in Srivilliputhur, Oppiliappan
Koil and Nanganallur.
As the devotee worships Sri Devanayaka decked up in
the radiant Ratnangi , reciting the mellifluous Prakrit verses of
Achyuta Satakam, he would find himself engulfed by the power of Sri
Desika's utter simplicity, austere detachment and abiding devotion
to the auspicious form of the Lord.
NEDUNTHERU
S. KANNAN
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