Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
Cheery Chimes
All of us are gladdened by the chimes of the bell. When we were school
children, the ringing of the bell at the end of the day spelled freedom from
the academic prison and from gimlet-eyed teachers. It was what we (at least the
less studious ones like me) used to look forward to, after lunch. Even after
growing up, the mellifluous chimes of the bell have always fascinated us. I
remember that cows in Tiruvallikkeni invariably had small bells hung around
their necks, emitting tinkling sounds whenever the creatures moved their heads
this way and that. (Only much later did I discover that the practice of tying
bells around the neck of cattle was quite ancient, from Sri Tondaradippodi's
lines in Tiruppalliezhucchi-"Mettu iLa mEdigaL talai vidum AyargaL vEynkuzhal
Osayum vidai maNi kuralum"). And the itinerant sweet-vendor had a bell hung
underneath his pushcart and just used to pull the bell-rope to announce his
arrival, rather than hawk his wares with raucous cries. The temple doors too
used to be adorned with numerous small bells, which jingled and jangled
whenever the doors were pushed open or closed. And children, with their
penchant for making some form of noise or the other constantly, used to mark
attendance at the sannidhi by invariably making these bells ring incessantly.
The arrival of the temple elephant was always heralded by the mellifluous
chimes of the ridiculously small bell hung around its huge neck, at which sound
we children used to rush out of our homes in anticipation of the visual treat
that the pachyderm always provided and for the fear-tinged pleasure of
benediction by the touch of its trunk to our heads (which, incidentally, was
done free of charge, compared to the current day elephants which have been
trained to even look at you only upon payment of a rupee coin).
However, by far the best use of the bell is during the daily worship of the
Lord ("TiruvArAdhanam"), be it at home or the temple. Whether it be for gently
waking up the Lord from His yOga nidrA or feigned slumber, for lovingly
offering Him water for washing His hands or feet, during His ceremonial bath,
for submitting our humble offering of food, drink, incense or lighted camphor,
sounding of the bell is mandatory, according to manuals of worship dotingly
drafted by affectionate Acharyas.
The PAncharAtra SamhitAs impress upon us the indispensability of the Bell and
the modes of its use, during the Lord's worship. In fact, the JayAkhya SamhitA
tells us that one who wishes to derive the full benefit of the TiruvArAdhanam
(viz., Bhagavat preeti) should never forsake sounding the bell during the same-
"PoojA kAlam vinA anyatra hitam nAsyA: prachAlanam
nAnayA tu vinA kAryam poojanE siddhim icchatA".
This sloka also tells us not to sound the bell except during the Lord's worship.
It is interesting to note the nuances in using the bell. For instance, on some
occasions like opening the PerumAL sannidhi, offering Him water for wash,
during His ceremonial bath and while offering Him incense and the lamp, the
tongue of the bell should be made to touch only one wall of the bell. On the
other hand, while offering Him lit camphor, food, drink etc., the bell's tongue
should move both sides, touching the opposite inner walls of the bell
alternately. This is what the VAsudEva SamhitA tells us-
"GhantAyA: tAdanam kuryAt HarE: poojAdi karmasu
udghAtanE kavAtasya prastutE poojanE tathA
AvahanE arghyE snapanE vivAhE dhoopa deepakE
Bali karMaNi hOmE cha Eka pArsvEna tAdayEt
neerAjanE yavanikA samuddhArE nivEdanE
ParsvAbhyAm tAdanam kuryAt upachArAnatarEshu tu".
The chimes of the sanctified bell represent the sweetest of strains from all
musical instruments, just as Sri Hari is the embodiment of all gods. All
auspicious sounds emanate from the GhantA (Bell), says the JayAkhya SamhitA-
"Sarva vAdya mayee ghantA sarva dEva mayO Hari:
GhantA shabda gatam sarvam tasmAt tAm chAlayEt purA".
However, while offering the Lord incense or a lighted lamp, we have to
necessarily use our left hand for sounding the bell. We are assailed by a
doubt here-would it be correct to lift and use the ghantA with our left hand,
for, the right would necessarily be engaged in holding the incense or lamp?
From all the aforesaid, the Bell appears to be such a sacred component of
worship that touching or using it with our inauspicious left hand appears
incorrect. This can be done, says the ShrIkara SamhitA ("Dhoopam dadyAt svayam
kinchit ghantAm vAmEna nAdayEt") for, if you insist on holding the bell in your
right hand, then the lamp, camphor, incense etc. would have to be offered to
the Lord with the left hand, which is absolutely unthinkable. However, while
lifting the bell, the right hand should be used and thereafter its use on the
aforesaid occasions should be with the left.
We thus find that the sounding of the bell is intended
1. to drive away evil spirits inimical to spiritual endeavours,
2. to notify devotees and kindred spirits of the ongoing ArAdhanam and
invite their participation in the same and
3. to call upon dEvatAs to honour us with their presence and accept our
ministrations.
There is an interesting tale about the Bell, worth narrating. All her efforts
at safeguarding her milk and butter (from Krishna and His band of urchins)
having failed to bear fruit, an ingenious Gopi hits upon the idea of tying
bells to the ropes by which the pots of butter are suspended from the roof, so
that any effort at reaching them would automatically set off the bells and
sound an alarm. When He finds the bell, Krishna makes it a co-conspirator by
requesting it not to ring and give Him away. How can anyone say no to a request
from the absolutely enchanting boy, who is none other than the Parabrahmam
itself? So the Bell agrees not to ring during Sri Krishna's nefarious
activities. Emboldened by such consent, Sri Krishna puts His beautiful hand
into the butter pot, scoops up several handfuls, offers them to His acolytes
and fondly watches them consume the same. True to its promise, the Bell remains
silent. And finally, when Sri Krishna puts some butter into His own mouth and
swallows, the Bell rings stridently, waking up the Gopi and all others within
hearing distance. Angered by this apparent breach of trust by the Bell, Krishna
queries it as to why it chose to ring just then, when He had begun to eat,
having remained silent all along after the thievery had commenced. The Bell
tells the Lord that it could not remain silent when the Paramapurusha was
partaking of food, as it is the Bell's honourable duty to ring whenever any
offering is made to the Lord. Mollified by the extremely reasonable
explanation, Sri Krishna forgives the bell and makes good His escape.
The glorious GhantA serving the Lord at Tirumala had a strange desire, almost
eight hundred years ago-it wanted to be born as a human being. Dissatisfied
with emitting just sweet and stentorian sounds without any profound purport,
the Bell of TiruvEnkatamudayAn prayed to the Lord for a human birth: not any
humdrum janmA, but that of a highly gifted and devoted individual, whose
scholarship and bhakti would be the envy of all those who were born before or
after him. And the Bell desired a path-breaking sojourn on Earth, spreading
enlightenment and showing an easy path to Paradise.
"So be it!" said Srinivasa, granting His ghantA's desire. Just as Sri Rama
chose His parents with care ("Pitaram rOchayAmAsa vriddham Dasaratham nripam"),
the Lord's Bell too was pretty particular as to whom it was born to. After
careful consideration and evaluation, the Bell chose a couple from
Kancheepuram, one PuNdarIkAksha YajwA and TOtAramba, a pair renowned for their
flawless devotion and impeccable conduct. To them was born the Bell, in the
form of a male child of varied accomplishments, an amalgam impossible to find
elsewhere.
Sri PrativAdibhayamkaram aNNA records this fact in his Saptati RatnamAlikA thus-
"AvirbhUti: yasya vamsAt anarghAt VaisvAmitrAt VishNu ghantA amsakasya
SrImAn sOyam sarva tantra svatantra: vaktA vyAkhyA sArvabhoumO vibhAti"
Within the young age of twenty, he had mastered all that was there to master
and had earned the bountiful blessings of his Acharyas, Sri VainatEya and of
Sri HayagrIva Himself, all of which made him a scintillating scholar, pleasing
poet, lofty logician, perfect philosopher and, above all, a bhaktimAn beyond
compare. Exhibiting in abundant measure the characteristics of his previous
form as the Lord's ghantA (bell), Sri VEnkatanAtha regaled scholars and the
proletariat alike with his erudition, revealing the sweet and endearing chimes
of the Bell. To opponents, he was verily a terror ("vibudha vairi
varoothinee"), striking fear in their hearts with his irrefutable propositions
and flawless formulations, reflecting the stern tones of the GhantA in driving
away forces inimical to the Lord ("Daitya ripu ghantA"). Just as the tones of
the GhantA provide the perfect accompaniment to the Lord's worship, so do the
devotional works of Swami Desikan, the recitation of which would endow us with
the ideal emotional state conducive to adulating Emperuman. And just as the
stentorian tones of the bell serve to frighten away demoniac and evil forces,
Tooppul Pillai's works too sound the death knell for the so-called philosophies
of agnostics, atheists and others of their ilk who do not accept the authority
of the Shruti, as also others of skewed perceptions ("Kudrishti") who pay lip
service to the Shruti but impose their own uninformed theories on it, in the
name of interpretation.
Just as the bell's chimes are heard over long distances, Sri Venkatanatha's
glory too spread far and wide, bringing him laurels and accolades, which,
however, he shunned like serpents.
Our homes have been provided with calling bells, which visitors sound to gain
admittance. Similarly, the gates of Sri Vaikuntam too are adorned with a
beautiful bell, which we have to ring, for entry into Paradise. It is this bell
that announces to the Lord our arrival at the gates of Paramapadam and it is at
the sound of this bell that He rushes to welcome us with open arms, sending
hordes of nitya sUrIs as an advance reception party. Once we propitiate this
Divine Bell, which is none other than our revered Venkatanatha, our admittance
into the Divine Residence is assured, for the Bell, in its special tones, sends
a sweet-sounding message to Emperuman, announcing to Him the unblemished soul
awaiting admittance into His abode and the need for His expeditious action in
the matter. Sri Vedanta Desika has authored so many works in so many
languages, all with Bhakti and Prapatti as the constantly recurring theme, that
our acceptance of him and his illustrious successors as our preceptors would
ensure for us emancipation. Once we adopt the simple but effective strategy of
Prapatti, Sri Venkatanatha, the Lord's Bell, emits sweet chimes that guide us
unerringly from the mundane morass to the Promised Land, announcing
simultaneously to the Lord our arrival for inclusion into His fold.
"Dharma trANAya ya: abhoot sa jayatu BhagavAn VishNu GhantAvatAra:"
Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:
dasan, sadagopan
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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