Nammazhwar Moksham ...... continues

Nammalwar Moksham continues ..Thirumaal Vandu En Nenju Niraya Ninrane

The senior Arayar holds a bunch of ‘olai chuvadis’ all laminated in his hand while the other elderly arayar sings out loud  and cries out soulfully----- “Narayanane Thayum Agi Thanthaiyum Agi…..Kalamegathai Ozhiya Matrroru Vazhi Thunai Illaiayee….”

Some listen to this soulful plea half asleep, some fully asleep, some half sitting ,many understand and appreciate this pregnant moment, others just nod to the Arayars thalam.

A photographer is shooed away hurriedly as I guess this is a very closed ,private affair, not open to media.

Thirumal Vandu En Nenju Niraya  pugundan.

5am 3^rd Jan 13

Were back after a short break , nap and a fresh bath. We find this mandapam full. Believe me, all dressed in new looking clothes , the traditional mark on their forehead and all in swaroopam…ie..ladies in madisar and men in pancha kacham, as if celebrating,   and when I ask,.. a lady she tells me that everyone here celebrates this occasion as Nammalwar returns to Boolokam. Namperumal sends him back….

What attitude!  All vying for a vantage point to see Nammalwar reach his Maker. This half hour is charged with emotion, everyone looking sad or happy bidding farewell to Nammalwar initially and then eagerly awaiting his return to Boolokam.

At 6am sharp, Nammalwar, clad in a plain white dhoti and just a thiruman kappu ( no sreechurnam) leaves for his heavenly abode, showing us the way to our destination ,as a representative of all human clan awaiting Moksham ---the one soul who deserves Reunion.

Nammalwar is taken to Namperumal who waits patiently, and set at his feet. Once he is at the Lotus feet the archakar starts to pile thulasi leaves over him and  he does this until Nammalwar is fully covered in thulasi. The crowd Haws and Hems and shouts Ranga Ranga…all the while the arayars singing the last two verses.. “neelvisumbu”…..describing the way to SriVaikundam…. showing the way….the thunder which welcomes Nammalwar with drumbeat,  the oceans which clap hands delightfully ,and many other welcoming signs that Nammalwar can see ….

When in times of yore the people demanded that Nammalwar be returned to them The Lord in his magnificence agreed and sent him back .  There was a joyful shout, even today, as if really Nammalwar is coming back. Some say Nammalwar himself wanted boolokam as there would be no singing His praises there!  In Vaikundam!

The people await in the corridors of this huge beautiful 1000pillared hall to welcome Nammalwar back

I actually saw misty eyed mamis here and asked them why?

They said Namma Alwar thirumbittar…this is the level of involvement and  personalizing that these mamis have!

The Namperumal gives Nammalwar his Kasthuri thilakam and now Nammalwar returns with Kasthuri thilakam and Namperumal”s malai .

8.30 am

Thertham,  sadari is given from Namperumal ,who looks more magnificent (if its possible) without jewels (any) only his poonal in gold and His Kousthubam. HE looks more imposing, more gambiryam, may be happy in the thought that his favourite atma has reached HIM? HE wears a beautiful mustard with green and red broad zari border, and a half-white pattu angavastrhram with deep red border which is put on him like a shawl.All this more than make up for the loss of his jewels.

Nammalwar now wears a white with red border veshti with Namperumnals malai, and kasthuri thilakam, looking very proud of himself,.

I see a few people sitting in deep meditation  ,rightly so as the atmosphere is charged with devotion and vibrations.

Now I’m told that Namperumal is enjoying the 10^th day utsavams only.. even now. HE is one day behind and as such Thayar and other sannidhis are one day behind too In their daily rituals. So yesterday’s offerings , yesterday’s thaligai will be offered to HIM today  meaning newly made prasadams but with a backlog. HE is allowed to sleep for about 10 minutes symbolically night time rest and after that at noon will be HIS thirupalliezhuchi. And then starts the present day.This is more like Him being in a time machine ,jetlag sort of thing.

Namperumal purappadu kandaruli comes down the Thirumamani mandapam and stays in the 4kaal mandapam for half hour during which time he bids good bye to  all the alwars who have stayed with Him all these 20 days .He  gives them each a veshti as mariyadhai with malai and sends them off respectfully. We rush to the Garudalwar sannidhi where all the alwars assemble. And then the Stotra padam goshti starts. Many scholars recite Parangusa Pancha Vimsati, and Nakshatra Malika, which is about Nammalwar, and now the goshti reaches Nammalwar sannidhi all the while reciting. Here mariyadhai from Nammlawar is given to Periyalwar, and Nammalwar goes into his sannidhi. Now periyalwar gives mariyadhai to Udayavar and periyalwar goes away into his sannidhi. Udayavar gives mariyadhai to Pillai Loka Chariar, and Koorathalwar, and then all three leave to go to their respective sannidhis. This seems to be the hierarchy of mariyadhai.

We rush to Udayavar sannidhi and a huge Parayana goshti sits there reciting Alavandar’s StotraRratnam, and thiruppavai. After the goshti, theertham and satari is served. This Ramanuja sannidhi is fairly big but the place was full and half full of men in panchakacham and mamis in madisar, I should say that most of these mamis recite every stotram along with but not loudly and stay very quiet. The respect with which everyone here treat goshti or adiyavargal is remarkable.The goshti theertham comes our way and the ladies are so accommodative ,that they get their share and move away, to allow others to get it too….a quality I rarely see . The viniyogam is bakshanams of all sorts broken up ,and served.We remember that theses are pieces of the bakshanams that were spread out in front of Namperumal early in the wee hours of the morning.!Ramnukjars share is distributed to his adiyavargal.

Headed towards the Andal sannidhi for goshti, one may remember the ull andal sannidhi which is so beautiful with paintings on the walls,the goshti is here reciting thiruppavai 30m thappamal…and sadly I walk away due to time constraints.