Sri Vanchanatham Bhajeham

 I had learnt this some time back . ... Muthuswamy Dikshithar, Adi, Surutti.

Srivanchiyam is located 18 km from Thiruvarur and 27 km from Kumbakonam. It was also called Thapovanam or Bhu Kailasam( Kailasam on earth). In fact , in the charana , there is a line " Bhu Kailasa sthithi paatram"

It was also called Gandharanyam since it was once a forest of sweet smelling sandal trees. This is also referred  to in the charanam( Shri Gaandharanya Kshetram)

In fact, Goddess Ganga is supposed to have worshipped here to cleanse herself of the sins left by devotees who bathed in her waters.

The Shiva Linga here is believed to be Swayambhu and Appar, Thirugnansambandar, Sambandar and Manikkavachagar are all supposed to have composed on this deity. 

Parvathi is worshipped here as Mangalambikai( referred to right in the Pallavi.. Shri Mangalamba Sametam)

The Sthala vriksham is Chandana( since it was in the middle of a sandal forest) and the temple tank, Pushkarini is called Gupta Ganga or Yama Kundam. 

A special feature of this temple is a separate sanctum for Yama, along with his assistant Chitragupta. In fact Yama is one of the Vahanas of Shiva here. I am a bit surprised that there is no reference to this in the krithi.

He is also the person who grants both Jivan Mukthi and Videha Mukthi. Jivan Mukthis is supposed to refer to liberation during lifetime and Videha Mukthi is liberation after Death. In fact Kumara is supposed to have asked Shiva about this 

Shri Chakra

 Life, I believe is full of serendipity and hidden messages. We just need a certain level of awareness about it. More than eleven years back, I was at the consecration of the Linga Bhairavi temple at Isha. Almost since then, I have been wearing the Devi pendant and the other side has the Shri Chakra. I think I was not conscious about this till years later.

Anyway, what is the Shri Chakra, also called Shri Yantra. It is a device, a tool, a mechanism, a symbolisation used for worship of Shakthi or the source of all energy. It consists of nine interlocking triangles, four facing up and five down around a central Bindu.The circle represents eternal principles with no beginning or end. The triangles represent the triumvarate of creation, maintenance and destruction. Also refers to that which is threefold, the Devi, the yoni, or the symbol of creation. The triangles with the apex pointed up are indicative of aspirations rising from depths to heights. The triangles with the apex pointing down ar indicative of Shakthi's Grace. So a downward pointing triangle superimposed on an upward pointing one or a Satkona is symbolic of rising aspirations matched by a responding Grace. The lotus petals signify the unfolding of a being's latent potential.

These are very very brief explanations. There is enough information available for further study. A good place to begin is P R Krishnakumar's 1992 abstract on the same.

The Kamalamba Navavarnas

 I started learning these on the 27th of February, within one mandala of finishing my Bhairavi Sadhana on Thaipoosam Day on 28th January!!!

Learning this as an entire group along with another 15 odd students from Dr Vijayalakshmy Subramanian. The patanthara in this is pristine since she has learnt them from S Rajam, who has himself learnt it from Ambi Dikshithar. As we know, neither Muthuswamy nor his brothers had children. So, his brother Baluswamy adopted his daughter's son, Subbarama. And Ambi is Subbarama's son.

These krithis are very important to me. Not just because of my Dikshithar obsession . But also because of my adoration of Shakthi, the primordial force in the Universe. Some time back, I tried to figure out about initiation to Srividhya. Just hearing about the rigorousness of it made my head spin. I realised it would not work for me. My guru says that if we want to be connected to the Devi, we just need to chant the Bhairavi stuthi( an adoration of her by 33 different names) and Viji says that singing these songs with the utmost devotion and reverence is equivalent to Srividhya worship. So I will settle for that.

So,on that first day I sat down to learn with wet hair, after chanting the Devi stuthi and wearing my Srichakra touching my Visudhi. I have already declared that it is my wish that we go there as a group and sing this in front of the Kamalamba sannidhi in Tiruvarur. But I have also been wanting to sing the panchabhutha krithis in the five sthalams. Let us see what is ordained.

I want to do a detailed blog on each of the krithis. But first, a little on Sri Chakra itself in the next blog.

Klara and the Sun

 Just finished Ishiguro's eight book as slowly as I could. I admit it began on a very slow note and for the first fifth, I did not feel the usual magic that I do in an Ishiguro novel. But then it came.. that slow reveal, the sense of foreboding and a deep desolation. And yet, it is not really sad. Yes, similarities to Never let me go. But also Klara reminds me of the Spielberg film, AI. 

Enough reviews already . Just read it. Ishiguro is easily my most favourite writer and has been for some time.