Sarangapani Temple – Greatness of Temple
Lord Perumal’s reclining postures are different in
different places. The one in Kumbakonam Sarangapani temple is praised as
Uddhana Sayana. Saint Tirumazhisai Azhwar in his Mangalasasanam hymn
asked Lord “Are you resting as your legs pain due to long walk”. Perumal
tried to get up to grace Azhwar. Azhwar asked Perumal to give the darshan
in the half-waking up posture. He is not in a complete reclining posture
here as such.
The hymns sung by the 12 Azhwars on Lord Vishnu-Perumal
had been edited as Nalayira Divya Prabandham – 4000 verses. Lord
Sarangapani was instrumental for this compilation. One of the Vaishnava Acharya
Sri Nadamuni who came here for worship heard some devotees sing the glory of
Lord in ten verses saying that it may be included in the 1000s. Sri
Nadamuni wondered and asked them to sing those thousand verses too. But
they could not as they did not know them. Lord Perumal appearing in
Nadamuni’s dream, advised him to go to Azhwar Tirunagari (praised as Nava
Thirupathi in Tuticorin district) and seek the blessings of Saint Nammazhwar to
get the hymns.
Sri Nadamuni came to Azhwar and gave him 4000 verses far
above – fourfold-his expectation, his joy knew no bounds. He compiled
them. Thus, the great Vaishnava Tamil scripture with all its poetic
beauty speaking the spiritual experiences of Azhwars came into being to elevate
the souls generation after generation.
Perumal in the temple is also praised as Aravamudha
Azhwar as he was instrumental for the compilation of Nalayira Divya Prabandham
– 4000 verses about the glory of Perumal. Of the Perumals in Divya Desas
praised by Azhwars, Srirangam has Mangalasasanams of 11 Azhwars, Tirupathi
Venkatachalapathi 10 and Kumbakonam Lord Sarangapani from 7
Azhwars.
Perumal came to this place to wed Mother. He hid himself under the earth
for a while to play with mother. He appeared before her then and took her
hands in marriage. The place where Lord played the hiding is now called
as Padala Srinivasa shrine. The one after the marriage is known as Mettu
(higher level) shrine where he graces with Mothers.
Majority of the Divyadesa temples have Sorgavasal open
on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day occurring in December-January. But there is
no one such in this temple as Perumal came to this Divyadesa directly from his
Vaikunta Divyadesa. The very worship of Perumal Lord Sarangapani would
take devotees to salvation. It is also believed that passing through the
Uthirayana and Dakshinayana entrances is no different from the Sorgavasal
passing. According to the system followed here, people enter the temple
through the Uthirayana entrance from Thai to Aani (January-February to
June-July) and through Dakshinayana entrance from Aadi to Margazhi month
covering the English months July-August to December-January.
As such only one gate is kept open to enter the
temple.
In most Divyadesa temples, the presiding deity occupies the highest prominence.
All pujas and Alankarams are offered to presiding deity alone. In the
Kumbakonam temple such respects are offered to the procession deity as he acts
on behalf of the presiding deity. Hence, this temple is revered as Upaya
Pradhana Divyadesa with due respect to the procession deity too.
Perumal usually appears with his discus and conch.
The presiding deity and the procession deity of the temple are holding a bow
too known as Sarngam, hence, the name of the Lord, Sarangapani. The bow
in the hands of the presiding deity is not visible. As Kumbakonam is the
place of sacred theerthas, deities of rivers and Devas appear here worshipping
Perumal.
Kumbakonam is the birth place of Mother Komalavalli. After the marriage
Lord chose to stay here itself with his consort – that is in his
mother-in-law’s house. In Tamil this called as Veettodu Mappillai.
Hence, Mother is dominant in the temple. The first worship goes to Mother
only. As a philosophy, as Mother is first for all respects, to establish
this rule, the way to Perumal shrine is also structured accordingly. The
Go-Puja-puja to cow- is performed in Komalavalli Thayar shrine. Pujas to
Lord are offered only then.
The mercy of Lord Perumal Sarangapani towards his
devotees is above the power of words. A devotee Lakshmi Narayanaswami
served Lord throughout his life. He is the one who built the Rajagopuram
of the temple. But he was childless. He reached the Lotus feet of
Lord on a Deepavali day. Anyone having no heir to perform the last rites
would go to hell, according to shastras. But Lord cannot ignore his
devotee. He performed the last rites for his devotee. Next day,
when the temple was opened, people saw him with a wet dhoti and his sacred
thread – Poonool in Tamil and Yagnopavitha in Sanskrit – changed on the right
shoulder, darba in hands in rite-performing manner. This event is
followed in the temple on Deepavali days during the midday puja but devotees
are not allowed to see this puja.