QUES ANSW DIVINE 78 Dearfriends,
These areinformation posted by members compiled as QA by me in 1998’s-2004’s and storedin my computer. At this date I have no information of the members posted. BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS. Sincerely, R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, Former AGM Telecom Trivandrum dated 18-12-2021 Q1 What are the special attributes ofAdinatha-swamy temple at Alwar Tirunagari? A1 Alwar Tirunagari is 20 miles east of Tirunelveli and17 miles west, of Tiruchendur, 3 miles from Srivaikuntam, on theTirunelveli-Tiruchendur branch of Southern Railway. It is a famous Vaishnavite centre, the birth placeof Saint Nammalwar and Manavalamuni and contains one of the largesttemples in the district of Tirunelveli, dedicated to Lord Vishnu asAdinatha-swamy. AlwarTirunagari is well known in Vaishnava tradition as Tirukurugur and has beensung on by Nammalwar. It is the place of nativity of Subrahmanya Dikshitar who is the author of thecomparative grammar of Sanskrit and Tamil, called Prayogaviveka. Anumber of paintings depicting scenes from the Ramayana are found there. There is a very big tamarindtree whose bark is stripped by devotees for using as a medicine for the cure ofotherwise incurable diseases. During the flowering season, the tree is loadedwith flowers but bears no fruit. The origin of the tree dates back to thousandsof years and is known only by legend which has held it in great sanctity fromthe hoary past. The story goes thatthe tree is none other than Adisesha, the heavenly serpent - couch of Lord Vishnu, who took the form ofa tree and remained near the Adinathaswamy temple to receive Lord Vishnu at alater date. LordChaitanya of Bengal is said to have visited Tirunagari Adikesava or Adinathaand taken with him back a copy of the Brahma Samhita or the Dravida Samhita, asTiruvaimozhi is called. Q2 An interesting question- Did any body made a suggestionto Lord Siva to send sage Agasthia to south to balance the weight during Siva’smarriage with Parvathi? A2 It was at the suggestion of the divine architect Viswakarmathat Siva sent Agastya to the South to restore the balance of the landupset by the gods assembling in Kailas to witness his marriage. Q3 What are the commentable points about the saintnamalwar? A3Saint Nammalwar is one of the Mahatmas in the galaxy of saints, who was born inthe Kali Age, B.C. 3102 just43 days after the departure of Lord Krishna from the world at theend of Dwapara Yuga. Saint Nammalwar is considered to be the chief among the Alwars.The popular esteem for Nammalwar is so great that it has eclipsed thereputation of Adinatha swamy, which can be seen from the fact that Nammalwarhas a separate car for himself to join the procession of the original deity ofAdinatha swamy. Sincehis birth, Nammalwar unlike other children, he never showed the characteristicsof the mortal children such as wake fullness, hunger, crying and playing, etc. His worldly existence was for 35years only, similar to Sri Sankara or Swami Vivekananda Q4 What are the attributes of Srivaikyuntamtemple? A4 Srivaikuntarn is in the Tirunelveli District. Becauseof the Vishnu temple here this place hasbecome a famous place of pilgrimage. Once an Asura named Somukasnatched all the four Vedas from Lord Brahma. So, Brahma came to the earth andbegan to search for a suitable place to perform, penance so that he could getback the Vedas with the help of Lord Vishnu. At last he selected Srivaikuntharnand commenced the austerities. Lord Vishnu who was pleased with them fought theAsura and defeated him. Brahma got back his Vedas. Immediately Lord Vishnu wentinto, the earth. Through a hole running from the surface of the earth, itwas found the milk that cows yieldeddaily flowed to Lord Vishnu. Thus the abhisheka with milk was done to Himdaily. The king who ruled over that place came to know aboutthis. The idol was dug out and a beautiful temple was built for the Lord(Srivaikunthanatha). Q5 This is an interesting question- Can you find a templeon lines of Khajuraho(?) in Tamilnadu? A5Krishnapuram is a small village in Tirunelveli District at a distance of aboutsix miles from Tirunelveli town. There are a good number of images and idols ofsculptural interest in the temple, attracting hundreds of visitors. Lord Venkatachalapathy has beeninstalled here with Sri Devi and Bhoo Devi. Anyvisitor will be impressed by the dexterity with which each image in themandaparn has been carved out. They are so life-like and their features and expressionsso natural and real that a person will be under the impression that he isactually in front of living beings. Suchbeautiful idols can hardly be seen else where. The stone for carving out theidols have been selected with such care that they produce melodious musical soundswhen struck at different places. There is a beuatiful carving of Udhishitra, Bhima and a Purusha mrigam( half man andhalf animal) which helped tocomplete a yagya . To fulfil the ritual at an important yaga, Yudhishthirarequired the milk of Purushamrigam, Thereis another pillar containing the representation of a princess and a princebeing abducted by a kuravan and a kuratti (gypsies), while an irate king orminister gives an angry chase and rescues them. The princess sits serene on theshoulders of the gypsy as if expecting rescue at any moment. The charger on oneside of the pillar is depicted as if it would leap into life any moment underthe whip of its rider. A lance has pierced the kuravan on his left flank andthe blood flowing from the wound is represented in a red shade of stone. Thewhole body of the man is twisted in an agony of pain. It is a marvel where the,sculptor got a model for his work. The other side of the pillar shows theprincess's mother consulting a female palmist. The curves of the feminine body,its dress and ornaments have been depicted in luscious glory and with pointedattention to detail. The same affectionate care has been bestowedupon the statue of Rati (Goddess of Love), the eternal beauty, full of anentirely human vanity, admiring herself and bearing a look of mixedself-satisfaction and serene contentment. On the other side of the pillar, a sage is shown to bemolesting a lady who, out of anger, is pulling down his beard. Alady is carrying away a handsome prince and an old lady with a sword in herhand is attacking a man who has been caught between her legs. Onthe other side there is a beautiful girl with a parrot in her hand. girl isdancing with a bouquet in her right palm and a fruit in her left palm. A knightis lying at her feet with a sword in his hand and a gypsy is sitting by herside with snakes around him.On the other side of this pillar, two lovers are found to be making gestures oflove to each other. Q6 What are the legends behind the orgin of Darbha?What areits special attributes? A6There is a legend behind the origin of Darbha grass. The story goes that whenthe great Milky Ocean was churned with Manthara mountain as the churned restingon Sri Vishnu in the form of a tortoise, several hairs irom the back of the tortoise (Maha Vishnu)fell off. Pullaranyam was a marshy land full of grass and Sri Ramachose a bed of Darbha grass, These hairs were washed ashore by the waves and took root and are knownas Darbha grass. Otherssay that while happily drinking Amrita (Ambrosia) which they got extractedafter infinite struggle from the Sea of Milk, the Gods let fall a few drops of the nectar on this grass.The sanctity attached to this grass is apparently due to the contact withcelestial nectar. Thenagain, others assert that it was produced at the time when Vishnu took the formof Mohini and was distributing Ambrosia to the Gods. The vessel containing the nectar wassupported on Mohini's hip and when she moved playfully to enchant the Asuras afew drops fell on the earth, which took root and developed in the form ofDarbha grass. Darbhagrass is looked upon as part of Vishnu Himself. An annual festival institutedin honor of the sacred Darbha grass is celebrated on the eight day of the Moonin the month of Bhadra (September) and is called Darbha Ashtami. Thegrass is used on all sacred occasions during the performance of propitiatoryrituals in honor of gods and one's ancestors. This name alludes to the incidentin Sri Rama's life when he took rest on the sacred grass during his penance,for three days and nights, in this particular place. Q7 What are the special attributes of Tiruppulani? A7 Tiruppulani, pullaranyam and darbha sayanam all arethe same. Sage Pula Maharshi started a penance sittingunder a Banyan tree, for the deliverance of people from the persecutions ofthose Rakshasas. As a result, Mahavishnu appeared in his vision in the form ofAdiJagannatha and declared that he (Vishnu), in his subsequent avatar as SriRama, would annihilate the demons and the wicked, and deliver the world fromtheir cruelties. At therequest of Pula Maharshi, Mahavishnu granted also the boon by which he agreedto reside in this sacred place and bless his devotees. Sincethen, this place has become sacred and known as Pullaranyam Kshetram. Sri Ramain his search for his consort Sita and in his effort to bridge the gulf toLanka was perplexed how to overcome the natural obstacle, the sea. He laidhimself on the bed of the sacred grass for three days and nights in deepmeditation. In answer, Sri Adi Jagannatha appeared before Sri Rama, handed himthe weapon of victory, called Divya Chapa, and blessed him with success. Adi Setu, where Sri Rama commenced theSetubandhan, is three miles south of this Kshetra. The presiding deity in thetemple is Adi Jagannatha. With his divine consort Sri Padmasani Tayar andDarbhasayana Rama. SriRama, on his return from Lanka and after the Linga Pratishtha at Rameswaram,visited Adi Setu to bathe in the sea and ward off the evil effects ofBrahmahatya committed by his slaying of Ravana, the Brahmin. After visiting Adi Setu, Sri Ramastopped his Pushpaka Vimana at Darbhasayanam, to show his consortSita the place of his fast and penance and the place where he received thedivine weapon. Thetemple is five miles southeast of Ramnad Railway Station, on the SouthernRailway. Q8 What is the Tevalar and Deva kanya story connected withTiruPulani? A8Once a hermit by name Tevalar, who was well versed in the Vedas, performedtapas in this forest. One day seven Deva Kanyakas, who were enamoured of thebeauty of the place, played under the shades of trees and bathed in the tanknearby, leaving their clothes on the bank. Then Tevalar came there to take his bath. The Kanyakas,unmindful of the hermit, continued their jalakreeda (water-sport)without any dress on. Thehermit, getting offended with the Kanyakas, cursed them and they changed intomortals. TheKanyakas, however, begged of him to have mercy on them and save them from thecurse. Tevalar told themthat there was a sage by name Pullar in the forest. He was a devoutVishnubhakta. If they went to him, he would indicate to them the manner ofredemption. Hearing this, the Kanyakas went to thehermitage of Pullar. They relatedto him their past and present history and prayed to him to save them from thecurse. Pullar took pity on them and promised to help them to regain theiroriginal status. Hesaid that Mahavishnu would take the avatar of Sri Rama and if the Kanyakaswould get darsan of him, they would be absolved of the Course. The Kanyakas were anxiouslywaiting for the arrival of Sri Rama. Indue course Rama with his army of monkeys arrived at this place. He chanced to see the sevenKanyakas, who immediately got released from their curse and turnedinto Deva Kanyas again. A hunter who accidentally came there saw Lord Rama andreceived his blessings. Ramaasked him to turn that places into a hamlet construct a temple in that forestand watch the bridge Setu. SriRama gave the name of Setu Palaka to the hunter ThisPeepal tree in Pullaranyam is very sacred whoever performs tapas under thistree gets salvation. Pullar, Kan Kalavar, Tevalar and others performed penanceunder this tree and Veda blessed with Moksha. It is also believed that ifpeople without child perform Nagapratishtha under this Peepal tree, they wouldbe blessed with children with long lives. The Pradakshina round this Peepaltree wards off the worst sins. Q9 What are the attributes of peepal tree? A9 Lord Vishnu used the leaf as hiscouch and floated in the eternal deluge, from which the name Vatapatra-sayee hasbeen derived. The very choice of the Creator,Vishnu, of the leaf of a Peepal tree as His bed before the Creation goes toattach mystic powers to the tree. The tree is held with such veneration that no one is allowed to cut itdown, lop off its branches or even pull off its leaves, unless theyare to be used for acts of worship. To fell the tree would be an awfulsacrilege, and quite unpardonable This is being scrupulously observed eventoday. The tree is sacred to Vishnu or rather it isVishnu Himself under the form of a tree. For planting such trees, called Aswattha Pratishtha,elaborate religious rituals and ceremonies are performed. Sometimesthe tree is given in marriage with elaborate performances and ceremonies to aMargosa tree as its consort. The existence of these two trees inclose proximity, which is often times seen in the villages, is not anaccidental growth. In theBhagavad Gita the Lord spoke of Himself : "Among the trees I am theAswattha". Q10What are the attributes of Tiruvadanai temple and nearTondivinayagar temple? A 10 Tiruvadanai is a talukheadquarter of Ramnad District of Madras, State. The place is not very easilyapproachable. The nearest railway station is Devakottai at a distance of 26miles, on the bus route from Devakottai to Tondi or Madurai to Tondi. A mile and a half from Tondi, whichis a sea, coast town, the famous Tondi Vinayaka temple is to be seen. A red stone Vinayaka is place atthe roadside, having only a thatched palmyrah roof as a protectionfrom the inclemencies of the weather. But the Vinayaka is of famous origin andwas worshipped by Lord Rama during the course of his banishment. The local tradition connected withthis Vinayaka is that Lori Rama got his first vision of success, after worshippingthe idol. It is further said that Sri Rama wanted to construct abridge at this point but found that it would lead to the backyards of Lanka'sfort. The (idol is so to say the forlornone sitting at the road-side, always graceful to appease the thirst of people with a glass of sweet water which isvery rare at the sea-side. The water seems to be a sign of thefulfillment of desire, as Lord Rama's desire was fulfilled. It was in this kshetra that Sankarasang the praise of Vinayaka in Ganesa Pancha Ratna Mala. Coming to Tiruvadanai temple, it issaid in the legend connected with the origin of the shrine that Sage Durvasa cursed Varuni,the son of Varuna, to be transformed into the body of an elephant having thehead of a goat. With the mouth of a goat, the body of an elephantcannot be sustained. Varuni experienced terrible hunger, which could not besatisfied through the little mouth. To get rid of the curse of havingsuch a large figure with terrible hunger, never to be appeased, he had to come for penance atthe shrine at Tiruvadanai temple of Adi Ratneswara. After devoted prayer and penance, heregained his original form at this place. The name is derived from this mythological incident(Tiru-sacred; Adu--goat; Aanai-- elephant; the sacred place wherethe goat headed elephant regained his original form). The name of the goddessin this temple is Snehavalli. Q11 What is the speciality of Avudayar kovil? A11 Avudayar kovil is an importantSivasthala, 8 miles from Arantangi Rail Station. Magic of construction of this temple is that the rays of the setting sun alwaysfall on the sanctum sanctorum although it is inside three prakarams! Q12 What are the special attributes of kalayarkovil temple and Devakkottai? A12 In the territory ruled by kingsof the Pandya Dynasty, there were 14 sacred shrines of Lord Siva, which havebeen visited by the three great Tamil saints, Sambandar, Appar and Sundarar.Out of these one is the present Kaliyar Koil. There lived a sect of people, known as Valakillayar, who distinguishedthemselves by their power to curse, gained through austerepenance hundreds of years. Lakshmi, the consort of Maha Vishnu, had the luck ofbeing cursed by them. As the curse was very effective, she to come to KaliyarKoil for getting redemption of the curse. Lord Siva once cursed Parvati Devifor closing his eyes out of lust and throwing the entire universeinto complete darkness, which caused untold sufferings to the people. As aresult of the curse, shehad to spend her time on the earth in the form of Kali, worshipping Siva. The fortwhich was built by the Devas for the Devi to reside in s known as Devakottai orDevakottai (Kottai means fort). The present town of Devakottai has derived itsname thus. It is situated five miles away from Siva ganga on the railway linefrom Karaikudi to Rameswaram Q13 Which Devasthanam has started a college of its own in Tamilnadu? A13 Pazhani isone of the richest temples in South India. A College of Hindu Theology hasrecently started under the auspices of the Devasthanam. It is affiliated to the Madras University. Mynote- There are many higher secondary schools andone college under Travancore Cochin Devaswam board. I have worked for a shortperiod in their Higher secondary school at Trikkariyur near Kothamangalam inKerala. Q14 What are the special attributes of Dakshina kasi templeat Thirumazhapadi ? A14 Thirumazhapadi is situated in Tamil Nadu, at Perambalur district, at thenorth bank of Kollidam. The village is situated 4 miles west of Thiruvaiyaru and 16 miles south of Ariyalur. The riverKollidam is a tributary to riverKaveri and it is flowing south to northas ‘Uthiravahini’ and hence Thirumazhapadi is called Dhakshina Kasi. It is gathered that the temple is asancient as 700 B.C. The Linga in the temple is swayambu and it was worshiped by many saints likeAgsthya, Markandeya, Vashishta .The Lordis called ‘Vajrasdambeshwarar’ or ‘Vairathoonar’ as he stands as a rock on the banks of the river to save thevillage from floods. Three small pits in the Swamy sannadi at Tirumazhaai padi represent the Navagraha .Thereis no sannadi for Navagraha as it isbelieved that none in this village will be affected by Navagraha dhosha. Q15 What are the specialitiesof appu liongam at Tirivanaikovil? How the place got the name so? A15 The legend says that Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam used to visit thisshrine once a year to worship Lord Siva, But the practice was givenup later owing to quarrels between the Saivites and the Vaishnavites. Everybodyknows about the curse on Parvati by Lord Sva. Accordingly, the Devi came to this place and made a Lingamout of water particles and commenced worship. So, the Lingam is known as AppuLingam (Water Lingam) and eventoday water can be seen oozing out of the Lingam when the Kaveri or Coleroon isin flood. As DeviParvati took Upadesa (lessons) from Siva in Tiruvanaikavil, she and Siva areenshrined here facing each other, the shrine of the Lord facing the West andthat of the Devi facing the East. Such places are known as Upadesa Sthalas. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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