SrI vishNu sahasra nAmam - Slokam 70 - a-nirdeSya-vapuh.
662. aniedeSya-vapuh - a) He of indefinable form
Om anirdeSya-vapushe namah.
na nirdeshTum
Sakyam vapuh yasya iti anirdeSya-vapuh - He is anirdeSya-vapuh because
He has a body that is beyond the reach of the mind, words, etc.
Our body is formed by the
seven great elements - the pa'nca bhUta-s, plus mahat and ahamkAra. We
possess intellect, mind, body and limbs. From the SAstra-s we know
that bhagavAn also has intellect, mind, body and limbs. So the
question arises: "Of what substance is bhagavAn's body composed?", and
the answer is given: BhagavAn's body is composed of His form itself".
In other words, there is nothing else of which He is composed, and so
He can't be described in terms of something else. This
a-nirdeSya-vapuh is further revealed thus: "BhagavAn is of
indescribable form because His body is knowledge incarnate, lordship
incarnate, power incarnate, like the glowing ember, of the burning
khAdira or silk-cotton that has fire on all sides, like pure honey,
when drunk, that is sweet on all sides, like a bar of gold that is
being polished is gold all around, like a mansion that will be
attractive when viewed from all angles. Similarly, bhagavAn is
entirely lordship and power in full. Whatever He wants to become, He
becomes". It is very clear that this description keeps looking for
similes to describe Him unsuccessfully, illustrating that He can't be
described. - varjjitah Sakyate vaktum yah sadA
asti iti kevalam - All we can do is say that He exists always, but we
can't describe Him in words. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri quotes kaThopanishd
2.2.14 - "anirdeSyam paramam sukham" in support of the interpretation of
this nAma.
tiruvaDivil karu neDu mAl Seyan enRum, tirEdaik kaN vaLai uruvAit
tigazhndAn enRum
peru vaDivil kaDal amudam koNDa kAlam, perumAnaik karu nIla vaNNan
enRum
oru vaDivattu Or uru enRu uNaral AgAdu, Uzhi tORu Uzhi ninRu Ettal
allAl
karu vaDivil Se'nkaNNa vaNNan tannai, kaTTuraiyE yAr oruvar
kANgiRppArE?
2054. திருவடிவில் கருநெடுமால் சேயன் என்றும்
திரேதைக்கண் வளையுருவாய்த் திகழ்ந்தா னென்றும்,
பெருவடிவில் கடலமுதம் கொண்ட காலம்
பெருமானைக் கருநீல வண்ணன் றன்னை,
ஒருவடிவத் தோருருவென் றுணர லாகா
ஊழிதோ றூழிநின் றேத்தல் அல்லால்,
கருவடிவில் செங்கண்ண வண்ணன் றன்னைக்
கட்டுரையே யாரொருவர் காண்கிற் பாரே? 3
"By nature, He who has immense Mercy towards His creation is dark like
the water-laden clouds; in tretA yugam, He is known to have a reddish
color; in kRta yugam His complexion is white like that of the conch.
In each yugam devotees can worship Him in whatever form(s) He chooses
to present Himself in, but beyond worshipping, we cannot precisely
understand His true form. People can describe this nIla megha SyAmalan
with lotus-like reddish eyes as they want, but none can describe Him in
the form in which He has revealed Himself to me".
nammAzhvAr's tiruvAimozhi
8.8.2 - paDiyE idu enRu uraikkalAm paDiyan allan paramparan - His
Nature is not such that it can be described as such and such; IDum
eDuppum il ISan - There is nothing that is equal to Him or above Him
(tiruvAi. 1.6.3); oruvaraiyum nin oppAr oppu ilA enginRALAl (peria
tirumozhi 8.1.2) - There is no one comparable to Him. In praising Lord
oppiliappan of tiruviNNagaram, nammAzhvAr refers to Him as "tan oppAr
il appan" - oppu ili appan (tiruvAi. 6.3.9).
pAsuram
en appan enakkAy iguLAy ennaip peRRavaLAy
pon appan maNi appan muththappan en appanumAy
minnap pon madhiL sUzh thiruviNNagar sErndha appan
than *oppArillappan* thandhanan thana thAL nizhalE (Tiruvaimozhi 6 3 9)
enakku – being distinguished for me
en – the cause for my sustenance
appan – father
Ay – being
iguL – the step mother, who is having the femininity which is opposite to
such masculinity
Ay – being
ennaip peRRavaL Ay – being my distinguished, real mother who is unlike the
step mother who just raises the child
pon appan – manifesting his attractive nature which resembles gold
maNi appan – manifesting his radiant nature resembling a precious gem
(which is greater than gold in radiance and great worth)
muththu appan – manifesting the coolness resembling a pearl (which is
greater than precious gem in the coolness)
en appan um – the benefactor for me (in many ways)
Ay – being
minna – to shine
pon – golden
madhiL – by fort
sUzh – surrounded
thiruviNNagar – in thiruviNNagar
sErndha – living
appan – being the lord of all
(for such benefactorship towards all)
than – for him
oppAr il – having no match
appan – great benefactor
than – his
thAL – divine feet’s
nizhal – shadow
thandhanan – mercifully bestowed.
pon appan … – There are some entities which remain the benefactor, but will
lead to other enjoyable aspects [like gold, gems, pearls]; emperumAn
favoured me so that he himself remains as all such enjoyable aspects.
minnap pon … – The benefactor who lives in thiruviNNagar which is
surrounded by a shining golden fort.
than oppAr il appan – The great benefactor who has no match when it comes
to favouring certain things to others. nanjIyar mercifully gives an
explanation to this – when he rigorously pursued me in thiruvAimozhi 6.2
“minnidai madavAr“, I pushed him away saying “I don’t want you”; at that
time he gave himself saying “Do you know what is good for you? You really
need me”.
thandhanan thana thAL nizhalE – I tried to move away from him saying “I
will be alright even with the heat of sunshine, staying away from you”, as
said in “azhiththAy un thiruvadiyAl” (destroyed with your divine feet), he
eliminated my ego with your divine feet, and bestowed the shadow of his
divine feet to me. As soon as being touched by the divine feet, one would
give up the objects which he considered as his.
We have the tiatittirIya upanishd mantra - yato vAco nivartante,
aprApya mansA saha (Anandavalli - anu. 4) - He is inaccessible to words
or to mind; He can only be experienced. Similar passages abound in
veda; e.g., kenopanishad 1.5 to 1.9 - Brahman is that which reveals
speech, but which cannot be revealed by speech; that which gives us the
ability to see but which cannot be seen, etc.; ISAVAsya upanishad
mantra 4-5 (The Self is inaccessible to the mind since it is faster
than the mind; it is beyond the reach of the senses; It moves and moves
not; It is far for those who are ignorant, and near for those who are
wise; It is within and without; etc.).
Hence it is not saltless cooking etc; it is MATCHLESS; OPPU IL APPAN;
AND ONE MORE IS b g WORDS ON THE PALM “mom ekam saranam vraja”.
K R IRS 21125
On Sun, 2 Nov 2025 at 09:39, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *UPPILIAPPAN TEMPLE, THIRUNAGESWARAM, THANJAVUR DISTRICT-TAMILNADU*
>
> Introduction
>
> Located in the town of Thirunageswaram, Uppiliappan Temple is a revered
> Hindu temple. Also known as Thiruvinnagar of Venkatachalapathy Temple, the
> temple enshrines Lord Vishnu. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian
> style of architecture. *Glorified in the popular Tamil work- Divya
> Prabandha, the shrine is counted as the 60th amidst the 108 Divya Desams
> dedicated to Lord Vishnu*. Vishnu is worshipped as Lord Uppiliappan and
> his spouse Lakshmi is worshipped as Bhumi Devi. The temple is one of the
> Pancha Kshethram, where Lakshmi was born as Bhargavi- the daughter of the
> sage Markandeya.
>
> The construction of the temple is believed to have been started during the
> reign of the *Medieval Cholas in the 8th century AD and was completed in
> the times of Thanjavur Nayaks*. The five-tiered gopuram is constructed
> within a granite wall and has two inscriptions dating from the Chola period.
>
> Administered and maintained by the Hindu Religious and Endowment Board
> of the Government of Tamil Nadu, Uppiliappan Temple observed six daily
> rituals and three annual festivals.
>
> Panchguni Festival (also known as Chariot Festival) is celebrated during
> March- April and thousands of pilgrims gather at the spot to be a part of
> the festivities.
>
> Legend of Uppiliappan Temple
>
> The legend of the temple is mentioned in the Hindu scripture *Brahmanda
> Purana.* The oldest legend associated with the temple goes to say that
> once Tulsi (the plant) prayed to attain closeness to Lord Vishnu. Vishnu
> gave the plant a boon that Goddess Lakshmi will appear in its lap herself.
>
> Tulsi then, grew at the place where the temple stands now. Some years
> later, Maharishi Markandeya worshipped to Lord Vishnu to let Goddess
> Lakshmi be born as his daughter and that Lord Vishnu should then marry her
> and become his son-in-law.
>
> When Markandeya reached the site of the temple, he got an intuition and
> started a severe penance that lasted for several thousands of years*.
> Finally, Lakshmi appeared as a baby under the Tulsi plant and Markandeya
> realised that his wish has been fulfilled.* The Maharishi nurtured the
> child and reached the age of adolescence; when Vishnu appeared before him
> in disguise and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. To which Markandeya
> replied that his daughter is too young to decide the content of salt in
> food let alone being married. Vishnu not only accepted his daughter’s flaw
> but also said that the food she cooks will be of best quality with or
> without salt.
>
> The Maharishi got puzzled and prayed to Lord Vishnu to help him out. Then,
> *Lord
> Vishnu then appeared in his original form with a conch and chakram and
> married Goddess Lakshmi*. The temple stands at the same spot.
>
> And as per this legend, the prasad offered in the temple- Neyvethiyam, is
> prepared without any salt in it to this day.
>
> History
>
> The actual history of the temple cannot be traced with the help of the
> inscriptions. However, the inscriptions and the records of gifts mentioned
> on the walls and art of the temple suggest the creation of the temple to be
> from the *Medieval Cholas Period*. The epitaphs and inscriptions are
> majorly from the reign of Rajendra Chola and Rajaraja Rajakkesarivarman I.
>
> The later kings modified the shrine. The original idol of the *presiding
> deity was changed from wood to stone*. A lot of extensions and additions
> were made by Govinda Dikshitar and the Nayak rulers.
>
> Architecture of Uppiliappan Temple
>
> The major attraction of the temple is the luxuriant five-tiered gopuram
> adorning the entrance. Besides, it is needless to mention that the rich
> temple is generously endowed and bedecked with precious jewellery and
> valuable stones. *The shrine above the sanctum sanctorum is plated in
> gold* as are the Sahasradhari plate and pot used to perform ablution-
> Thirumanjanam. The idol of Hanuman is decorated with a diamond crown,
> golden sword and armour.
>
> A marble hall is located on the western side in the inner precinct acts as
> the resting hall for the festival deities during festivals.
>
> Dolotsavam festival is celebrated in another marble hall in the northern
> side of the temple. Adjoining the hall, there is a shrine where the images
> of Rama, Lakshmana, Sita and Hanuman are housed.
>
> The sacred bed chamber called Tiruppalliarai, covered full of mirrors is
> located next to it. A Yaga sala for performing religious rituals is present
> in the temple. The temple has a hall for housing festival vehicles, a
> library, and a hall with carved pillars on the banks of the temple tank,
> where the annual float-festival is celebrated.
>
> The Kodimandapa, located to the south of the Garuda shrine, is used for
> several day-to-day religious practices. The annual Kalyana Utsavam festival
> is performed in the hall amidst music and dance programmes.
>
> Deities
>
> The main shrine houses presiding deity of Uppiliappan. The main shrine of
> the temple houses the image of Oppiliappan in standing posture and it also
> houses the images of Bhoomidevi and sage Markendeya. The vimana is called
> Suddhananda, meaning "pure happiness".
>
> The temple complex also houses smaller shrines of* Anjaneya, Desika,
> Ramanuja, Alwar, Sri Rama, Maniappan, Ennappan and also Garuda*.
>
> The Desika shrine is located near the sancturn sanctorum. On the sides of
> the first precinct, the shrine of Anjaneya is located on the southern, and
> Alvars' and Rama's on the northern and Ramanuja's on the eastern sides. The
> shrine for Maniappan is located in the second precinct in the southern
> side, while the shrines of Ennappan and the holy birth spot of Bhoomidevi
> are located in the northern side. Garuda's shrine is located right opposite
> the sanctum and right behind the temple mast. The shrine of dancing Krishna
> is located on the southern side of the main entranceThe complex also houses
> two marriage halls, a guest house with five rooms, ne chamber each for the
> big and small chariot and two spare halls. *A garden in the premises
> grows Tulsi plants.*
>
> Poojas
>
> The temple follows Vaigasana Agama and follows *Vadagalai practices*.
> During the Viswaroopa Seva, the first worship, Suprapada Prabarthi
> Mangalam, a verse exclusively dedicated to Oppiliappan is relayed. in all
> shrines. Uchikalam is the last worship during the day time and happens at
> noon. During the evening, mutharkalam is the first worship sequence,
> recitals in Veda and Nithsuasandamam. Arthajamam is the last puja of the
> day.
>
> Festivals at Uppiliappan Temple
>
> The Chariot festival is the most important festival of the temple
> celebrated for nine days during the Tamil month of Panguni (March - April).
> Along with the chants of the mantras and singing of hymns, the devotees and
> the priests *carry the deities in the chariot to the neighbouring streets
> of the city*. The festival is celebrated with much zeal and gusto and
> thousands of pilgrims throng the holy premises to be a part of the
> festivities. History of Uppiliappan Temple
>
> Devotees from various places pull the chariot round the streets of temple.
> Verses from the 'Naalayira Divya Prabandham' are recited by a group of
> temple priests amidst music with Nagaswaram (pipe instrument) and Tavil
> (percussion instrument). The processional idols of Oppiliappan and
> Bhudevi are brought to the temple car early in the morning amidst Vedic
> chantings.
>
> The temple celebrates six other festivals: Vasanta Utsavam (spring
> festival) for 6 days in the temple garden during Vaikasi (May–June),
> Pavitrotsavam (purifying festival) for 5 days during Avani (Aug – Sep),
> Brahmotsavam for nine days of Purattasi (Sept – Oct), Kalyana Utsavam
> (holy marriage of god and goddess) for 12 days commencing from Sravanam
> during Aippasi (Oct–Nov), Adhyayana Utsavam (ten-day-and-ten-night
> festival) during Margali (Dec–Jan) and float festival for 5 days during
> Thai(Jan – Feb). Ramanavami, the festival associated with Rama, an avatar
> of Vishnu. The event is celebrated for ten days with music and dance
> performance and on the concluding day, kanakabhishekam (ablution with
> gold for the festival image) and Rama Pattabhishekam.
>
> Sravan Deepam is a festival celebrated every month in the temple on the
> day of Tamil star of Thiruvonam and devotees observe fast called Sravana
> Vratham that day by consuming only unsalted food.
>
> Tonsure ceremony for getting children shaved for the first time to
> promote proper growth and ear piercing is a very common practise followed
> in the temple. It is believed that the place is as sacred as Vaikunta and
> as in Vaikunta, the river Vraja there flows as river Nattaru and hence
> considered sacred. *The temple is counted as one of the temples built on
> the banks of River Kaveri*.
>
> Temple tank
>
> There is also a story behind the tank in this temple. Once a King had
> consummated with the daughter of a saint and hence *the saint cursed him
> to become a bird.* The king lived as a bird and one night when there was
> a storm, the branch of the tree the bird was sleeping on broke and fell
> into the water of this tank. The bird regained its original form as the
> King and since then this is known as the *only theerththam that one can
> do theerth thaadanam even in the night*.
>
> Since this tank has such healing power in the day as well as night, it is
> called "Ahoraathra Pushkarani”
>
> Specialities
>
> The Sahasradhari plate and pot (kudam) are made of gold for performing
> Thirumanjanam (ablution) to the presiding deity. The temple also maintains
> golden sword, diamond crown and gold arm guard for the image of Hanuman. *The
> shrine over the sanctum is plated with gold*
>
> The temple is considered the southern counterpart of Thirupathi temple and
> hence devotees perform their marriages and vows as they do in Thirupathi.
>
> Outside the main complex, the temple maintains two marriage halls, a
> rest house containing five rooms, two other halls, a housing each for the
> small chariot and the big chariot. There is a garden around the third
> precinct of the temple and a much bigger garden about 0.5 km to the south
> of the temple, where Tulasi and flowers are grown. *A hall in the garden
> is used for resting deities during the Vasantotsavam festival celebrated
> for six days in May–June every year*
>
> Literary mention
>
> *Oppiliappan is considered the elder brother of the presiding deity of
> Tirupathi Venkateshwara Temple*. The temple is revered in Naalayira Divya
> Prabandham, the 7th–9th century Vaishnava canon, by Periyalvar, Thirumangai
> Alvar and Nammalvar. The Alvars address the presiding deity by various
> names like Oppiliappan, Vinnagarappan and Venkatachalapathy and his consort
> Bhudevi as Bhoomidevi Nachiar and Dharanadevi. Thirumangai Alvar refers to
> Oppiliappan as Thiruvinnagar Mevvane in his verses in Peria Tirumoli while
> Nammalvar called him "Thannoppaarillappan", that is he who has no
> comparison, meaning there is neither an equivalent nor superior to Vishnu.
> He mentions "the Lord who by his powers affords solace for pining hearts
> and renders them fit for service". The temple is one of the most visited in
> the district.
>
> Temple timings
>
> The Oppiliappan Temple in Kumbakonam is open from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM and
> again from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. There is no entry fee to visit the temple.
>
> Location
>
> Uppiliappan Temple is located in Thanjavur near the city of Kumbakonam at
> Thirunageswaram. It can be reached easily in hired taxi- cabs, autos or
> state-run buses. Alternatively, you can drive down to the spot.
>
> Administration
>
> The temple is maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and
> Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
>
> Address:
>
> 12, Oppiliyappan koil N St, Thirunageswaram, Tamil Nadu 612204, Phone:
> 0435 246 3385
>
> Compiled and posted by R.Gopalakrishnan 2-11-2025
>
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