Those of us who have already visited the Gaaruda Sailam,would be inclined to agree cent percent with Sri Kaliyan that sri ahobilam is indeed a “chendru kaandarkariya kOil”.even several centuries after the aazhwaar’s mangalaasaasanam,this divyadeEsam conforms to the apt description.though there is a perceptible improvement in the infrastructure after the 600th anniversary celeberations of the Mutt,(the spanking new Maalola guest house ,the telephone exchange and the mini powerstation are testimonials to Sri Azhagiasingar’s lowkika kaarya kushalatha) the upper reaches of Sri Ahobilam are still as untamed as at the aazhwaar’s times; but the swaati group makes mangalaasaasanam considerably easier to the accompanying sri vaishnavaas,than they would find it,were they to travel alone.
We left chennai at 9.30 pm by the Bombay mail and reached Cuduppah in Andhra
pradesh at 3.30 am. Two tata sumos and a matador van were awaiting
us at the railway station and transported us to Sri Ahibilam in two and
a half hours.We finished our praatharanushtaana in the clean
and invigorating swami pushkarini ,in front of the keezh ahobilam
temple and had a quick mangalaasasanam of Sri Prahlaadavarada ,resplendent
in the silver kavacham ,kireetam and other ornaments lovingly submitted
by prakrutam srimad azhagiasingar .though not one of the nava nrsimhaas,sri
prahlaadavarada is no less important and is perhaps the only uthsavamurthy
with sowmyaakaara(I am subject to correction on this).the utsava murthys
of paavana nrsimha and jwala nrismha reside in this sannidhi itself,perhaps
to bless those unable
to endure the taxing climb to the sannidhis of these moorthies.
At 8.30 am sharp, we left by van to upper sri ahobilam,where sri ahObilesa
and sri
chenchulakshmi thaayar
are the presiding deities.there is also a sannidhi for easwara ,perhaps
in his capacity as the author of manthraraaja padastothram.sri shashta
parankusa maha desikan(sixth srimad zhagiasingar) brindaavanam is also
to be found here,where He entered a cave to shed his mortal coils. This
temple provides the gateway to the hills and upper forests of sri ahobilam,housing
the other
nrismha murthies.
Immediately behind
the AHOBILESA shrine,we find the aptly named Bhavanaasini,a picturesque
river with numerous
falls and crystal clear water,which destroys all types of haapa-aadhyaatmika,
aadhibhowthika and aadhideiveeka. Across the Bhava naasini,a short climb
away,is the Varaaha
Nrsimha with Aalari
sporting a porcine thirumukhamandalam. Another short climb leads
us to Sri Maalola,the aaraadhya devata of the illustrious lineage
of srimad azhagiasingars starting with sri
aadivan satakopa yethindra
mahaa desikan,to whom presha manthram and sanyaasam were bestowed
by sri maalola himself,in
the garb of a vriddha yati. As is known ,it is the uthsava murthy of this
emberumaan who travels aasethu himaachalam,blessing countless sri vaishnavaas
and at whose lotus feet(adorned by paadukaas) srimad azhagiasingars have
submitted the bhara of countless souls,guaranteeing them
sri vaikunta praapthi and freedom from the shackles of mundane life.with
lakshmyaa samaalingitha vaama bhaagam,sri maalola now resides in baalalayam,while
his sannidhi
is being renovated.
A somewhat more difficult climb and we arrive at a rocky clearing
with fallsof the bhavanaasini ,at the Prahlada padi ,or prahlaada’s school,where
to the asura teachers’entreaties to chant ‘hiranyaya namaha, prahlaada
and his classmates responded with a resounding Naaraayanaya Namaha.
As we recall the trials and tribulations the dhaanava sisu underwent for
his unflinching faith in Sri Hari,our eyes fill with tears and our hearts
with shame at our ‘irumbu pOl valiya nenjam’which slips from the
faith at the least
sign of problems.
We now retrace our steps to the Varaaha Nrismha sannidhi ,recross the Bhavanaasini
and follow the river’s course,in our quest of Sri Jwaala Nrsimha ,the most
remote shrine of all. The way lies across the river bed strewn with
boulders and rocks of all shapes ,which are a real obstacle course
for city-dwellers like us. After a couple of kilometers of this,we
start the climb,a tough one indeed for anybody,with an almost
vertical slope at places. However we take heart from the numerous pilgrims
returning
from the shrine after
a dharshan ,who have an encouraging word for us,lest the
ardour make us abandon the quest for the ultimate. This may not be
a journey for the weak in flesh or spirit,but the thought of
what awaits us at the end ,and the special strength that Nrsimha
himself bestows enable
us to continue,till
we reach the Jwala Nrsimha shrine. Having reached journey’s end ,and
standing before the ugramurthy,we find nrsimha at his angriest best,making
mincemeat of hiranyakasipu with his vajranakhaas. Dushkrit vinaasanam
being only an avaanthara prayojanam of the avathaara,we
find the Lord
incarnating himself in the most frightening ,yet most benevolent,man-lion
form which prompts sri nammazhwr to exclaim” yen singappiraan perumai
aarayum seermaitthe”.the main purpose of this avathaara,as of the nine
others,was saadhu parithraanam and “satyam vidhaathum nija
bhritya bhaashitham”. It is this Nrismha who must have been in sri kalian’s
thoughts when he said “angan gyaalam anja angor aalariyaai avunan ponga
aagam vallugiraal pozhndha punithan idam”. This indeed is the
bhagavat swaroopam which formed the basis for the sree sookthis “munaittha
seetram vin sudappoi moovulagum piravum / anaitthum anja aalariyaai
irundha amman”,erintha painghan ilangu pezhvaai eitrodu ithu evvuruvu endru
/irindhu vaanor kalangi oda irundha amman”,etc.
With much reluctance,we retrace our steps downhill ,moving away from this
Nrsimha,who is at once magnificent,frightening ,overwhelming and benevolent.(
for the adventurous,a further and more difficult climb would lead
to the Ugra Sthambam,where theactual vadham of hiranyakasipu is
reported to have taken
place) .if one thinks that the journey down must be easier than the one
up,this journey proves one wrong. The paavana nrismha
shrine involves a similar but less taxing journey,but is nonetheless as
rewarding .
With aching limbs,but fulfilled minds we return to upper ahobilam sannidhi
and thence to keezh ahobilam,paying our obeisance on the way to Sri Karanji
Nrsimha(with a bow and arrow in his thirukkai). After the welcome thatheyaraadhanam
at the ahobila mutt,and after a short rest,we go on to the
shrines of Sri Yogananda
Nrismha(the prachina murthi,slightly damaged and no longer having thiruvaaradhanam
,but nonetheless sevyam)and Sri Chhathravata Nrismha,again a magnificent
divya roopam which brings to our minds the desika srisookthi “sataapatala
bheeshane sarabhaattahasodhbhate/sphurathkrudhi parisputa bhrukutikepi
vakthre krithe”.
After witnessing the alankaara navaraathri thirumanjanam of sri prahlaada
varada,it is time for us to leave for cudappah ,where the organizers,in
the true tradition of the sri matam,arrange for dhadhyonnam
before entraining
for chennai. Incidentally,the renovated sri ahobila matam is spacious
convenient and the aaradhakar very hospitable.
Another comfortable journey and we are back in chennai at 6 am,with the resoulution to be of yethkinchit assistance to the Swaati group,physically,financially or otherwise,and to join them as often as possible in the mangalaasasanam of the Ahobilesaas.
-dasan,sadagopan.
Nanganallur,Chennai.