GITA 11.45

GITA 11.45

SRI NILATHINGAL THUNDATHAN SANNIDHI IN SRI EKAMBARESWARAR TEMPLE

There are 22 Divya Desams in Tondai Nadu, of the 108 Divya Desams of Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya. Of these 22 Divya Desams, we are in Kanchipuram and in Nila Thingal Thundam Sannidhi. This is situated in Sri Ekambareswarar Temple in (Big) Kanchipuram. Only Moolavar is there and there is no Utsavar. Alwar mentions as Nila Thingal Thundam Perumal (நிலாத்திங்கள் துண்டம் பெருமாள்). Both Nila and Thingal indicate Moon. Then why Alwar mentions both? Because Thingal means Moon, while Nila is the radiance of Full Moon. Therefore, Nila Thingal indicates Full Moon. Thundam means fragment, and so indicates that this Divya Desam is a fragment of this Earth! Tirumangai Alwar in his Tirunedunthandakam, mentions this Kshetram along with other Kshetrams. We suffer a lot in this life and are unable to bear this heat. We suffer from Three types of heat - Aadhyatmikam, Aadhideivikam and Aadhibowthikam. We are tormented by ourselves, by Natura and by others. We find comfort in the cool rays of the Moon, after suffering the Sun's heat in the day. Thus, by worshipping the Lord Sri Nila Thingal Thundatthan ( ஸ்ரீ நிலாத்திங்கள் துண்டத்தான்), all our miseries are removed and we get solace. 

SRI MOOLAVAR

The Lord graces with Four Arms. The Right Lower hand shows Abhayam and the Left Lower hand is Kati Hastham, promising His devotees that He would reduce the ocean of Samsara to knee level! After worshipping the Lord, we will now proceed to see sloka 46 of Chapter 11 in the Gita:

kiritinam gadinam cakra-hastam

    icchami tvam drastum aham tathaiva       

tenaiva rupena catur-bhujena

sahasra-baho bhava vishva-murte   

"O universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form."

Sahasra-baho = O! Thousand Shouldered Lord!, vishva-murte = with Universe as Your Divine Image, that is manifested over the entire Universe, I (Arjuna) want to see you as, kiritinam = (appearing with His usual single) crown,  gadhinam = holding Your Mace, cakra-hastha = with Discus in the (right) hand. We should note that all these are mentioned in the singular number, not in plural form. This is so because Arjuna had witnessed many Crowns on many Heads of the Lord and many Discuses and Maces in many arms. Thenaiva = with Your (usual customary), rupam = Image of, catur-bhujena = Four arms (please appear). This is Arjuna's prayer to the Lord. This scene is when Lord Sri Krishna was about 64 years old. It is estimated that Sri Krishna appeared in this world for about 100 years. We must remember that after this war, Sri Krishna and the Pandavas go to seek blessings of Gandhari. She was extremely angry with the Lord, presuming that He was responsible for the death of all her 100 sons. So, she curses Sri Krishna that from then by the next 36th year Sri Krishna's entire Yadava community would perish. So if we assume that the Lord ended His appearance in His 100th year, He would have been 64 years old when the Kurukshetra war was on. This type of request is not something new to the Lord, as He was similarly requested by His parents Vasudeva and Devaki, when He appeared First as a Divine Child with Four Arms, in the jail in Mathura. At that time He appeared with all Divine Ornaments and Weapons and Dress, unlike any other mortal child! Seeing that with astonishment and fear, Vasudeva and Devaki similarly prayed the Lord to appear like any other mortal child! Now after 64 years He is requested again by his disciple to appear in simpler Form. He prays for appearing with Crown and Divine Weapons. Because the Crown proclaims He is the Lord and the Weapons reassure the devotees that He was ever-ready to protect them! Discus is the Unique identification of the Lord. Here we should note that Arjuna prays for the appearance of the Lord in His customary Four Arms! But we all think that Sri Krishna was always appearing with Two Arms like any other human being. This is because Arjuna had realised that Sri Krishna was the Lord with Four Arms. So, here he prays that He should be appearing for all with His usual Four Arms. Sri Krishna resumed His appearance like before with Two arms and drove Arjuna's chariot. Or, it is also possible that Arjuna was blessed to see Sri Krishna with Four Arms always and so Arjuna could have made this request. Tiruppanazhwar in his Amalanadipiran hymn praises the reclining Lord of Srirangam appearing with Four Arms holding the Divine weapons. But when we look at the image of Lord Sri Ranganatha, He is having only Two arms and with no weapons! 

The Lord did not change His appearance immediately, but after advising Arjuna. This we will see in the forthcoming slokas. For the present, we will take leave of this kshetram and proceed further. 

                                                                                                                   (continued)