GITA 11.54
At present we are in Tirukkadalmallai, in Sri Gyanapiran Temple in Sri Valavendaipiran [ஸ்ரீ வலவெந்தை பிரான்] sannidhi. Already we visited Tiruvidavendai Kshetram. This sannidhi is connected with that. There was a King Harisekara. He used to go daily from Tirukkadalmallai to the Lord at Tiruvidavendai. Travel was for a distance, as even if we come by automobile it would take 20 minutes. But the King might have walked the distance in those days. All because he was eager to have darshan of the Lord. The Lord took pity on him and declared that the King need not have to come to Tiruvidavendai and that He would be available at Mamallapuram itself as Sri Valavendai Piran.
Thus the Lord is having Sri Thayar Sri Maha Lakshmi on His right, unlike He is having Sri Thayar on His left in Tiruvidavendai. Utsavar is Sri Gyana Piran [ஸ்ரீ ஞானப் பிரான்]. He is gracing with right arm in Abhaya mudra and left arm on His waist, We can see the beautiful sculptures in the temple. We are welcomed by the enchanting garden. It is a cave temple.
There are many sculptures and among them is the Lord with Sri Maha Lakshmi. Even the gopuram is sculpted. Temple has Ardha mandapam and Maha Mandapam. On the right side is sannidhi of Anjaneya. In the front is the main sannidhi of the Lord. On both sides of this sannidhi are the ancient sculptures. We can see the river Ganga ready to flow down from the sky. Lord Shiva is ready to receive her on his head to become Gangadharan. Opposite him is the four-faced lord Brahma. The sculpted images are very beautiful. Next, we see Simha Vishnu Pallava. He is celebrated as the Senior most King. He is seated at the centre and around him is the beautiful Raja durbar [royal assembly]. Next is Sri Gaja Lakshmi. She is seated. On both sides of Her, Two great elephants are showering water. Then comes the sannidhi of the Lord. The Lord is pressing one foot on Adisesha and his wife. His right arm is carrying Sri Thayar. Next on the right side we see another king of Pallava. Every sculpture is precious here. Alwar says that the anklet on Sri Varaha was so huge that big mountains like Meru and Himalayas were used as pebbles to make noise! So, huge was the Varaha form of the Lord. Sri Varaha has rendered Two slokas for the devotees.
sthithE manasi susvasthE sarIrE sathi yO nara:
dhAthusAmyE sthithE smarthA visvarUpam cha maamajam (1)tathastham mriyamANam thu kAshtA paashaNa sannibham
aham smarAmi madh bhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim (2)
Pandava = Arjuna!, sa = he, mam eti = attains Me [Sri Krishna]. Who is that fortunate? Yah = who, sarva-bhutesu = to all living beings, nir vaira = does not feel enmity, who loves all, such a person reaches the Lord. When such feelings will occur? A person who is devoted to the Lord does not find anyone as his enemy. Sanga varjita = averse to worldly life. He has an extreme love for the Lord and averse to all others. Mad bhakta = My [Sri Krishna's] devotee, his mind is concentrated only on the Lord. Mind if it is engaged in worldly pleasures will not be after the Lord and vice versa. Bhakti should be always on Lord, even when we are engaged otherwise. Bhakti should be in the blood. Bhakti is the characteristic of atman; while our office work or worldly affairs are related to the body. Atman is related to detachment, Gyana and Bhakti. That is what the Lord says that once devoted to Him, the mind will not be distracted by other things. Swami Alavandar says that his wealth was the Divine feet of the Lord. Then all other materials are useless. This is what is conveyed in Swami Ramanuja's Taniyan 'yo nityam achyuta....'. The Lord says that a devotee, once engaged in Him, becomes His property. All atman are His, so understands the devotee. Prahlada says that he never liked differentiation among living beings. He found the Lord in all. When our limbs would not fight with each other, why we should find fault with other persons? We should have no disputes in the name of religion or nation or language. The Lord is the same in all. This thought will occur only in the devotees of the Lord, says Sri Krishna. Mad karma krt = whatever action he does is for Me [Sri Krishna]. There is an advantage in this. We commit certain bad things, knowing they are bad. Because we do them not for His sake but for our sake. Once we dedicate all our actions to the Lord, we would never indulge in any bad activity. Mad parama = every action is to reach Me [Sri Krishna]. The devotee does all actions dedicated to Him. His aim is to reach Him only. The mind is focussed on Him. He is averse to worldly pleasures. He does not despise anyone. Such a person attains the Lord. We will now take leave of this Kshetram.
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| SRI VALAVENDHAI PIRAN |
Thus the Lord is having Sri Thayar Sri Maha Lakshmi on His right, unlike He is having Sri Thayar on His left in Tiruvidavendai. Utsavar is Sri Gyana Piran [ஸ்ரீ ஞானப் பிரான்]. He is gracing with right arm in Abhaya mudra and left arm on His waist, We can see the beautiful sculptures in the temple. We are welcomed by the enchanting garden. It is a cave temple.
 |
| TEMPLE VIEW |
There are many sculptures and among them is the Lord with Sri Maha Lakshmi. Even the gopuram is sculpted. Temple has Ardha mandapam and Maha Mandapam. On the right side is sannidhi of Anjaneya. In the front is the main sannidhi of the Lord. On both sides of this sannidhi are the ancient sculptures. We can see the river Ganga ready to flow down from the sky. Lord Shiva is ready to receive her on his head to become Gangadharan. Opposite him is the four-faced lord Brahma. The sculpted images are very beautiful. Next, we see Simha Vishnu Pallava. He is celebrated as the Senior most King. He is seated at the centre and around him is the beautiful Raja durbar [royal assembly]. Next is Sri Gaja Lakshmi. She is seated. On both sides of Her, Two great elephants are showering water. Then comes the sannidhi of the Lord. The Lord is pressing one foot on Adisesha and his wife. His right arm is carrying Sri Thayar. Next on the right side we see another king of Pallava. Every sculpture is precious here. Alwar says that the anklet on Sri Varaha was so huge that big mountains like Meru and Himalayas were used as pebbles to make noise! So, huge was the Varaha form of the Lord. Sri Varaha has rendered Two slokas for the devotees.
dhAthusAmyE sthithE smarthA visvarUpam cha maamajam (1)tathastham mriyamANam thu kAshtA paashaNa sannibham
aham smarAmi madh bhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim (2)
We should surrender to the Lord when our health is alright and all our faculties are functioning properly. When we are in our death bed, we do not know in what condition our health and the functioning of various components of our system. We are not sure whether we would remember the Lord. We are afrais we might not get Moksham. The Lord allays our fears. The Lord assures that remembering the surrender we had alraedy made, and even when we lose our conscience in the death bed, He would guide us to Moksham. We should realize that once we have surrendered all other things are nothing. This is the message the Lord is conveying in the 55th sloka. We have come to the last sloka of Chapter 11:
mat-karma-krn mat-paramo
mad-bhaktah sanga-varjitah
nirvairah sarva-bhutesu
yah sa mam eti pandava
mad-bhaktah sanga-varjitah
nirvairah sarva-bhutesu
yah sa mam eti pandava
"My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being—he certainly comes to Me."
(continued)
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