Festival unique to Margazhi
Sri Vedanta Desika
THE TAMIL month of Margazhi is sacred because Lord Kishna says in the Gita that he is Margazhi among the twelve months. During this month no marriages or homams are performed. The Vedas (four in number) are recited in temples to propitiate Lord Narayana. This tradition, carried on from olden days, is called "Adyayana utsavam." After the azhwars, who gave to us the Divyaprabandham in chaste godly Tamil. It was Thirumangai Azhwar (also known as Kaliyan) who was residing in Dasavathara sannidhi north of Srirangam temple and the last among the twelve Alwars, wanted Lord Ranganatha to listen to "Thiruvaimozhi" of Sri Nammazhwar alias Satogopan during this month along with the Vedic recital. For this purpose he went to Azhwar Thirunagar to bring the idol of Satagopan to Srirangam and prayed to Lord Ranganatha to listen to Tiruvaimozhi along with the Vedas. His desire was accomplished.
After lapse of a few hundred years, the four thousand hymns which were recited were lost to posterity. At Kumbakonam only ten verses of Thiruvaimozhi pertaining to Lord Aravamudhan were recited daily in the shrine. Sri Nathamunigal, who was on a pilgrimage visited Kumbakonam and heard this recital. He was enthralled to observe that these ten were sung by Satagopan. He wanted to learn the 1,000 composed by Nammazhwar and was advised to go to Azhwar Thirunagar for further information.
Sri Nathamunigal went to Kurugur (Azhwar Thirunagari) and was directed to go to Thirukkolur, birth place of Madhurakavi Azhwar the direct disciple of Nammazhwar. There he met Parankusa Dasar, a descendent of Madurakavi Azhwar.
Parankusa Dasar informed Nathamuni that they were not reciting the Prabhandams as they had forgotten them. He informed Sri Nathamunigal about the tradition that if one were to recite the ten verses of ``Kanninun Chiruthambu" of Madurakavi Azhwar twelve thousand times in front of Nammazhwar shrine, Nammazhwar would appear in his yogam and divulge the 4,000 verses along with other important Vaishnavite truths.
Sri Nathamunigal went back to Azhwar Thirunagari and recited twelve thousand times the ten Kanninun Chiruthambu songs in front of Nammazhwar. Being a yogi himself, he saw Nammazhwar in his yogic vision. Nammazhwar initiated Sri Nathamuni into the "Divya Prabhandam" and also other truths pertaining to the greatness of Lord Narayana and Vaishnavism. Thus the four thousand verses were restored to humanity.
Sri Nathamuni restarted the recital of not only the thousand verses of Nammazhvar but also the other three thousand verses during Margazhi along with Vedic recital. He ordained that the first thousand and Thiurumozhi of kaliyan be recited ten days prior to Viakunta Ekadasi and the thousand verses of Thiruvoimozhi ten days beginning from Vaikunta Ekadasi called "Irapathu" and the last of the fourth thousand verses called "Eyarpa" on the eleventh day. For this purpose the idol of Azhwar was brought from Azhwar Thirunagari.
Sri Bhagawat Ramanuja known as Sri Bhashyakara made an idol of Nammazhvar along with those of other Azhwars and installed them in the Srirangam temple. He continued the festival by getting the Azhwars idols to be seated in the hall all the 21 days to hear the recital of Four thousand verses.
Ramanuja's exit from the world brought other Dwaitha, Adwaitha, and Saivaism, Jainism, Buddhism etc., in full force. It was given to Vedantha Desika to argue the case of Visishtadvaitha in full force, establish the sanctity of Ramanuja's philosophy. The festival that was abruptly stopped was again restarted.
KHANDHADAI R. JAGANNATHA CHARIAR
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