Puthaandu Nal Vazhthukal

Tamizh Puthaandu Nal Vazhthukal to all!!

May the New Year bring happiness, peace, health and prosperity to all.

 

Note about a blog that recently became by invite-only

Someone recently let me know that Sri’s Daavat (a food blog that I often browsed for some yummy recipes) has become by-invite only. That means that we will not be able to access this blog until Sri specifically gives us permission to do so. I am leaving the link here, just in case she ever decides to open her blog to the general public again.

I do not know her personally. Therefore, please contact her directly with questions or for invitations. I added the link here only because it was one of those wonderful, taste-bud tantalizing blogs in blog-o-sphere! I do not have access to her blog myself, so I really cannot help you in this regard.

Koodarai Valli

Today is Koodarai Valli. The paasuram corrosponding to this day is:

Koodaarai vellum seer Govindaa
Undhannai paadi parai kondu yaam perum samm maanam
Naadu pugazhum parisinaal nanraaga
Choodagame thol valaiyay thoday sevip poovay
Paadagamay enranaiya pala galanum yaam anivom
Aadai uduppom adhan pinnay
Paal soru mooda nei peydhu muzhankai vazhi vaara
Koodi irundhu kulirntheylor empaavaai

The very idea of all that paal soru with nei muzhankai vazhi vaara (Akkara vadusal) sends my taste buds tickling. In this paasuram, Andal reveals that not only is she a Divine poetess, but also probably an excellent cook with a hearty appetite like any other teenaged girl!

My threadbare recipe for Akkaravadisal goes like this. I am posting this simply to get helpful hints and tips on making this better. I am a terrible cook and am only just learning to fix halfway decent meals, so, please be nice! And please, please offer helpful tips to make this taste better! My family has suffered enough!

Akkaravadisal

My ingredients: 

Arusi – 1 cup.
Paitham parupu – 1/2 cup  
Paal – 4 cups, 
Vellam - about 6 small blocks (I use the Ravi brand that sells jaggery in small peices).
Nei – about 1 karandi
Elakkai – no more than 3 peices 
Handful of Mundiri parupu and Drakshai. 

My method:

Melt vellam by dropping chunks into boiling water. Once the vellam is completely dissolved in the water, decant the liquid to remove floating impurities. Keep aside.

Combine rice, parupu and milk and pressure cook.  Once done, add the clear vellam and nei to the mixture.

Roast mundiri and drakshai in ghee, and add to the mixture.

Offer to Perumal / Piratti as prasadam.

Slurp it all up!

This is my complete recipe. As mentioned above, I’m looking for help and hints in making it taste good. The above recipe isn’t bad, but it isn’t as tasty as I’d like it to be. 

My Blog Roll

I am updating my blog roll to include all the fantastic sites that I have visited in the past few days. I am still in awe and wonder after realizing just how many incredibly talented women are out there. The sheer creativity and brilliance of these ladies leave me dazed (and more than just a tad envious!).

Updating / incrementing my blog roll is a work-in-progress, of course, as I hope to keep on adding links as I come across them.

If there are sites (food-related or not) out there that you personally like, and that I am not aware of, could you please forward their links to me?

Thank you, all!

Pachai Maamalai Poll Mayni

Aar amam soozhntha Arangam is the foremost of the 108 Divya Desams and the 8 Swayam Vyakta Kshetrams. Writing about Thiruvarangam is especially emotional for me as it is the native place of my beloved Thatha, who is no longer with me.

The Lord of Thiruvarangam has the unique distinction of being sung by all 12 Azhwars, 11 of whom have performed the Lord’s mangala snanam. Amuktha Malyatha attained Moksha here.

Arangar is also the only Perumal to be revered by the Dvaita, Advaita and Vishtadvaita acharyas and their followers. Thiruvarangam was the seat of the giants of Vaishnavism – Acharya Ramanujar and Sri Vedantha Desikar. Ramanuja composed the Sriranga Gadhyam and the Sri Bashyam, and compiled the Koil Ozhugu here. Desikar composed the Padukasahasram here. Arayar Sevai, a veritable feast for the eyes and ears,  instituted here by Sri Nathamuni, is still practiced at Thiruvarangam.

Thiruvarangam boasts of the LARGEST temple in the world, encompassing around 150 acres of land. Its Rajagopuram is the tallest religious structure in the world.

The history of Thiruvarangam is long and distinguished. It goes back to Swayambu Manu, an ancestor of Rama. Manu was granted (by Brahma) an idol of Sriman Narayana in the reclining posture, a posture that mimics the Lord’s pose in Sri Vaikuntam. Through Manu, the idol passed through successive generations of the Ikshvakhu clan until it was inherited by Aja, the father of Dasaratha. Aja’s wife, Indumathi, and her daughter-in-law, Kausalya, the mother of Rama, exclusively worshipped Arangar. Kausalya’s devotion to Arangar never waned even through the darkest days of her life which saw the exile of her son at the behest of her co-wife and rival, Kaikeyi.

When Rama successfully returned to Ayodhya after his 14 years of banishment, he was accompanied by Vibhishana, the newly crowned King of Lanka. When he visited the  apartments of Kausalya to pay his respects to her, Vibhishana chanced to glimpse at the magnificient statue of Thiruarangar that Kausalya housed therein. Falling in love with the idol, Vibhishana pleaded with the Queen Mother to part with it, promising a magnificient temple to house the statue at Lanka. Kausalya agreed reluctantly to part with the statue but set forth a condition - under no circumstances was Vibhishana to place the idol on the ground. He was to carry it on his head and only set it down when he reached his palace in Lanka, an abode suitable for Arangar.  

Vibhishana agreed and set off on his long return journey to Lanka. Half way through his journey, he began to feel the urge to answer Nature’s call and resisted it until he was no longer able to ignore it. Setting the idol down, he was gone for a few minutes, only to realize upon his return that he could no longer lift the idol from the ground and continue on his journey.

In tears, he pleaded with the Lord to accompany him to Lanka. The Lord refused and instead, asked that Vibhishana clear the woods and build a suitable temple for Him on the very spot where he had placed Him. Determined the build the most magnificient abode he could, Vibhishana constructed a temple so vast and so glorious that it was considered to rival Vaikuntam itself in all its majesty. The sthalam earned the name ‘Bhoologa Vaikuntam’, the abode of Sriman Narayana on Earth.

Thiruarangar is the most handsome of all the Venkatesas. In fact, there is an entire Thirumozhi devoted to describing His beauty.  Hence the moniker “Azhagiya Mannaar”. In addition, He is credited with being the “Periya Perumal”.  No discussion in the month of Marghazhi (or of the Divya Desams) would be complete without discussing and praising the glory of Thiruarangar, the Lord of Kodhai, in whose glory she composed her Thirupaavai and Nachiar Thirumozhi. 

I have visited Thiruvarangam many times. One, it is my Thatha’s native place – his family has resided there since the days of Swami Vedantha Desikar and two of my Maamas still live there. During the days of pitched Vadagalai – Thengalai battles, Thatha’s Kollu Thatha was at the forefront, defending what he thought were his Kalai’s rights to the temple. I, personally, do not believe in subscribing to one particular Kalai to the exclusion of the other – Narayana is above these petty differences. However, as Thiruarangar was especially dear to some of my ancestors, I feel a great emotional tug for Azhagiya Mannaar.

Two, family affiliations notwithstanding, Thiruarangar’s huge significance and central position to Sri Vaishnavism cannot be missed by even the densest of devotees such as me. Every visit to Thiruvarangam has been an experience like none other. I am also famous in my family for unfailingly getting lost in the vast compound, a “tradition” I set in motion at the ripe age of 6! The HUGE temple and its collossal Gopuram merely reflect and do apt justice to the vast expanse of Mannaar’s Person and His boundless benevolence.

Pachai maa malai poll mayni, Pavazha vaai kamala senkann
Achuda amararay aayar thann kozhunday yennum
Ichuvai thavira yaan poi Indra logam aazhum
Achuvai payrinum vanedann Aranga maanagarulaanay

Thann Oppar Illa Appan

Years ago, my family went through a tumultuous phase. We were financially, emotionally and physically drained. My mother-in-law is a devotee of Oppiliappan, and blamed our difficulties on the fact that we had not visited the temple immediately after our wedding, as she had promised.

After six years of marriage, we combined a visit to Madras on the occasion of my father’s Shasti-apda-poorthi with our daughter’s first mottai. Since the mottai was to be done at a temple very close to Thiru Nageswaram, my MIL insisted that we visit the Oppiliappan kovil and fulfill our long standing promise to the Lord.

Accordingly we did.

In a mere matter of months, the root cause of our problems vanished. This was a problem that had plagued us for years and it disappeared in just a few months after our visit to His kovil. We have not looked back since. Truly, the beloved Perumal of Namm Azhwar is Thann Oppar Illa Appan, the Lord sans compare.

He is so popular that He currently has two e-temples. Please visit them and receive His abundant blessings:

http://oppiliappantemple.org/

http://www.oppiliappan.org

The first site contains many interesting tidbits of information, including the history of the practice of saltless prasadams at the temple.

Maharishi Markandeya, the father of a beautiful young girl, was approached by an aging Oppili Appan for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Unwilling to accept an old man for a son-in-law, Markandeya produced many reasons as to why his daughter would make an unsuitable bride for the Lord.

One such creative excuse included the allegation that Bhoomadevi was often in the habit of forgetting to add salt to the food she prepared for her father. When the aging Lord insisted on marrying the young Bhoomadevi, anyway, saltless cooking notwithstanding, the sage relented and gave his daughter in marriage to Oppili Appan.

Hence the reason why the Lord sans Compare (Oppu Illa Appan) is also sometimes referred to as the Lord sans Salt or Uppu Illa Appan (Uppili Appan)!

Amuktha Malyatha

Andal is perhaps the most venerated and the best loved of all the Azhwars.  This human daughter of Vishnu Chithar is considered to be an embodiment of Neela Devi Herself, an avatara of the third Consort of Vishnu, the Universal Mother who personifies Sriman Narayana’s boundless Oudharyam.

The story of Andal is the moving story of the child-like devotion of a young girl for the Lord of the Universe and and her single minded determination to marry Him. Andal is said to have lived in the 7th century A.D. It is a story that most Sri Vaishnavas are familiar with. On an Aadi Pooram, Vishnu Chithar, a poor Vaishnava of Villiputhur, found a beautiful baby girl in a garden, lying quietly under some Thulasi plants. Upon realizing that she was quite alone, Vishnu Chithar took her home and raised her as his own. As she grew, Vishnu Chithar regaled her with stories from the Srimad Bhagavatham. Kodhai (as he named the child) listened enthralled to these narratives and before long, was passionately in love with Krishna.

One of Kodhai’s duties was to string together the mala that her father offered to the Lord Krishna ever day at the local temple. The young Kodhai would string the garland and then, imagining herself to be His bride, would adorn herself with it, admiring her reflection in a well as she did so. This happened for many months before Vishnu Chithar got wound of it. Enraged, he soundly scolded his daughter and did not offer the garland to the Lord that day as he considered it “defiled”.

That same night, Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam appeared in his dreams, asking him why he had not been offered a garland that day. Vishnu Chithar responded that his daughter, in her childishness, had defiled the garland by wearing it first, making it an unsuitable offering for Him. Lord Ranganatha than insisted that Vishnu Chithar offer the garland to Him immediately. He also insisted that, thenceforth, Kodhai should wear every mala offered Him first.

Vishnu Chithar woke up from his dream in a daze. Had he heard right? The Lord insisted on a garland that had been worn by Kodhai first? With trembling fingers, he picked the mala and went to the temple. There, he noticed that Sri Ranganatha’s Face was turned away from the devotees as though in anger. Still shivering, he placed the garland of Kodhai around Ranganatha’s neck. In a flash, the Lord’s Face turned once more to face the devotee. Vishnu Chithar realized then that his daughter was beloved by the Lord and was no ordinary child. This display of the Lord’s affection for Kodhai earned her the title of “Amuktha Malyatha” or  “Sudi Kodutha Sudarkodi”.

Years passed. It was time for Kodhai to marry. She, however, insisted on marrying none other than Lord Ranganatha. Vishnu Chithar was perplexed. Who had heard of a human child marrying the Lord of the Universe? Lord Ranganatha appeared in his dreams again and insisted on having Kodhai sent to Him as His Bride. The Lord also appeared in the dreams of the Chief Bhattar of the Srirangam temple and ordered him to prepare for the wedding of the Lord with the daughter of Vishnu Chithar.

Kodhai watched in delight and waited impatiently for the preparations to be completed. On the assigned date, she left Villiputhur for Srirangam in a palanquin with her father in tow. As the gopuram of Srirangam loomed closer, she could bear her excitement no longer. Leaping from the palanquin, she ran into the temple and into the sanctum santorium of Lord Ranganatha. A blinding light appeared, and Malyatha, in the form of a glowing flame, became One with the Lord. She was now Aandal, the Bride of the Lord, the one who ruled over Him with her love and devotion.

Marghazhi is the month traditionally associated with Andal. It is especially auspicious as Lord Krishna identifies Himself with Marghazhi in the Bhagavad Gita. The Sukla Paksha Ekadesi of Marghazhi is especially important as it is the Vaikunta Ekadesi, a day of great importance in all of the Divya Desa sthlams of Lord Sriman Narayana. Andal was supposed to have spent Marghazhi in penance, singing her Thirupaavai, in the fervent hope that she would soon unite with her Beloved Krishna.

To this day, before sunrise every morning, many temple towns through out the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu echo with the melodious tunes of the Thirupaavai.

The Thirupaavai comprises 30 paasurams and each paasuram traditionally corrosponds to one day of the month, starting with the Marghazhi Thingal paasuram that heralds the arrival of the month. Many young, nubile girls bathe before sunrise and chant the Thirupaavai in hopes that the Lord would send them as good a groom as the one Andal found!

I have found many online lyrics, translations and renditions of the Thirupaavai. I will post links to these soon.

Until then, have a Holy Marghazhi and may Thai bring good tidings and blessings to you and yours.

Finally launching into the blog-o-sphere

Well, well, well… who’d have thunk it?

My foray into blog-o-sphere is officially complete. I had the bright idea of starting my own blog after visiting the online homes of some incredibly talented women out there. This is not a cooking blog (many other ladies out there have done a fine job of that already). This blog, instead, will deal with the stuff that comes naturally to me – story telling, discussing our traditions, rituals and the like.

From time to time, I will add any tips / home remedies that come my way, but I would like to stick to my comfort zone – story telling and finances.

Wish me luck, everyone.

And visit some of these out-of-the-world food blogs out there:

http://theyumblog.wordpress.com

http://vegconcoctions.wordpress.com

 http://funnfud.blogspot.com/