Ramanuja entrusted
them with several key and sacred responsibilities in temples
Safe Keep of
Jewels, Possession of Outer Keys, Ensuring ‘quiet’ during sacred recitals,
leading the procession with ‘Velli Thadi’, Presenting ‘Kattiyam’ and
presentation of Flower Garlands and Tulsi Leaves were some of the key
activities assigned to the Saathaanis 900years ago
At Srivilliputhur, Saathaatha Vaishnavas make the sacred parrot and present to Andal in the evening every day
of the year.
If you hear loud shouts of 'Pesaathey' or 'Eth Sarigai Sari ga Sari ga...' at the Lord Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, you would know that the Saathaatha Vaishnavas are in Service of the Lord. It is a couple of the number of service activities assigned to this set of people by Ramanuja 900years ago.
Ramanuja,
who returned to Srirangam after a 12 year exile to Melkote, laid down specific
processes to be followed in temples and assigned each of these to a specific
set of people. Interestingly, he included people from different walks of life
and ensured that they too would participate in the temple activity.
One
such set of service activities was assigned to the Saathaatha Vaishnavas. They are referred to as Saathaatha Vaishnavas as they signify
their status as True Vaishnavas in all respects except wearing the sacred
Poonal ( referring to them as ‘Poonal Saathaatha’ Vaishnavas).
Several
of these Saathaatha Vaishnavas accompanied Ramanuja on his sacred trips across the country
and were given specific responsibilities during such trips. Ramanuja found them
to be so trustworthy that he bestowed several important responsibilities on
them as part of the service activities in temples. Ramanuja also gave them tax
free lands near temples for them to stay and perform their service.
In
a number of temples, they are also referred to as Koil Vaishnavas or Dasa
Nambis.
Initial Phase
In
the early stages, the Saathaatha Vaishnavas were engaged in sharpening and cleaning out the
palm leaves to be used by Ramanuja for his writings. They also used to clear
his pathway to the temple every morning and would alert the devotees ahead of
time all along the way. The devotees would then lay out beautiful kolams to
welcome Ramanuja in front of their homes.
900 old year service tradition
Saathaatha Vaishnavas also played the role of supervisors overseeing a number of
activities in temples. In many temples, the Saathaanis were even given
possession of the outer keys, such was the trust reposed in them by Ramanuja.
In some temples in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, they still play the role of
archakas.
Highlights of their Service
Safeguarding Lord’s jewels
(Karuvullam) both round the year as well as during his processions, acting as
Stores-in- Charge, Thirumeni Kaaval, offering flower garlands to the Lord and Kattiyam (making various
announcements relating to the Lord), maintaining silence around the Lord during processions and sacred recitalss are some of the services assigned by
Ramanuja to the Saathaatha Vaishnavas. They also have the special right to make
the announcement of ‘Eth Sarigai’ that directs the Lord to stop and proceed during processions.
If Uthama Nambi descendents are the ones who have control over the Lord inside the sanctum, it is the Saathaatha Vaishnavas who have control once the Lord has made his way out of the sanctum on a procession.
No Substitutes for Saathaatha Vaishnavas
There are no substitutes for Saathaatha Vaishnavas and they are to carry out all the service activities themselves. On an annualised basis they are paid around Rs.30 for their services through the year. However, Ramanuja assigned them an active share in the Lord’s daily prasadam. Sthaanikas, Archakas and Saathaatha Vaishnavas are the three sets of people who receive prasadams from the Lord every day. For their non- stop service through the year, it is the Saathaanis who receive the maximum share of the prasadams out of these three.
Daily rituals of Saathaatha Vaishnavas
Except for not wearing the sacred thread (which they have been given exception to), all other traditions that are applicable to Vaishnavites are followed by the Saathaatha Vaishnavas including not eating food outside except God’s food or devotees’ presentation. They also have to perform the Pancha Samaskaram.
Headquarters
Kanthadai Ramanuja Mutt is the headquarters of the Saathaatha Vaishnavas. The mutt head always wears a cap similar to the one the Araiyars wear while at temple festival events. During Ramanuja’s time, Pillai Urangavalli Dasa and his wife Ponnaai Chiyaar lived at the mutt and as a symbolic gesture, their idols are still seen at the mutt.
Koil Vaishnavas of Srirangam
At
Lord Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, the Koil Vaishnavas (about
10families still live here) perform a number of services through the year
including on festive occasions.
Velli Thadi
Koil Vaishnavas lead the procession with the big sacred stick (Velli Thadi) making way for the lord so he can go unhindered. The Velli Thadi that they carry with them is believed to be the two pillars of Sanctum of Lord Ranganatha and was presented to them by Ramanuja himself.
The Koil Vaishnavas have the honour of beautifying the mandapas ahead of
Namperumal’s procession. Ramanuja assigned the Saathaanis with the right to stand
in front of the Lord and Thaayar and sing praises during procession on festive
occasions.
Maintaining Silence - Pesaathey
During
chanting of Divya Prabhandham and other sacred recitals including during
Araiyar Sevai and Ghosti, the Koil Vaishnavas are assigned the task of shouting out
‘Pesaathey’ to silence the devotee crowd and to listen to the recital in peace
and to maintain order.
Kattiyam
During
procession of both Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thaayar, Dasa Nambis have been bestowed the rights to present Kattiyam – the process of
announcing the arrival of Lord/Thaayar for the procession and praising him on
such occasions. They
have been given rights to present 12Kattiyams including a few verses in Sanskrit. They
present special verses of praise on Lord Namperumal during the 10days Pagal
Pathu Utsavam and also on 5days of the Era Pathu utsavam. In addition, they
also present verses in praise of Ranganayaki Thaayar during the Navarathri
Utsavam.
Eth Sarigai during processions
It
is after they shout out ‘Eth Sarigai’ does Namperumal stop during processions. It
is only after they give the green signal by shouting out ‘Eth Sarigai Sariga
Sari’ can Namperumal start moving again during the procession.
(Eth
Sarigai is a caution to the Seemaanthaangis, who carry the Lord on their
shoulder, to take care of the Lord during the procession and to move him to the
final destination in a cautious way wading through the big crowd that is having
darshan of him)
Pantham It
is also the Saathaatha Vaishnavas who carry the Dasa Nambi Pandham. They would
pour Ghee into the Pandham. Centuries ago, it was the ghee lamp lit on a long
vertical stick that provided light for the Lord during processions and hence it
is a particularly significant service that they rendered.
On
Ekantha Seva occasions of Namperumal and Ranganayaki Thaayar, Dasa Nambis have
the special privilege of being presented ‘Vedrapani’ Arulapadu – Recital of ‘Naayinthey’…..
and ‘Sriranga Vibho Daya Vijay Bhavo’ that Lord is believed to listen without
any worries – a recital that requests the Lord to bless all the true devotees
with victory in their every day endeavour.
It
is also the Dasa Nambis who shout out ‘Aahoo’ and ‘Oohoo’ before any sacred
moments for the Lord. Through this they are calling out the two Gandharvas who
had been cursed to an elephant and crocodile and who were liberated from their
curse through the Gajendra Moksham episode.
Opening of the Sacred Screen
After
the archaka has performed the pooja for Lord Ranganatha and after the Mangala
Aarathi, Dasa Nambis are the ones who have the rights to open the screen at the
Gayathri Mandapa for the devotees to have darshan. At the Ranganatha Sannidhi, the
Koil Vaishnavas have the right and responsibility to be present at the eastern
entrance to the sanctum.
Margazhi Divya Prabhandham Utsavam
in Srirangam
Come
Margazhi and the Saathaanis have special set of activities assigned to them. On
Thiruppavai Satru Murai days and on the occasion of Nam Azhvaar Moksham that is
celebrated in a grand way at the Ranganatha temple, the Saathaana Vaishnavas
present sacred Tulsi leaves in big numbers in the sacred vastram laid out by Paricharaka
who then hands it over to the archaka for placing at Lord’s feet.
Kaisika Ekadesi – Padi Etra Sevai
Srirangam
is one of the two Divya Desams where Kaisika Ekadesi is celebrated in a grand
way. On the night, the dresses worn by Namperumal through the year are
showcased following which Araiyars present sacred verses of Nam Azhvaar. Late
into the night, the descendents of Parasara Bhattar present the story of
Kaisika Puranam.
On
the morning after Kaisika Ekadesi is a special event that takes place at the
western entrance of Santanu Mandapa. With Namperumal making his way back up the
steps to the sweet songs of the Araiyars, the Saathaana Vaishnavas are bestowed
the exclusive rights to shower Pachai Karpooram on Lord Namperumal. This is a
much looked for event as part of the Kaisika Ekadesi Utsavam referred to as
‘Pachai Karpooram Padi Etra Sevai’.
Dasa Nambis also have right to close the gate of the Jaya Vijaya entrance mandapa and to
present Ramanuja Muthirai.
A street named after them
They have been accorded the rights to bring flower garlands for Ranganatha, Namperumal and Ubaya Nachiyars and to present directly to the archakas and to also hand over the sacred Tulsi leaves for Thiru Aradhana of the Lord. Every evening they present flower garland to Ranganayaki Thaayar on a Silver plate accompanied by sound of music.
Over
the last few centuries, the Saathaanis have also got into the business of
selling flowers in a street South of the Ranga Ranga Gopuram. This street where
they have lived for centuries has come to be referred to as Saathaara Vaishnava
Veedhi and this is now the wholesale flower market in the Trichy region with
street buzzing with activity from 3am-7am every morning.
Saathaatha
Vaishanava Sridharan has been performing these services at the Ranganathaswamy temple
over the last decade. He is an integral part of all the festivals and the
processions of Namperumal at the temple. His father Vaishnava Srinivasan
performed this service with true devotion to the Lord for seven decades in
the 2nd half of the 20th century.
Till
middle of the last century, Saathaanis were involved in participation in Ghosti
following the recital of Nalayira Divya Prabhandham and they actually had a role
in the presentation of two verses.
While
this privilege has lost its way with passing of time due to a variety of
reasons, they are, to this date, accorded the sacred Sadagopan respects at
Karthigai Mandapa at the end of the Ghosti.
Three
days in a year – Sankranti, Theppam and Sri Jayanthi- the Saathaatha Vaishnavas are accorded
a special honour for their services. From the temple, they are taken on an
elephant and ‘dropped’ back home accompanied by Melam and Thaalam.
The making of the ‘messenger’
parrot in Srivilliputhur
Ramanuja
also assigned many important tasks to Saathaanis in several other Divya Desams.
At the Divya Desam in Srivilliputhur, parrot holds a special significance.
Andal Nachiyar used the parrot to send message to her beloved Lord Ranganatha
of Srirangam to come fast and marry her.
The
Saathaatha Vaishnavas have the privilege of making and presenting the special
parrot every evening to Andal Nachiyar for the Thiru Aradhana pooja at this
Divya Desam. This is quite an arduous task and takes 6hours every day.
Dasa Nambis use Plaintain leaves as a basic input for the first layer inner
layer. They then add Maravalli Kizhangu leaves on top of that as the 2nd
layer. Mica (‘Kaaka Ponn’) is added to beautify the parrot. The parrot’s nose
is made using the outer layer of Pomegranate.
For
the parrot’s tail, they use White Arali and Nandhyavattai leaves. The parrot’s
ear is brought to life by shaving off the top layer of bamboo and reconstructing that using their artistic skills to make the Nachiyar's ears!!!
They
present this artistically made parrot to Andal Nachiyar every evening at the
Srivilliputhur Divya Desam - 365days a year. The Saathaatha Vaishnavas make no
money out of this and do it purely as a service to Andal. The parrot is not for
sale!!!!
Saathaatha Vaishnava Sethuraman has perfected this art of making parrot over the last
25years. His forefathers have been rendering this service for the last several
centuries. This service by the Saathaatha Vaishnavas in Srivilliputhur has been in vogue
for the last 750years.
Karuvullam
The Dasa Nambis have also been assigned the task of taking care of the security of
the room that houses Lord’s jewels – Karuvullam. They have also been bestowed
the right to accompany the Lord/Andal Nachiyar on their Vahana procession.
At
Srivilliputhur, the Dasa Nambis live in the same street right next to the archakas,
an indication of the high status given to them by Ramanuja.
Dasa Nambis in other Divya Desams
A
few centuries ago, some of the Saathaanis of Srivilliputhur moved to
Vanamamalai to perform the selfless service at the Thothathri Nathan Divya
Desam. After the ghoshti, the Dasa Nambis have the privilege of presenting Namazhvaar’s
sacred verses at the temple in Vanamamalai.
In
Margazhi, as part of Vaikunta Ekadesi festival, the Dasa Nambis present Raya
Ramanuja Dasa Arulapadu. At some point of time, over 400years ago, they may
have been assigned as the representatives of Raya clan and hence possibly that
arulapadu has come to be referred to as Raya Ramanuja Dasa Arulapadu.
At
the Aathi Nathan Divya Desam in Azhvaar Tirunagari, the Saathaatha Vaishnavas
are accorded special respect on the last day of Vaikunta Ekadesi festival for
their selfless service that they render through the year. Also, like in Vanamamalai,
they have the privilege of rendering a few of the sacred verses of Namazhvaar,
after Ghosti.
At the Sowmya Narayana Divya Desam in Thiru Koshtiyur, the Dasa Nambis are called Bhattar Piran Dasa. At the temple where Ramanuja was initiated with Thiru Manthiram on his 18th visit, the Saathaanis take care of the temple jewels.
At
Sriperambudur, during processions they have the task of taking care of Lord’s
jewels - a service referred to as ‘Thirumeni Kaaval’.
