Srirangam Ranganatha Prabhandham Ghosti

Do not move your lips - Prabhandham Members to this Devotee on the East Uthira Street on the Eight Street Procession of Namperumal on Panguni Uthiram

In the several hundreds of Brahmotsavams attended by this devotee (writer), this is the first time he has been asked not to move the lips during a street procession. It saddened me for the devotee could not be heard even by the person standing next.

Interestingly after almost three hours near the Vellai Gopuram, one of the Prabhandham members tried to monitor the lip movement (or at least that's when I noticed that they were monitoring the devotee's lips!!!) to confirm that he was indeed reciting the same sacred verses that they were reciting.

This section had featured the group clash at Pazhaya Seevaram between Thenkalai and Vadakalai during Varadar’s trip to Mukoodal in January 2019 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/01/pazhaya-seevaram-battle-for-vaishnavite.html). But that was between two real large groups that evening. 

Here the devotee was reciting all alone by the side and behind the ghosti for over three hours since the start of the procession on Wednesday morning and finally the movement of the lips and the synching with their recital was spotted well past 9am. And they took objection to a single devotee’s quiet recital.

The message is clear: No devotee can utter the sacred verses even quietly, even far behind the Ghosti or on the pavement of the Uthira and Chitra Streets of Srirangam.

Interestingly, into the Chitrai Veethi processions, they were reciting the decads relating to Thiru Venkatam.

தெரியேன் பாலகனாய் பல தீமைகள் செய்துமிட்டேன் 

பெரியேன் ஆயினபின் பிரர்கே உழைத்து ஏழை ஆனேன் 

கரிசேர் பூம்புழில் சூழ் கனமாமலை வேங்கடவா 

அரியே வந்தடைந்தேன் அடியேனை ஆட்கொண்டருலே  

பற்றேல் ஒன்றுமிலேன் பாவமே செய்து பாவி ஆனேன் 

மற்றேல் ஒன்றறியேன் மாயனே எங்கள் மாதவனே 

கலதேன் பாயத்தொழுகும் கமலச்சுனை வேங்கடவா 

ஆற்றேன் வந்தடைந்தேன் அடியேனை ஆட்கொண்டருளே 

Thankfully over the last decade, MAV led Prabhandham Ghosti (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/07/thiruvallikeni-prabhandham-ghosti.html) has not objected to a devotee coming far behind or using the pavement of the Thiruvallikeni streets reciting quietly the sacred verses during the Parthasarathy or Narasimha Brahmotsavam ( (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/05/ma-venkatakrishnan-thiruvallikeni-divya_16.html) over the last 10 years - there too the devotte's recitals are not 'heard'- Its MAV's Prabhandham Ghosti that has been this devotee's greatest inspiration)

If this is all about Thenkalai vs Vadakalai fight in various Divya Desams in TN, then that is for the two sects to sort out may be with Mutt Chiefs. But what did sadden yhis writer on the morning of the Panguni Uthiram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/03/panguni-uthiram-festival-2008-at.html) was for the Ghosti to pull up a single devotee’s silent recital and lock his lips!!! 

Even more saddening was for the prabhandham members to focus on the devotee's lips than on their own devotional recital. Keeping the devotee lips tied was of paramount importance to them than their own recital. 

This writer wondered today as to where  devotion is headed.

Surprisingly, the HR & CE (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/12/kapali-temple-eo-kaveri-passes-away.html) - late EO Kaveri specifically handed this devotee permission to recite loudly at the Kapali temple  and the Kapali devotees have thus far allowed this devoteeto recite the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham loudly inside their temple complex over the last year and a half. Till they object, that’s where this devotee's future lies!!!