Late on Saturday night, Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan presented 18 verses from the Silanthi Puranam following the Rishabha Vahana procession and ahead of the Chariot Festival
It is 9pm on a high decibel Saturday (March 29) evening at Thiruvanaikaval. Jambukeswarar and Akiladeswari have just returned to the temple after providing darshan for 90minutes on the Rishabha Vahanam around the four Ul Veethis. Several hundreds pulled the chariot driven Rishabham that served as a prelude to the Chariot Festival that is set to take place on Sunday morning. Udal players had a great time playing the drums relentlessly through the procession while other youngsters were vocal walking ahead of the divine couple.
Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan is sitting in a corner at the temple after having presented the sacred verses around the four streets during the procession. There is a big one of its kind event waiting to unfold later in the night and he is setting himself up for the sacred presentation.
Every year following the Rishabha Vahana procession and ahead of Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari’s procession to the Chariot, the othuvar presents the ‘Silanthi Puranam’ of Sekkizhar. It is a one of its kind presentation in a Paadal Petra Sthalam and relates to the legend of this temple.
A great blessing to present the 'Silanthi Puranam'
It is past 10 pm and Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan has now moved to near the alankara mandapam. Visibly tired on this hot day and after a long street procession, he is nevertheless all excited ahead of his presentation and considers it a great blessing as he provides a preview to this writer on the greatness of the Silanthi Puranam “Jambukeswarar will be providing darshan as the Lord of the World atop the Chariot tomorrow morning. But before that, he is keen to listen to the great devotion displayed by the Spider and the enormous contribution of Ko Chenganan Chozhan in the rebirth of the Spider as the Chozha King. The Silanthi Puranam comprises of 18 verses wherein the legendary story of the Spider’s devotion, its destruction by the elephant and its rebirth as a Chozha King who would go on to build over 70 Mada temples, the first of which was here at Thiruvanaikaval.”
The priests carry out an Abhisekam following the Rishabha Vahana procession and Jambukeswarar is draped in a simple white cotton vastram for the procession around the first prakara.
The Silanthi Puranam in the first Prakara
It is 11.30pm and finally the Sripatham personnel are set to carry Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari from the alankara mandapam to the first prakara. It is a memorable few minutes in the life of Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan. He is anointed with a silk Parivattam and begins his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam after the Sripatham gives a shout of “Pesaathey Saptham” asking everyone to be quiet.
ஆன செயலால் திருவானைக்கா என்று அதற்குப் பெயராக
ஞானம் உடைய ஒரு சிலந்தி நம்பர் செம் பொன் திருமுடிமேல்
கானல் விரவும் சருகு உதிரா வண்ணம் கலந்த வாய் நூலால்
மேல் நல்திரு மேற்கட்டி என விரிந்து செறியப் புரிந்து உளதால்
A handful of devotees including Shiva Adiyars listen to the presentation with great devotion. Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan has been presenting for well over 25 years but he finds it a delightful experience each time.
Sekkizhar in the Periya Puranam refers to the greatness of the Spider who despite being tiny provides shade to the Lord but unfortunately the elephant tramples him to death. But delighted with the devotion of the Spider, the Lord blesses him to become a great king in the next birth.
நன்றும் இழைத்த சிலம்பி வலைப் பரப்பை நாதன் அடி வணங்கச்
சென்ற யானை அநுசிதம் என்று அதனைச் சிதைக்கச் சிலம்பிதான்
இன்று களிற்றின் கரம் சுலவிற்று என்று மீள இழைத்ததனை
அன்று கழித்த பிற்றைநாள் அடல் வெள்ளானை அழித்ததால்
Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan now turns his face towards Akilandeswari and narrates the greatness of Kamalavathi, Ko Chenganan’s amma. An astrologer tells her that the child, if born a ‘Naazhigai’ late would go on to become a king. The greatness in a mother leads her to turn herself upside down thus postponing the birth of the child and at the designated hour she gives birth to the child who is red eyed. She names him Ko Chenganan but soon passes away.
மக்கள் பேறு இன்மையினால் மாதேவி வரம் வேண்டச்
செக்கர் நெடுஞ் சடைக் கூத்தர் திரு உள்ளம் செய்தலினால்
மிக்க திருப்பணி செய்த சிலம்பிகுல வேந்து மகிழ்
அக் கமலவதி வயிற்றில் அணி மகவாய் வந்து அடைய
பிறவா ஒரு நாழிகை கழித்து என் பிள்ளை பிறக்கும் பரிசு என் கால்
உற ஆர்த்து எடுத்துத் தூக்கும் என உற்ற செயல் மற்று அது முற்றி
அறவாணர்கள் சொல்லிய காலம் அணையப் பிணிவிட்டு அருமணியை
இறவாது ஒழிவாள் பெற்று எடுத்து என் கோச்செங்கண்ணானோ என்றாள்
Turning himself towards Jambukeswarar, Ramani Othuvar continues his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam. Indeed Ko Chenganan becomes a great Chozha king and goes on to build over 70 Saivite temples ( and one Vishnu temple) with this very place at Thiruvanaikaval being the first temple. He remembers the events from his previous birth and in anger builds each the temple in such a way that the elephant would not be able to enter the sanctum.
It is almost mid night and just a couple of hours away from the trip to the Chariot. The Deeparathanai is presented following Othuvar’s presentation. Unlike the fast paced Rishabha Vahana procession amid the noisy devotees earlier in the evening, the divine couple make their way to the alankara mandapam after a quiet and peaceful slow procession around the first prakara.
It had been a most enjoyable evening for the set of devotees who were able to listen to the devotional presentation of the Silanthi Puranam. For Othuvar Ramani Srinivasan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/thiruvanaikaval-othuvar-srinivasan.html), Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari have been everything to him in the last 25 years. Every time he presents the Silanthi Puranam, he is reminded of the greatness of this temples and its great history.
He considers it a great blessing that every year for the last 25, Jambukeswarar and Akilandeswari having been making it to the Chariot Festival only after listening to his presentation of the Silanthi Puranam.
ஆனைக் காவில் தாம் முன்னம் அருள் பெற்று அதனை அறிந்து அங்கு
மானைத் தரித்த திருக்கரத்தார் மகிழும் கோயில் செய்கின்றார்
ஞானச் சார்வாம் வெண்நாவல் உடனே கூட நலம் சிறக்க
பால் நல் களத்துத் தம்பெருமான் அமரும் கோயில் பணி சமைத்தார்
With the clock ticking to mid night he bids goodbye to this writer that this annual presentation is enough to make him forget all the external noise as he loses himself to the great sacred verses on the Lord of Thiruvanaikaval and says that he seeks nothing else in life than being the one destined to sing the verses on this Lord till his final breath.
The story of the Spider and the Elephant: https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/12/thiruvanaikaval-jambukeswarar.html
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