High on Devotional Energy and fully committed to 'devotee happiness', this Octogenarian Bhattar is focusing all his attention on serving Ranganathaswamy and Ranganayaki Thayar in this second phase of his life
K Sampath Bhattar (KSB to those in the temple circles) celebrated his 80th birthday all alone at the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi (he lost his wife 8 years ago and does not have a child). He is now in his 25th year of service at the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam and is enjoying every minute of it. After an engineering degree, he joined the Bhabha Atomic Energy in the late 1960s while his appa the renowned Krishnan Bhattar was continuing the hereditary archaka service at the Srirangam temple. It was a quiet phase for temples in Tamil Nadu as seen in many previous stories in this section and that led Sampath Bhattar to take to a career in the corporate space.
After 7 years at the Atomic Energy research in Bombay, there rose an opportunity at BHEL Trichy and he moved back to his home town in 1977, where he continued to work for over two decades.
கங்குலும் பகலும் கண்துயில் அறியால்
கண்ண நீர் கைகளால் இறைக்கும்
சங்கு சக்கரங்கள் என்று கை கூப்பும்
தாமரைக் கண் என்றே தளரும்
எங்கனே தரிக்கேன் உன்னைவிட்டுட்டு என்னும்
இரு நிலம் கை துழா இருக்கும்
செங்கயல் பாய் நீர்த் திருவரங்கத்தாய்
இவள் திறத்து என் செய்கின்றாயே
Always prompt in his presence at Kainkaryam
It is a very hot summer’s day in Srirangam but KSB is at the Ranganayaki Thayar sharp at 9am on this Wednesday (April 22) morning, the day of Ramanuja’s annual Thiru Nakshatram. When he has archaka service at the Kaattu Azhagiya Singar Koil, east of Srirangam, he is there at 4.25pm to welcome the devotees into the Sannidhi right on the dot at 4.30pm. When this writer asked him shortly after his 80th birthday on that evening at Singar Koil, KSB replied in the same way that he has seen his archaka service since the time he took over 25 years ago “I had been in the corporate space for well over two decades and the divine couple brought me back to the temple in the 2nd half of my life. There are only a select few who have been blessed with the opportunity to touch and serve them in this legendary Divya Desam. I have been one of those chosen few and I have to consider that the greatest gift I have secured in this life. On your service day, you have to consider Perumal and Thayar as your own child and take care of him/her in a way you would take care of your child.”
Positive words - Focus on Devotee Happiness
On this Summer’s day in April, he places the Shatari on the devotee non stop for two hours without a break with his favourite blessing ‘Ayushman Bhava’, ‘Sumangali Bhava’…. At 80, does he not get physically tired of this “The devotees enter the temple with different kinds of challenges and they are looking to head back from the Sannidhi with happiness. An archaka blessing with the Shatari gives them that positive feel and I feel I am duty bound to provide them with that joy.”
Way back in 1999, his amma lay on his lap after drinking the morning coffee and soon passed away that had his showering lavish praise on him “My appa told me that I had served my amma as a dutiful son and hence she passed away quietly by my side.”
Wife's Invaluable contribution
A few years later, his appa Krishna Bhattar too passed away leaving KSB and his wife all alone at their home on North Chitra Street. His wife’s passing away in 2018 was a big blow to him and he recalls her invaluable contribution to this writer sitting in front of the Ranganayaki Thayar Sannidhi “As a youngster, I was timid and lacked a bit of confidence because of my squint eye. My wife was well educated and forward looking. It was she who boosted my confidence and lifted my spirit when others would pull me down pointing to my physical shortcoming. It was her consistent messages day in day out that helped me perform my service with confidence.”
Divine Couple's blessing -Rise to the top
When he came back to archaka service after a VRS at BHEL, his colleagues at the temple would often rag him like one would of a newly joined college student “I had learned the Agama for over 5 years but then I had been in corporate service for a few decades and away from the daily kainkaryam. Hence when I took over the reigns from my appa, I had to encounter numerous challenges with many questioning my ability to perform the traditional activities of an archaka.”
உந்திமேல் நான் முகனைப் படைத்தான்
உலகுண்டவன் எந்தை பெம்மான்
இமையோர்கள் தாதைக்கு இடம் என்பரால்
சந்தினோடு மணியும் கொழிக்கும் புனல் காவிரி
அந்திப்போலும் நிறத்தார் வயல் சூழ் தென் அரங்கமே
When he joined the archaka service, he was at the bottom of the list as a newcomer in his 50s!!! He recounts how he shot up the archaka ladder in the decade after. “I told myself that I could perform the Thirumanjanam in the most traditional way and I did that. Adyayana Utsavam is a big challenge and Namperumal stood by me and gave me the confidence that I could handle this too. As time went by, I managed the Yaaga Salai, Theppotsavam and Pavitrotsavam.”
When an occasion warranted, he performed Thirumanjanam thrice on a single day.
From a 30th ranked Bhattar, he shot up the list in a short period of time. A fortnight from today, he will be the Raksha Bandana Bhattar at the Chitrai Brahmotsavam that starts on May 6 “I performed a hattrick of this at the Chitrai Brahmotsavam and till date have donned the role of Raksha Bandana Bhattar 7 times. I have also performed the Theerthavari over a dozen times. And been the anchor Bhattar at the Pavitrotsavam as well.”
Dikshai to upcoming next gen Bhattars
He has performed Dikshai for many of the upcoming bhattars at the Srirangam temple and it is with his blessings that the next generation of bhattars have taken to archaka service at this temple.
Credits the Divine Couple for standing by him everyday
Repeatedly turning his face towards Ranganayaki Thayar, he reiterates the point that as an archaka ‘I have to realise that it is all her blessings. I cannot chest thump that I have achieved something in life all of my own. When I took over from my appa, Perumal and Thayar accepted me and guided me every single day and kept me grounded. I have been given an opportunity to perform this kainkaryam and I have seen as my duty to discharge this function as devotionally as possible and in as committed a way that I can’.
ஆறாத அருள் அமுதம் பொதிந்த கோயில்
அம்புயத்தோன் அயோத்தி மன்னற்கு அளித்த கோயில்
தொலாத தனிவீரன் தொழுத கோயில்
துணையான வீடணற்கு துணையாம் கோயில்
சேராத பயன் எல்லாம் சேர்க்கும் கோயில்
செழுமறையின் முதல் எழுத்து சேர்ந்த கோயில்
தீராத வினை அனைத்தும் தீர்க்கும் கோயில்
திருவரங்கம் எனும் கோயில் தானே
Unflinching faith in Divine Couple
At 80, KSB is physically and mentally energetic and there is a lot of positive vibration when he is at the Perumal and Thayar Sannidhi. He continues to make the trip to the east end of Srirangam to serve as an archaka at the Singar Koil where the devotee crowd has shot up dramatically. KSB has also been bestowed with the responsibility of letting go off the arrow on the Vijayadasami evening when Namperumal is at the Singar Koil.
With the growing number of Bhattars, there are those looking for additional kainkaryam days. KSB has always been happy to hand over his Kainkaryam to the next gen Bhattars for them to take forward the service into the next phase. He says that the Divine Couple has taken care of him well in this life and that he has thoroughly enjoyed this experience of serving as a priest at the Ranganathaswamy temple over the last 25 years.
High Devotional Commitment @ 80
He has finished the Uchi Kaala pooja and the Mangalaarathi at the Ranganayaki Sannidhi. With the clock ticking to 1.30pm, this energetic Octogenarian Bhattar, who has been at the Sannidhi for over 4 hours refuses the drop offered by this writer instead choosing his own way back home in the scorching hot sun, a day ahead of the TN assembly elections. It is that self confidence to handle himself and to perform his duty to the best of his ability that has kept him in good spirits at this age. He continues to keep himself abreast of the atomic scenario in the country but outside of this his whole life at 80 centers around Ranganathaswamy and Ranganayaki Thayar. He came back to the Ranganathaswamy temple almost as a novice 25 years ago and with the grace and blessing of the Divine Couple he has been able to continue this Kainkaryam into his 80th year.
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