Ranganatha Ashtakam

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vgvindan
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Joined: 13 Aug 2006, 10:51

Post by vgvindan »

I came across Ranganatha Ashtakam along with meanings.
http://www.shastras.com/adisankara/ranganathashtakam/

I have heard this Ashtakam rendered by - is it SudhA? - beautiful rendition.

Please also view three beautiful photos of the reclining Lord -
http://www.skandavale.org/photogallery% ... TEMPLE.htm
Last edited by vgvindan on 03 Jul 2007, 20:33, edited 1 time in total.

ksrimech
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:25

Post by ksrimech »

There is a commercial recording of this by Smt aruNA sAyIrAm (as a rAgamAlika in chArsur's kSEtrAm SrIrangam album) and the verses "sacchita sAyI" was rendered by Smt subbulakSmi before tyAgarAjasvAmi's magnum opus O rangasAyI at Carnegie Hall (NY '77) and many other places.

Adi Sankara bhagavdpAdar should have sung it when he visited SrIrangam and installed the janAkarSaNa yantram.

I think Dr Saroja Ramanujam is the one who posts about TNS and his music here (as rasika_tns????). She has written extensively on vaiSNava works on many yAhU groups.

Equally beautiful is ranganAtastOtram by svAmi parASara bhaTTar and the first verse starting with "sapta prAkAra madyE..." is from it. If you notice there are nine slOkAs and the author has attirbute d that one to svAmi bhaTTAr. http://www.srivaishnava.org/sva/bhattar/srirt.htm
Last edited by ksrimech on 03 Jul 2007, 22:44, edited 1 time in total.

k.ganesan
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Joined: 17 Dec 2006, 13:52

Post by k.ganesan »

sri govindan,
thanks for the most captivating photos of LORD RANGANATHA,
with the smile in his face even in that posture. sir,i have a small
point to get cleared,for which i may be excused/PARDONED
on the LORD's face i donot find the majestic TIRUMANN.,
INSTEAD, THERE IS A BIG MANJAL KUMKUMAM PASTE.
CAN YOU PL.CLARIFY?
K.GANESAN

vgvindan
Posts: 1430
Joined: 13 Aug 2006, 10:51

Post by vgvindan »

No idea - I just saw the photos, I liked them and wanted to share the joy. I am not sure whether they are indeed the photos of Lord Ranganatha. Beyond that I cannot say anything.

drshrikaanth
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Joined: 26 Mar 2005, 17:01

Post by drshrikaanth »

They are photos of Lord Ranaganatha in the UK- this is from Wales- the dhAma is called skandavale (A beautiful name). This is a 115 acre monastery. Please see here

http://www.skandavale.org/

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Thanks DRS. The difference, besides the round kumkum in place of the nAmam is the way Adi SEshA is facing you (as a real cobra would). In a utsava mUrty, yes. But the granite wrought mUlavar (the diety of the sanctum in supine posture has Adi SEshA shading him above his head)...
Last edited by arasi on 06 Jul 2007, 04:33, edited 1 time in total.

mohan
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Post by mohan »

The www.shastras.com site is an excellent one! Thanks for bringing it to attention.

ksrimech
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:25

Post by ksrimech »

Simple reason folks. Its not a SrIvaiSNava temple. If you wish to see one in which perumAL sports the tirumaN, go to www.ranganatha.org. I have never seen a non-SrIvaiSNava temple in which perumAL adorns the tirumaN. There have also been exceptions of SrIvaiSNava temples in which perumAL doesn't have the tirumaN on his tirunetti (divine forehead). Anyways, nice close up pictures.

vgvindan
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Post by vgvindan »

ks,
I doubt whether your observation is correct - mUrti of perumAL is always adorned with tirumaN. I do not know why it is not there in the skanda vale temple. However, in the gOvindarAja perumAL temple at Chidambaram (by the side of naTarAja), the Lord is adorned with tirumaN.

arasi
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Post by arasi »

And, how about AdiSEshA? Are there any temples where in the sannidhi, he faces us (as in Wales) instead of providing shade to RanganAthA over his head?

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

Not only that, unlike usual ranganAtha vigrahas, this Lord is fully reclining with his head on the ground. Usually the Lord is shown supporting His head with His hand.

ksrimech
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Post by ksrimech »

vgvindanji,
In almost all SrIvaiSNava temples in tamizhagam, AndhrapradESam and karNATakam perumAL sports thirumaN. But in kErALa mAnilam and vaDa mAnilam, viSNu murti's do not sport thirumaN. There are 13 divya dEsams (sung by Azhvars) in kEraLam and none of the murtis adorn thirumaN. Please don't confuse thirumaN against Urddva punDram. Urddhva punDram encompasses gOpi chandanam type (2 lines and a dot like sankara sAmpradhAya, gauDiya sAmpradAya and madhava sAmpradhAya), thirumaN (3 lines 2 white and one red like in rAmAnuja sAmpradhAya), thilak (one red elliptical with sharp edge on the top like in most other vaiSNava sAmpradhAyas), etc. perumALs also sport Urddva punDrams also, which can vary from temple to temple.

DRSji,
ranganAthan is not supporting his head with his hand. He is showing us His kirITam and the curls beneath it. By showing us his curls He reminds us that He is kESavan, the lord to brahmA (ka) and SivA (ISa) (viz. ka iti brahmaNo nAma ISOham sarva dEhinAm AvAm tavAngE sambhUtou tasmAt kESava nAmavAn - sLOka from harivamSa). With His other, He is showing us His pAdadvandhvam (pair of feet). His thirumuDi is representative of thirumantram, His thiruvudaram is representative of dvayam and his thiruvaDi is representative of charamasLOka (the three pillars of SrIvaISNavam) This interpretation can be found in tiruppANAzhvAr's amalanAdipirAn, svAmi parASara bhaTTAr's rangarAjastavam and svAmi vEdAnta dEsikan bhgavad dhAyana sOpanam.

Ref: http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppilia ... va052.html

There are other divya dEsams in which He doesn't use His hand in such fashion. I dont think it is unique to skandAvale temple. He uses His hands for a different purpose like in thiruvaLLur, thiruvananthapuram. There are kSEtrams in which He is lying down flat on AdiSESa like pOmOna (New York) ranganAthan, thirukkOLur vaiyyta mAnidhi, thirupuLLambUtanguDi kAicchinavEndan, thirukkaDalmallai stalaSayanan (no AdiSESa here), etc. The only odd Sayana thirukkOlam is in thirukkuDandai (kumbakkONam). Here AravAmudAzhvAn is in an udyOga Sayanam, half lying and half getting up state.

Arasiyare,
Yes there are other places too. Two divya dEsams which come to my head immediately - tiruvarangam (SrIrangam), thiruvevvuL (tiruvaLLUr).
Last edited by ksrimech on 07 Jul 2007, 06:19, edited 1 time in total.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

ksrimech
nice explanation. But that apart, do you know of any other kShEtras where ranganAtha lies with his head flat on the ground?

ksrimech
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Post by ksrimech »

There are kSEtrams in which He is lying down flat on AdiSESa like pOmOna (New York) ranganAthan, thirukkOLur vaiyyta mAnidhi, thirupuLLambUtanguDi kAicchinavEndan, thirukkaDalmallai stalaSayanan (no AdiSESa here), etc.
He still doesn't place His head on the ground (AdiSESan won't allow that). His head is lying on the serpent bed/piTam with out a pillow.

drshrikaanth
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Post by drshrikaanth »

kRShNa kRShNa! That still does not answer the question :D

Do you know of any kShEtra where ranganAtha is not supporting his head with his hand and/or a pillow, but just rests it on level surface (aka AdiSESha)?

chalanata
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Post by chalanata »

i do not know about the snake. but the Lord is sleeping straight in Anantha Padmanabha Swami Temple Trivandrum. A replica of the same is in Anantha Padmanabha Swami temple, adyar chennai.

arasi
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Post by arasi »

...and a lotus in one hand and the other touching brahmA I am told. Is it so?
Last edited by arasi on 08 Jul 2007, 09:25, edited 1 time in total.

vgvindan
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Post by vgvindan »

He is kESavan
For a detailed discussion on the meaning of this word, please visit - http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archi ... /0015.html

ksrimech
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:25

Post by ksrimech »

DRS,

The divya dEsas which I quoted in my last post are the ones. Sorry for not answering to your point and sorry for beating around the bush..

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