The day is celebrated with great piety and devotion by all Vishu Bhaktas and generally by all Hindus too all over the world !
“Chakrathazhwaar” is the name given to this “Aayudheshewara”, the Divine Discus or Wheel, a great Weapon wielded in his right hand by the Supreme Deity, Sriman Narayana. This great “aayudha” is double-edged, so to say, since it can be wielded by Sriman Narayana to create both havoc for all existent Evil in the world as well as confer great benefits of Goodness on all humanity.
Chakrathazhwar symbolises TIME … “kaala” … that great metaphysical, mysterious entity by which the Divine Order is ordained and sustained. Time can destroy but Time can also heal … And hence “kaala chakra” defines both Divine Justice as well as Divine Compassion that can be easily obtained through prayers for Sudarshana’s Grace … Which is why Sudarshana is hailed as “saulabhya choodaamani”.
It is in Time indeed that all Life is created, sustained and dissolved …
Today is an auspicious day to worship and pay obeisance to Chakrathazhwar for blessings of all round goodness to fill up all our lives to the brim. Accordingly, sacred “stotras” in praise of Hetiraja (another beautiful name for Chakratazhwar) such as the following, for example, can be chanted by devotees in praise of this “shodashaayudha kaala chakram”:
- “Sri Sudarshana Sahasranamam” ( from Ahirbudhniya Samhita)
- “Sri Mantrarajapada stotram” along with “Sudarshana beejaakshara mantra japa”.
- Sri Narada’s “Sudarshana Kavacham”
- “Sri Saulabhya-choodaamani stotram”
- “Sri Sudarshanaashtakam” (composed by Swami Vedanta Desikan)
- “Sri Shodashaayudha stotram” (Swami Desikan)
But for me personally , there is one other Stotra in praise of Sri Sudarshana that is closest to my heart… It is the very popular one known a “Sudarshana Kavacham” (not the one listed in 3.above).
The reason for my fondness for this hymn in Sanskrit is not only because it is so very euphonious to the ear but because this stotra was once transcribed on a piece of paper and given with the utmost kindness and solicitude to my (late) mother Smt. Mani Krishnaswami (1930-2002) on her birthday — 3rd February — by none other than Sri Vaikuntavasi U.Ve. Sri. Mukkur Lakshminarasimha Chariar, the world renowned Sri Vaishnava scholar and upannyaasakar (1944-2000).
My mother’s birthday was on February 3 and in the year 1996 she chose the occasion to pay a visit to Sri Mukkur Swamy at his home on Venkatesan Street in T. Nagar, Chennai.
The Swami specially conducted a special and elaborate “Nrsimha-Sudarshana puja” to his household “archa” for her benefit. After the puja, he pulled out a sheaf of paper, his own letter-head stationery, and in his own handwriting transcribed the “Sudarshana Kavacham stotra” and handed it over to my mother asking that she do daily “paaraayanam” of it (without articulating “Pranavam”). “Blessings of Chakrathazhwar and Sri Nrisimha will be surely conferred upon you “, he said .
Sri Mukkur Swamy passed away in the year 2000 leaving our entire family feeling deeply bereaved. Over the years I had come to regard him as my very own personal mentor, friend, philosopher and inspiration. His loss left my father, mother and I grieving for many years thereafter . I miss him a lot even today just as I miss my long departed mother and father.
In the ensuing years after Mukkur Swamy attained “parama padam” , my mother Smt Mani Krishnaswami, past 70 years of age by then , was also in rather poor health due to debilitating diabetes. But then she continued chanting the “Sudarshana Kavacham stotra” given to her by Mukkur Swamy.
In March 2002 she was conferred the Padma Shree Award by the Government of India.
In July 2002 she departed to the heavenly realms.
After she died, the letterhead on which Sri Mukkur swami had himself transcribed the “Sudarshana Kavacham” was preserved and cherished in our home as a precious family heirloom…
Today on 28 June 2023 , on the sacred occasion of Sri Sudarshana Jayanthi , it is my good fortune to be able to have taken out Sri Mukkur Swamy’s parchment gift to our family and offer the Stotra inscribed upon on it as sacred chant to Sri Herirajan !
Jaya Jaya Shri Sudarshana ! 🙏
Sudarshan Madabushi