A pilgrim’s jottings on a 3-day whirlwind pilgrimage, May 4th, 2024 (Tirunelveli-Tuticorin) of Nava Tirupati temples
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The summer heat-wave was rising, and on my journey by road towards Azhwar Tirunagari, the mid-morning hour seemed to send torrid blasts from a furnace towards us. Thankfully, Rajah, my thoughful rental-car cab-driver, turned up the vehicle airconditioning.
The heat lessened a bit. Travelling now in cool, climate-controlled comfort, my mind once again returned to the question of why Azhwar Tirunagari came to be astrologically associated with the planet Jupiter …. or Guru-bhagavan of the Navagraha pantheon.
My knowledge of Vedic astrology is next to nothing. My attitude to jyotisha-sastra is very respectful since I know it is one of the 6 branches of the Vedas known as Vedaangas — viz. Siksha, Channdas, Vyaakarana, Nirukta, Kalpa and Jyotisha. But, when it comes to the predictive aspects of Jyotisham I generally maintain a bit of scepticism towards Astrology as occult science. Which is the reason why I always had great appreciation for the studied indifference which inveterate, orthodox Sri Vaishnavas are known to traditionally cultivate towards “navagraha devatas”. The underlying reason for such cultivated indifference of theirs is deeply philosophical. A Sri Vaishnava will always ask himself within the heart the same question which his Acharya, Sri Vedanta Desikan asked too in one of his famous “stotra” works in Sanskrit:
त्वयि प्रवृत्ते मम किं प्रयासैस्त्वय्यप्रवृत्ते मम किं प्रयासैः ॥ ६॥
tvayi pravR^itte mama kiM prayaasaiH
tvayi apravR^itte mama kiM prayaasaiH.. "ashtabhujaashtakam":6
"If I can secure your Grace, would I need any other Devata's protection?
If I do not have your Grace, then which Devata can ever really save me?!"
Such an emphatic expression of faith in one God, the Almighty Sriman Narayana, simply has to preclude faith in any other lesser god ... not because such faith might be religious taboo but simply because, philosophically speaking, it is unnecessary and irrelevant.
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In the real world however, ordinary people, burdened with innumerable mundane problems of livelihood, rearing children and providing for a family and also getting ahead in a careeer or vocation, cannot be expected to set great store by high philosophical principles. Faith in astrology, and the emotional support and comfort provided by its predictive power, gives them much needed relief from many personal anxieties and setbacks in life. It grants them some measure of solace and self-confidence. Hence, they put their faith in the efficacy of special worship known as “Navagraha Araadhana or Preethi”. They go to various religious shrines all across the country to propitiate the Navagraha Devatas such as Shani, Guru, Rahu Ketu or Shukra bhagavans.
One therefore has to accept reality of human nature : cultivating an attitude of reserve or a certain scepticism towards Astrology may be alright if it is seen to fall outside the ambit of Faith in the working of Divine Will (bhagavath-sankalpam). But once Astrology is seen as a way of effectively managing the resigned acceptance in life of the inexorable law of Vedantic Karma, then one cannot dismiss it as superstitious belief in the planets and stars.
So long as faith in Astrology does not turn into blind faith in the predictive powers of popular ritualistic jyotisham ( i.e. “kaamyaartha“) and, by and large, remains God-centric, then such faith cannot fall very much out of line with the strictly “paramekantin” stance of Sri Vaishnava monotheism.
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For many years now, although I have maintained scepticism about the predictive aspects and practices of Astrology, I have neverthless come to intuitively accept what is generally called its uncanny ability to explain a mysterious thing called synchronicity often happening in all our lives.
What is Synchronicity?
It is defined as “the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (such as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality”.
A certain number pops up again and again wherever you go; an old friend you haven’t seen in 20 years since high school appears at your doorstep on the same day that you were in fact looking at her picture in an old yearbook or photo-album; you’re singing a song and when you turn on the radio, the same song is playing …!
Such remarkable coincidences are very common examples of synchronicity in our daily lives.
The concept of Synchronicity was developed in modern psychology by Dr. Carl Jung. He gave it special importance in his clinical work and believed that such “meaningful coincidences” played an important role in the lives of his patients.
Today, sensitive people always keep a look out for the occurence of synchronicity almost everywhere in their daily life and daily experiences. And most certainly, religious-minded people especially look to the synchronicity of events happenings in their lives for spiritual guidance in making sense of what’s happening in their private world. And that indeed is precisely the space where synchronicity and jyotisham intersect!
I have to confess I am one of such religious-minded persons for whom my pilgrimage to Azhwar Tirunagari seemed to have been pre-arranged if not pre-ordained by some mysterious operation of the planet Guru as placed in my astrological chart and in some kind of synchronous way that I find very hard to explain even to myself!
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In 2022, in the 66th year of my life, an amateur-astrologer friend of mine, after studying my natal horoscope chart, told me that I had entered into a new phase in my life called “Guru Dasha”.
According to traditional Vedic jyotisha-sastra the term “Guru Mahadasha” refers to a 16-year phase in one’s life where Jupiter or the planet Guru takes center stage and dominates one’s natal chart, influencing various aspects of life. A strong Jupiter placement in the chart indicates new opportunities, prosperity, social status, intelligence but even more notably, it portends divine grace, spirituality and knowledge.
My astrologer friend then spoke some strange but prescient words. Until this day I am unable to fathom whether they are to be regarded as mere astrological prediction or whether they were oracular guidance to me about how the planet Guru was poised invisibly to play synchroncity in my life….!
These were the astrologer’s words: “You will during this period likely come across sudden and unexpected encounters with spiritual gurus and acharyas and find yourself seeking their grace and blessings. You will also find yourself drawn towards studying the works of religious acharyas of both past and present. Unexpectedly and without any conscious pre-planning on your part, you will find yourself travelling to distant birth-places (“avatara sthala”) or else the “brindaavanam” (final resting places or what otherwise is commonly called “jeeva samaadhi”) of gurus and acharyas….”
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Since the advent of Guru-Mahadasha into my natal chart in 2022 , a remarkable series of events have occured sequentially and regularly but at sudden and unexpected intervals in my life under virtually no volitional effort of my own. I cannot find anything to explain why they all began to happen, one after another, so suddenly… except perhaps to attribute it all to some divine influence of synchronicity.
Here below are listed those synchronous “Guru” related events:
- The first synchronous event had to to with a prominent Acharya figure of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. It was that of the feminine saint… one of the most prominent in the pantheon of Sri Vaishnava Acharya paramparai of 12 Azhwars …. Sri Andal Nacchiyaar at Sri Villiputtur temple ….
On 6 January 2023, I was so fortunate to have landed in Sri Villiputtur on an auspicious day in the holy month of Margazhi/Dhanurmaasa. As I went around the temple concourse in a “pradakshinam“, quite unexpectedly I ran into the midst of a congregation of devotees celebrating a very special “araiyar sevai” accompanying Andal “purappaadu“! It was the first time I witnessed at such close quarters araiyar sevai conducted with such intimate fanfare and devotional fervor! Here is the video-clip:
2. On 10th January 2023, I was at home one day when my daughter-in-law who lives in Bangalore suddenly called me on phone to say that she had received a little package of “prasaadam” from U.Ve. Sri. Srinivasa Chary, the distinguished son of (late) U.Ve. Sri Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar, my guru and mentor — who in his lifetime I had come to regard as my “manaaseeka sadhaacharyan”. She told she had been asked to courier the “prasaadam” package onward to me. When I opened the package, I saw that it contained 3 tiny gold-coins (suvarna-pushpam style) with the image of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha embossed on one side and the image of Mukkur Swamy himself on the other. Also contained was this beautiful and vivid photograph of Sri Mukkur Swamy … a lifelike statue of him that seemed to leap out of the portrait and say, “Hello!” to me!
3. Then on 1 April, 2023, along with a family-member and a doctor-friend of ours, I travelled to Melkote, Karnataka to witness for the very first time the Chelluva Tirunarayana Vairamudi Utsavam…. However, the very first sight that welcomed me when I alighted at Melkote town was the Brindavanam (eternal resting place) of the very first Acharya and Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt, Sri Adivan Satagopan (14th century CE)! It was only worshipping at this Brindavanam of the Acharya that I proceeded next to Perumal Kovil itself ! In the photo below , is the Brindavanam behind us.
4. On 1 June 2023, I found myself on sudden impulse travelling to Kanchipuram. I was eager after many, many years to once again witness the famous Kanchipuram Brahmotsavam and more particularly the magnificent and joyous Garuda Sevai pagaentry of Lord Varadaraja Perumal going in a great procession from his temple all the way about 3 kms. towards the Thoopul village where he would receive the customary ritual “mangalaasaasanam” outside the temple gates of Sri Villakoli Perumal sannidhi from the iconic image of Sri Vedanta Desika.
On this occasion, again I had the unexpected opportunity to secure the blessings of not only paramaacharya, Swami Desikan at his avatara sthalam in Thoopul village but clearly by some synchronous coincidence, also the opportunity to witness “asmath acharyan” Srimad Azhagiyasingar Sri Ranganatha Yatindra Mahadesikan who was camping there in his “sancharam”. I was there to witness him receive “maryaadai” and honors in traditional Vedic style from a Vedapaaraayana Goshti! I then took his blessings and “mantraakshadha” myself. Videos below:
5. The 23rd of June 2023 once again was a red-letter day for me since once again I experienced another instance of “acharya sambhandham” quite synchronously. At the Selaiyur Sri Ahobila Mutt in Chennai, HH Srimadh Azhagiyasingar presided over the book-launch event of my published book, “The Epistles of a Prolific Pontiff“, my English translations of the Tamizh “arul mozhi” written by Srimad Azhagiyasingar of the 44th Peetam of Sri Ahobila Mutt.
6. Then in August 2023 I was tasked by the Ahobila Mutt Devasthanam to serve as one of a 3-member committee to work on a special organizational assignment at Ahobilam temple . Along with the two other Committee members (seen in photo below), I took the same opportunity on 12th August to climb to the hilltop cave-temple of Eguva Ahobila Narasimha whereat, outide the same sannidhi, under a deep subterranean cavern, it is believed is the spot exactly where Srimad Azhagiyasingar who came Sixth in the lineage of Sri Ahobila Mutt Acharyas (right after Sri Adivan Satagopan) went into eternal communion with Lord Lakshminarasimha and was never thereafter to be seen again. For me, that day, it happened to be yet another fortuitous but synchronous encounter with the jeeva-samadhi (Brindavanam) of an Acharya!
7. In the month of November, my family joined me in going on a long 10-day pilgrimage to North India to perform “teertha-yaathra” — to perform “pitru-shraadham” at Gaya and also at Triveni-sangam in Prayag and at Kashi “panchaghattam” by the River Ganga. On the last leg of our pilgrimage we visited Ayodhya to have darshan at Hanuman-garhi and of Sri Ram Lalla.
We visited other places of pilgrimage at Ayodhya such as Kanak Mahal, River Sarayu ghat, Dasarath Mahal, Valmiki Mahal, even Nandigram... But when we went to visit Sita ki Rasoi, suddenly to our utter surprise we found ourselves being ushered into a small ashram there in which we learnt lived a very old nonagenarian Sant — Sant Ramanand-ji — who for decades had been living in his nondescript quarters behind Sita ki Rasoi and making arrangements to provide free “nithya annadaanam” for all Ram “kar sevaks” visiting Ayodhya for “shilanya” kainkaryam.
It is well known to all in Ayodhya city that this Sant himself subsists on virtually no food at all other than a glass of milk and one fruit each day. He looked feeble, and it is said he rarely ever spoke to anyone. And yet when my wife and I went near him to take his blessings, he smiled at us and whispered a few words of kindess to us and then gave us darshan, prasaad and blessed us profusely when we told him we were pilgrims from the deep south….
Again for me, it was a totally synchronous meeting with a Sant and Guru whom I had not ever seen or even heard of before! Guru kripa and kataaksham had mysteriously sought me out even in Ayodhya!
Was this another instance yet of what my astrologer friend had already told me I would be regularly experiencing as “guru paarvai” —- the benevolent influence and vibration of planet Jupiter’s glance upon my natal birth chart? Was this divine synchronicity?
Finally , on December 16, 2023, I was in Tiruvellore Sri Veeraghava Perumal Kovil on my annual pilgrimage there. But this time , apart from worshipping the main deity in the sanctum, I suddenly remembered that on the other side abutting the large Temple Pond ( Pushkarani) was situated 4 separate Brindavanams under one roof in a secluded shrine dedicated for 4 Srimadh Azhagiyasingars of Sri Ahobila Mutt of past peetams — one of whom was the renowned Jeeyar , Srimadh Injimettu Azhagiyasingar (the 42nd Acharya and Pontiff) as also the 33rd, 34th and 39th Azhagiyasingars. On the same blessed day, thus, I was blessed to avail of the opportunity of paying obeisance to 4 of my Acharyas of the past in their respective Brindavanam and to have their “paada darsanam”.
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On my way that day on May 4 , 2024 to Azhwar Tirunagari , I couldn’t help wondering if it was not once again another event of divine synchronicity that I was now being beckoned — perhaps under the strong planetary influence of “guru mahadasha” — for the very first time in life to the “avatara sthalam” of the foremost Guru and Acharya of all Sri Vaishnavas, Swami Nammazhwar!
More in the next instalment of blogs about the Nammazhwar temple itself.
(To be continued)
Sudarshan Madabushi