Joy

Those who preach do not know and those who know do not preach.

Krishnamachari Santhanam.

Thirupparkadal

Thiruparkadal  has a rarest among the rare, temple in the country, where Thirumal stands on God Siva to show the world, the amalgamation of Vaishnavism with Saivism and to enlight both of them are one and the same.

Thiruparkadal village, as it was called as Karapuram in ancient time, is a scenic fertile area surrounded by greenish fields and holds two Sivan temples and two Vishnu temples with it. One of interesting factor about this village is, here Lord Vishnu lay on Adisheshan prevents the gushing Sarasvathi river from disrupts and destroy the yagha performed by Lord Brahma to seek the grace of Thirumal at Kanchi.

It is said that one Vaishnava Maharishi named Pundareegar visited Thiruparkadal to have Darshan of Sri Ranganatha swami. But he found a Siva lingam into the sanctum Sanctorum named Sree Doseswarar instead of Vishnu, by seeing this he was disappointed and returned back.

Lord Vishnu wanted to fulfill the aspiration of the Vaishnava devotee, and transformed himself as an old vaishnavite, and enquired Maharishi. Maharishi shared his disappointment with old vaishnavite. But the old man insists that it is only Thirumal Sannathi and asked the Maharishi to visit the temple once again, and accompanied the Maharishi to temple and then disappeared. Maharishi walked right into inner Sanctum of the temple and seen the Thirumal with Abhaya Mutra standing on Siva lingam. This was on Ekadasi day, and from on that day the presiding deity is called as Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal. This temple is hailed as the place to show the devotees that Siva and Hari are one and the same. Every year on Vaigunda Ekadasi day, a number of devotees visit this temple. Another vaishnavite temple called as Sri Ranganathar temple is situated at the side of the Prasanna Venkatesa perumal temple

Temple Architecture and Significance

The Rajagopuram of Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal temple is in dilapidated state. Next to it is, Kodimaram, Pundareega Pushkarani and an altar, small mandapam and Maharishi Gopuram welcomes us. There is another mandapam in the entrance of Sanctum Sanctorum which has also Shrines for Thumbikkai Azhwar, Nammalwar, Madurakavi Azhwar, Thirumangai Azhwar, and Boothathazhar.

Inside inner sanctum, the presiding deity lord venkatesaperumal stands on Avudaiyar (Siva lingam) with Abhaya Mutra. It is a most memorable and pleasurable moment to have Darshan of Both Hari and Siva. There are carvings of Krishna Devarayar, Dhalavan Naicken, Rani Mangammal, Aranganayagam and Aranganayaki, all in praying pose.

The Sprawling temple renovated by the king of Vijayanagar. Krishna Daverayar has also shrines for Alamelu mangai thayar, Anjaneyar, Karudazhwar, Desikar, Rukmani, Sathyabhama, Thirukkachi nimbi adigal. This temple was patronized by Krishna Daverayar, and hence inside the Sactum, there is an idol of him.

Perfect

The bitter gourd and the sweet mango are both perfect in the symphony of creation. Can the higher octaves be enjoyed unless you test the lows?

Krishnamachari Santhanam

Oneness

How do I dance the mysticism I feel into words? How do I express the oneness I feel in words? The moment words start forming in my mind as openions duality starts. Oh ! How do I then express the oneness I feel? The day I sit on a parched wo...oden bench in the creek and I see the hungry bird swoop down to pickup the fish and I laugh'' God is eating God!"- How do I put it in words? When I see the hungry child crying and my heart wrings in agony I verily relive the hunger moment myself- How do I put it in words?
In a lazy moment in the park and I see children playing around and the world starts moving in slow motion how do I put it in words? When I go to a temple and see Beggars inside and outside how do I put it in words?
Or better still Do I need to put it in words? Dont you hear it too?
Krishnamachari Santhanam

Oneness

At the outset I would like to bring out two scenarios and let us see if we can relate to it.

Scenario 1

A house in a quite neighborhood, Father reading the newspaper in the porch, a little garden with flowering shrubs and small trees, a child playing on the swing in the shade. Mother working in the kitchen probably making a lemonade for the child and husband. A dog with its wet nose to the ground lying content.

Couple of men in bulldozers drive in. demolishing the gate destroying the house and pulls down everything. Only the swinging swing in the garden still creeking and swinging a silent witness to all this.

Scenario 2

Amzon Rain forest. Tall huge trees with stumps as wide as a house in the suburbs. In each tree lives thousands of parrots, nesting eagles, flying squirrels and monkeys busily feeding its small ones. The sanctity of the place is amazing as each denizen of the forest from the hardworking ants to the Boas in the boughs have laboriously made this forest over a couple of million years, a delicate eco system thriving on the respect each of its citizen commands. Every being has its pride of place in this sylvan heaven.

A pickup truck stops in the periphey of the forest , with the logo of an MNC in the fortune 500 list.
Out jumps ten loggers carrying mobile generators, electric saws and a fuel supply to feed the synister looking gen sets. Each carry a tool box and a lunch box which carries the sandwiches to feed these giants.
They walk for an hour and reach an area which until a minute back was the favourite swinging place for the young monkeys. A bald headed eagle atop a 200 ft tree cranes its neck and peeps down in fear. The thought upmost in its mind- Will my tenth nesting attempt survive these loggers? I hope they do not select this tree. Birds feeding their young ones unable to leave the young ones , keep circling the tree in fear. What was a quite beautiful hallowed ground becomes a mayhem of activity. A new sound is added- gen sets coughing up smoke and electric saws humming while cutting the huge tree trunk. The eagle , its nest and the birds with the young ones all fall and their beady eyes do not see anything anymore.

The loggers tired after a good days work and rest their back against another tree trunk a hundred yers old. As they leave one takes out a white paint and marks an X on the same tree on which they were leaning, marking it for their next visit.

Krishnamachari Santhanam