Whatever may be the fears and tribulations, there would be that many solutions that bestow us with great benefits. This year we got Pushkarams for river Godavari to bless the Telugu land. Pushkarams were first associated with the river Godavari it seems. But later other rivers approached Bramha and prayed to him to bless them too with the sacred pushkarams and Bramha granted them the boon. There are different accounts regarding pushkaras in different puranas. It had been accepted by all the Puranas that the Pushkarams started with the river Godavari only. When Jupiter entered Simharasi the Godavari pushkarams started from July 14th 2015 to 25th July 2015.
Even before the New Year Manmattha entered, the astrologers were apprehensive and expressed concern over the ill effects of stars and planetary movements during the period. We all know the year started with plane crashes, earth quakes, horrible summer that took a toll of many and finally the demise of our former president Bharathrathna Abdul Kalam. Bearing all these calamities, we want to march ahead unitedly and progress forward for which Lord’s grace and A:cha:rya’s grace are essential. With this in his view, HH started the wonderful program praying Lord ardently for the wellbeing of the mankind. One among them is Sa:nthisundaram that was commenced on the Uga:di day 21st March Chaiththra suddha pa:dyami.
This program is for our sake for the time to turn favorable to us, our strengths to grow, the malicious natures to be curbed, the national flag of our Bha:rath to fly high, the glory of Bha:rath to spread far and wide. World’s strength depends on individual strength. This program is to enhance our strengths and enable us render true service.
There is no better powerful weapon than the grace of A:cha:rya. Sa:nthisundaram is the tool that gifts us that magnificent grace. It bestows Sri: Rama’s, Sri: Ra:ma:nuja’s and Hanuma:n’s grace on us.
In this continuous Sa:nthisundaram program after the first phase conclusion of the sapthasarga parayana that took place from 1st May, 2015 to 7th July a great program was conducted. The devotees were divided into 68 groups of 5 to 6 and each group was made to recite one sarga of sundaraka:nda. Thus in half an hour the whole sundaraka:nda pa:rayana was done.
Sri Sri Tridandi Chinna Jeeyar Swamy blessed the devotees that participated in the first 68day Sa:nthi Sundaram program that continued like the perennial flow of Ramayana river ‘va:lmi:ki giri sambhu:tha: ra:masa:gara ga:mini:’ in the JIVA premises.
This year Manmadha is blessing us especially with a bonus of one month unlike the usual 12 months. This year we got adhikama:sa for A:sha:dha. This phenomena happened 19 years ago. When an adhikamasa to A:sha:dha occurs it is called ‘purusho:ththama ma:sa’. Let us know about this purusho:ththama ma:sa.
Pu:ri Jagannattha is also referred to as Ni:la:chala Kshe:thra and Purusho:ththama Kshe:thra.
‘sri:rangam karisailamanjana girim tha:rkshya:di simha:chalau sri:ku:rmam, purusho:ththamamcha’
In this list of pilgrimage centers visited by Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja:cha:ryaswa:mi, Purusho:ththamam refers to Sri: Jaganna:ttha kshe:thram only. Here the deities in the sanctum sanctorum are movable wooden mu:rthis . They are replaced by the new wooden statues when the Adhika A:sha:dham occurs. This event is called ‘Nava Kale:bara ya:thra.’ Since the Adhika A:sha:dham is associated with Sri: Jaganna:ttha thus, this month is also called ‘Purusho:ththama ma:sa’. Later it became a general practice to call all the adhika ma:sas as Purusho:ththama ma:sas. Fortunately it came this year as a ray of hope. With a sacred intention that this auspicious time has to be properly utilized and all people have to be benefitted, Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji had formulated another program from 17.06.2015 Adhika A:sha:dha suddha pa:dyami to 16.06.2015 Adhika A:sha:dha bahula ama:va:sya that can be followed by all of us. The entire chanting of Sundaraka:nda was done in less than two minutes. How could it be possible?
Every willing person was allotted a slo:ka from the 2805 slo:kas of Sundaraka:nda. The prayer starts with the slo:ka ‘a:pada:m apahartha:ram …….’ that mitigates obstacles, next the maha:manthram ‘dharma:thma: sathyasandhascha……………..’. Lakshmanaswami used this manthra to kill Indrajith who was invincible even to De:ve:ndra, later the first slo:ka Sri: Ra:ma:yana and then the first slo:ka of Sundaraka:nda followed by the allotted slo:ka as the fifth and then the last slo:ka of Sundaraka:nda ‘thatho: maya: va:gbhir’ as the final slo:ka and the seventh one is wishing happiness for all people, the wellbeing of the country and the rulers to be righteous. The whole process takes less than two minutes.
All these 30 days not only in India but people from around the globe participated in the chanting at 9 am IST sharp. When the 7 slokas of Sundaraka:nda are chanted at the same time the sound energy thus emanates would fill the atmosphere mingling with all the sounds enveloping the globe transforming the same as the divine discuss – the Sudarsana encompassing the planet earth. Thus the whole world will be bestowed with the benefit of chanting the entire Sundaraka:nda by A:cha:ryase:khara Hanuma:n.
This sublime philosophical bridge joining all our people living amidst different cultures at far off places – the bridge formed by Sundaraka:nda – the beautiful garland woven with fascinating flowers of slo:kas of Sundaraka:nda has been aptly named by HH Swamijji as the ‘Sundarase:thu’.
These thirty days every day at 9 AM India time ‘sundarase:thu’ started with ‘jai sri:manna:ra:ya:na‘ and ‘asmad gurubhyo:namaha’ and the chanting of 7 slo:kas. People from different countries and places joined HH via phone bridge and participated in the chanting. The grand finale of the Sundarase:thu that began in Divya Sa:ke:tham took place at the feet of Sri: Rangana:ttha in the Jeeyar Mutt of Bhadrachalam during the Godavari pushkarams by HH.
This program gave immense satisfaction, peace and bliss to all the participants. Many devotees are praying for a similar program again. So once again during the Sra:vana month from Aug 15th to Sept 14th the sundarase:thu will take place just like earlier at 9 AM IST. All can continue with the same allotted slo:kas as earlier. We can inform others about this and make them our partners in the Sundara Se:thu. If we can join more and more we all will reap the divine befits. The world will turn into a peaceful land.
