[Advaita-l] Teachings on the Vijaya Yatra - Significance of Maha-Shivaratri

[S Jayanarayanan]

Happy Maha-Shivaratri!
 
 
(Around the beginning of the month, a nugget of Wisdom from the Jagadguru may be posted
on the Chaturamnaya list : http://lists.advaita-vedanta.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/chaturamnaya )
 
 
http://vijayayatra.sringeri.net/vijayayatra/sundarapandiapuram-june-1-2-2017/
 
SUNDARAPANDIAPURAM: JUNE 1-2, 2017
Jagadgurus grace Sundarapandiapuram
 
ARRIVAL
 
The Sringeri Jagadgurus arrived at Sundarapandiapuram on the evening of June 1, 2017. The Jagadgurus were received with great devotion by devotees
at the entrance of the Rajagopala Swamy temple in the Agrahara of Sundarapandiapuram. The Jagadgurus first had Darshan at the Kallapiran temple.
In the public function organised on the occasion to welcome the Jagadgurus, Dhuli Pada Puja was performed by Sringeri Math Mudradhikari, Sri Kannan.
After Veda Ghosha, prayer and Samarpanam of Swagata Patrikas in Sanskrit and Tamil, Sri Mahasannidhanam and Sri Sannidhanam blessed the devotees with
Anugraha Bhashanams.
 
ANUGRAHA BHASHANAMS
 
Sri Sannidhanam in His Anugraha Bhashanam spoke about the Stotras composed by Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada. Sri Mahasannidhanam recounted the
performance of Mahashivaratri in Sundarapandiapuram by His Guru in 1957. Underlining the importance of Mahashivaratri, Sri Mahasannidhanam quoted a
Sanskrit verse, where one’s own eyes are being addressed. 
 
  रात्रिः शिवा काचन सन्निधत्ते विलोचने जागृतमप्रमत्ते । 
  समानधर्मा युवयोः सकाशे सखा भविष्यत्यचिरेण कश्चित् ॥
 
“O Pair of Eyes! Do not close for the auspicious Shivaratri is. Remain Awake. If you do so, you will have a new friend who resembles you and resides
close to you”.
 
Sri Mahasannidhanam conveyed that verse indicates that the proper observance of Mahashivaratri will bestow upon the devotee the third eye i.e. make him
equivalent to the Lord Himself.
 
Thereafter, Sri Sannidhanam performed the Sharada Chandramoulishwara Puja in the Rajagopalaswamy temple. Following the Puja, Sri Sannidhanam entered
the temple, offered gold kavacha to the deity and offered worship. 
 
VISITS & DEPARTURE
 
The next morning, Sri Sannidhanam had Darshan at the Shenbaga Vinayakar temple, Meenakshi Sundareshwara temple, and the Muppidadi Amman (Tripurasundari)
temple and blessed devotees. Sri Sannidhanam then graced Keezhapavur, where He had Darshan at the Alarmelmanga Padmavati Sameta Prasanna Venkatachalapati
temple and Sri Narasimha Swamy temple. Sri Sannidhanam also graced the Bhajana Matham at Keezhapavur and blessed the devotees with an Anugraha Bhashanam.
Sri Sannidhanam then graced Melapavur, had Darshan at the Venugopalaswamy temple, graced the Kartaveeryaarjuna temple construction site, and blessed
devotees with an Anugraha Bhashanam. Returning to Sundarapandiapuram, Sri Sannidhanam graced the Bhajana Matham. 
 
Thereafter, the Jagadgurus gave Darshan, distributed Tirtha Prasadam and Mantrakshata to devotees at Sundarapandiapuram. The Jagadgurus also graced an
exhibition related to the life of Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Sringeri Sharada Peetham and its Jagadgurus in the Sundarapandiapuram Agrahara. 
 
In the evening, en route to Shenkottai, the Jagadgurus graced the town of Sambavarvadakarai, had Darshan at the Veeranarayana temple and blessed
devotees with an Anugraha Bhashanam.