Maha Sivarathri at Shri Aathmabodhendhral
Adhishtanam in Vadvambalam.
Lord shiva took the wonderful form of the
fiery mountain, Arunachala, in Margazhi (Tamil month) in Tiruvadhirai star.
This Jothi Swaroopa ('Light' form) of Lord shiva was worshipped by
Vishnu ,Brahma and the Devas on "Maasi"(Tamil month)sivarathri.
Hence, it is called Mahasivarathri.
Mahasivarathri was celebrated in Sri
Aathmabodendra swamigal's
Adhishtanam in Vadavambalam. Our Sri Muralidhara Swamigal
conducted five kaala (times) abishekha.
A short note on Vadavambalam:
Vadavambalam is a small village in
Tamil Nadu, situated in between Villupuram and Panruti.
The Adhistanam situated amongst open fields was not known
until Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi (Maha Periyava) of Sri
kanchi Kamakoti Peetam found it in 1927.
Sri Aathmabodendra swamigal was one of the Kanchi Mutt's
pontiffs who lived in the later part of eighteenth and the
beginning of nineteenth century. Learning from the Mutt
records that the swamigal had attained samadhi somewhere
here, Maha Periyava set about to find the exact spot, while
on His tour in this part of the country. When He came here
He requested Kumbakonam Sri Sambamoorthy Sastrigal, who had
accompanied Him, to have his bath and to dig in a particular
spot just with his hands without the use of any weapon.
When
Sri Sambamoorthy Sastrigal started to dig as bid he swooned
in a trance. When Maha Periyava enquired of him as to what
he saw he replied that he saw a Yatheeswarar sitting with a
Danda and kamandalu and holding a rudraksha in his hand chant
'sada shivam, sada shivam'. Many vedic scholars seated in his
front were chanting the Upanishads.
The Yatheeswarar signed
to him to stop the digging and also stopped the chanting.
Maha Periyava then requested the owner of the land to donate
it to the Mutt . He then built a Brindavana in this spot and
incorporated a Linga here.
It may be mentioned here that it was Sri Aathmabodendral's
disciple
Sri Bodendral who spread Naama Sidantha, at his Guru's behest.
Our Swamigal conducted the five kaala
abishekha from 6.30p.m to around 3.30 a.m. Rudram, Chamakam,
Upanishad, Samhita, Rudra Trishadi, Rudra Sahasranamam, Shiva
Ashtothra were chanted by
Sri Mallikarjuna sarma and the students of the Veda Patashala.
The devotees present sang Guru and Shiva keerthanas. Ms. Uma
Chanted lingashtakam, Kaalabhairavashtakam and Nirvanashtakam.
