Ardanãreeshwarar Temple, Nanganallur, Chennai 11th January, 2004 9.10 p.m. 9.20 p.m. Excerpts from His Holiness Sri Muralidhara Swamiji's Upanyãs Sri Swamiji has been rendering ‘Upanyãs’ (discourses), in Tamizh. This is being brought to you here. There may appear to be variations in the ‘tense’ of the language. This is due to the fact that great effort has been taken to maintain the original style of the ‘Upanyãs’. Therefore, we request you to keep this in mind while reading the translated ‘words’ of Sri Swamiji.

Sri Swamiji,

"HARE RÃMA HARE RÃMA RÃMA RÃMA HARE HARE
HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE"

“ How can our Religion be protected? - By protecting, by supporting three sects of people - the Vedic scholars, the ‘archakãs’(Temple Priests) and those who narrate the ‘Itihãsa -Purãnãs (the Holy Epics).

‘Ãlayam’ means ‘segarithu vaithal’ (to collect), i.e a place where there is a collection of something. God is omnipresent no doubt. Sunlight is found everywhere; yet only when passed through a magnifying glass do the rays get intensified and even burns cotton. Just so, though God is present everywhere not all can see Him. Therefore, the Yogis, the Rishis, through their tapas, have collected and installed the ‘Presence’ (Consciousness) in a Temple so that even a layman can perceive Him, can enjoy His blessings.

The structure of a Temple represents the structure of our body. The ‘dwajastamba’ represents the spinal cord. The ‘sapta prakãras’ (seven corridors around the Sanctum Sanctorum) represent the six ‘chakrãs’ and the ‘sahasrãra’ (in the head). The six ‘chakrãs’ in our body and the Paramãtma in the heart as the seventh are represented through these seven ‘prãkãrãs’. The ‘pancha prakãrãs’ (five corridors) represent the five ‘kosãs’ - ‘annamaya’, ‘prãnamaya’, ‘manomaya’, ‘vijnãnamaya’ and ‘ãnandamaya’.

The ‘dwajastamba’ represents the spinal cord while the ‘sushumna’ is the creeper that entwines it. The sounds made through various instruments in the Temple are the sounds that are produced when the Sushumna rises up.

This place, Nanganallur, is filled with Temples. During the ‘50s when Maha Periyava came here after his visit to the Madras airport, he happened to spend sometime on the ‘pyol’ of a house here. During this period this place was just an open field. Maha Periyava said to those around him, ‘this is a place where several Mahans have performed tapas. I have had darshan of them all. Many a Temple is going to come up here.’ Just as he had predicted several Temples have come up in Nanganallur. Here, there is a Temple for almost all Gods - Guruvayurappan, Lakshmi Nrisimhar, Hayagreevar, Karumãri Amman, Hanuman, Raja Rajeshwari; there is a Brindãvan for Sri Raghavendra swamy, too. This place is actually known as ‘Nangai nallur’. Nangai refers to Sita. There is a Temple for Sita devi here.

Yogis, Mahans, have installed gods here with their ‘tapas’. Unlike today’s Temples, built and installed by ordinary people, the deities here have been installed by Mahans. This Ardanãreeshwarar here in this Temple had been worshipped by a Mahan long time back. It was hidden but has been found and a Temple built.

The ‘sannidhya’ in a Temple deepens with Veda ‘pãrãyana’, ‘upanyãsa’, and Nãmasankirtan. Temple is not a place for japa, dhyana, etc. People complain, ‘it is so noisy in a Temple. Bells keep ringing, people walk about and I am not able to do dhyana.’ For doing dhyana you have ashrams, seashore, mountains, forests etc. Go to the forest if you desire to do japa, dhyana. In a Temple, God is to be treated like a king. Utsavs should be performed. When God is a king then should He not have ‘Rãja gopuram’ (Big Tower)? ‘Ãlayam’ is thus a place where the ‘sannidhya’ has been collected by the Mahans and installed there.

May all receive the blessings of Lord Ardanãreeshwara here. "

GOPIKA JEEVANASMARANAM!
GOVINDA! GOVINDA!”

NOTE: Any discrepancy/lapse in the translated version of the Upanyasam is the sole responsibility of the person/s who translated the work from Tamizh into English.

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