Jai Sriman Narayana !!
Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara !!
Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara !!
It was an Amavasya in the month Karthik/Aippasi, Sri Ayyaval had to perform Sraddha ceremony to his ancestors. Sri Ayyaval hurried to river Cauvery to have morning oblations. On his way, met an outcasted fellow (Chandala) dying of hunger, Sri Ayyaval was deepily moved at that sight, he could not withastand the sufferings of the fellow. Sri Ayyaval rushed back to his home, brought the food which was prepared for the Sraddha ceremony and served the hungry man passionately. Sri Ayyaval returned home and cleaned the entire place and began to cook once again for the Sraddha ceremony. The priests were duly invited by Sri Ayyaval. Unfortunately, the invited priests were jealous and envious of Sri Ayyaval. They were already sensed the situation and the resons for the delay in performance of Sraddha ceremony. They found it was the right time to disgrace Sri Ayyaval. A huge argument broken out between the priests critizing Sri Ayyaval for serving a Chandala with the food prepared for Sraddha ceremony. Sri Ayyaval earnestly prayed to the priests that serving a person dying of hunger is not against Dharma Sastra and it is not mentioned as wrong action in any of the scriptures. Finally, the priests refused to perform Sraddha ceremony and walked out of the home proclaiming Sri Ayyaval as an outcasted one. Sri Ayyaval with great grief and hurt started to perform the Sraddha ceremony chanting Vedic hymns. The covetous neighbors and villagers sneaked through the window and found three Brahmins were seated on the Sraddha ceremony. The villagers could not believe their eyes, the three Brahmins were none other than Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva blissfully partaking the food cooked by Sri Ayyaval.
Though the Sraddha ceremonies were carried out with heartfelt content, Sri Ayyaval had to face to sharp criticism and punishments from the villagers. The villagers commanded Sri Ayyaval to take a holy dip in river Ganga to erase his sin; otherwise Sri Ayyaval would be treated as out of the place and not counted as one amongst them. Sri Ayyaval vulnerably exposed his helpless situation to travel to north with his deteriorating health. The crowds gathered before his house sharply condemn the verses mentioned in scriptures that if one take dip in any water calling out the name of scared river Ganga; he would attain the merit of holy dip in Ganga. Finally, Sri Ayyaval could not tolerate the sheer criticism of scriptures anymore. Sri Ayyaval pronounced that mere chanting the scared Nama of the holy river would bless with her presence. Sri Ayyaval composed eight scared verses of ‘Gangashtakam’ out of absolute passion. As everyone watching with utter surprise, the sacred river Ganga gushes out from the well on the courtyard of Sri Ayyaval’s house. The crowd gathered was horrified at this sight, the entire place was flooded. Sri Ayyaval out of compassion instructed the crowd to take holy dip in the water. Seeing the horror-struck faces around, Sri Ayyaval prayed river Ganga to subside in the well on the backyard forever. The holy rivers Gange abide by the prayers of Sri Ayyaval. Every year, on the New Moon Day in the month of Karthik Ganga Snanotsavam at Thiruvisanallur is celebrated in a grand manner to commememorates this above incident and large numbers of devotees rush to attend this festival and take holy dip on the well water.
Sri Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval was spent his whole life in spreading the essence of Nama Bhakthi. He travelled extensively through the sacred lands and inspired people with the Bakthi cult. One day, Sri Ayyaval arrived at the temple of Lord Shiva. On that day, Sri Ayyaval’s face was unusually radiant than ever. Sri Ayyaval spent long hours standing in the sanctum sanctorum praising the glories of Lord. At one point of time, Sri Ayyaval with an unbearable shooting pain of separation from the Lord, with tears dashing through the eyes, rushed to the presiding deity. While the priest was tried hard to stop him, it ended in vain. Sri Ayyaval ran to Linga and disappeared instantly, a sparkling light of resemblance to Lord Surya on the Linga was visible to the devotees who were witnessing the happening with tears on their eyes.
Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara !!
Jai Sriman Narayana !!
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