Vijaya Varusha Sravana Dwadasi

SravaNa DvAdasi comes once a year. This vijaya varusham it comes as Sukla Paksha DvAdasi. This year, September 16th, 2013, will be a sravana dwAdasi and so the pAraNai has to be postponed by one more day to thrayOdasi.

The ruling by the saasthrAs is that the upavAsam on Sukla Paksha SravaNa DvAdasi is equal to the accumulated merits of fasting on 10,000 Ekadasis. Sukla Paksha SravaNa DvAdasi is even more sacred than KrishNa paksha SravaNa DvAdasi.

The source for the NirNayam of Tithi and UpavAsam come from many PurANAs and SamhitAs as well as Sroutha SutrAs.

These nirNaya granthAs rule that the upavAsam should be done on SravaNa DvAdasi and the paaraNai (breaking of the fast) on TrayOdasi.

These aadhAra granthAs point out also that one can safely skip the fasting on the Ekadasi day prior to SravaNa dvAdasi and should fast on the SravaNa dvAdasi day, if one is unable to fast on both the days. VishNu purANam has also ruled that one, who is unable to fast on SravaNa dvAdasi day should limit oneself to fruits, milk and roots and stay away from salt (lavaNa Varjitham and no rice …). Such a person will still get the fruits of this special upavAsam, which is suggested to remove mahA paathakams such as Brahma hatthi dhosham.

The sacredness of the SravaNa dvAdasi upavAsam is pointed out in another way. SruthisAra Samucchayam states that the puNyam accumulated over five previous years are destroyed by nonobservance of this fast by a Sri VaishNavA.

To be at Oppiliappan Sannadhi on SravaNa DvAdasi day and have the darsanam of SravaNa dheepam* is one of the greatest of blessings that one can have. I guess the acceptable alternative for us “locked up” here is the recitation of Sri VishNu Sahasra Naamam in front of a dheepam.

*{SravaNa dheepam:- Lord Oppiliappan is eulogized by Thirumangai AzhwAr as ” Pothalar Nedumudi PuNNiyan ” or the One who has the garland constructed from just blossomed flowers on His nedumudi (long crowned head). From the Nedumudi , the garland strteches all the way to His sacred feet and is known as Nila Maalai . SrIman Sampath RengarAjan , a devout bhaktha of SrI Oppiliappan refers in his essay below about his family’s Nila Maalai Kaimkaryam on SravaNam days , which takes us to Oppiliappan Koil on the SravaNam days.

SravaNa dheepam is symbolic of the Svayam JyOthi/ Param JyOthi tatthvam of ThiruviNNagarappan , the Lord of Oppiliappan Koil. This JyOthi Tatthvam of Brahman celebrated in Upanishads is the Supreme Personal God at ThiruviNNagaram , SrI Oppiliappan. Of Him , the Mundaka Upanishad states ” Him the shining One, everything shines after, by this light all this is lighted ” .The SravaNa dheepam is symbolic of the cosmic tatthvam recognized by the name JyOthi (” VarENyam BhargO Devasya ” included in the meditation of the sacred manthram of Gaayathri). BruhadhAraNya Upanishad salutes this Param JyOthi as ” the JyOthishAm JyOthi: “.

When SravaNa dheepam Swamy and Vaal dheepam swamy carry this JyOthirmaya Brahmam close to their heart , they remind us of the passage in ChAndhOgya Upanishad referring to the cosmic principle recognized as Svayam JyOthi/Param JyOthi : ” Now the light which shines above this heaven, above all , above every thing , in the highest worlds beyond which there are no higher worlds ; verily that is the same as the light which is here within the person”. The external dheepam carried by SravaNa dheepam Swamy is a manifestation of this antharyAmi Brahman , who in ArchA form is standing majestically adorning Nila Maalai on the SravaNam day.

The SravaNa dheepam is also symbolic of one of six main guNams of The Supreme Being : tEjas which is same as JyOthi . Tejas is one of the six guNams of SrIman NaarAyaNan : ” Jn~Anam (Omniscience) , Sakthi ( Omnipotence) , Bala (Strength ) , Aisvarya ( Lordship) , Veerya ( Energy) and Tejas ( Splendour). AzhwArs have referred to this Jyothirmaya tatthvam as ” Sudar oLi Moorthy” , when they perform eulogies ( MangaLAsAsanams) to Dhivya Desa ArchA Moorthys . When Thirumangai addresses the tejas aspect of Para Brahman , he addresses the Lord as “NandhA ViLakku “. This is the Nandha ViLakku inside the Garbha Graham used to light the SravaNa dheepam , which the Swamy carries around the PrAkArams of Oppiliappan}

 Courtesy: Sri Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan