Why the Lord Wears Urdhva Pundram on His Forehead?

Baby Krishna lay asleep on the floor where Yashoda had left Him, as she went to attend to her household duties.

Nanda had to go outside for some work, but he was wary of leaving the baby alone. Some gopa kids were running around the place, but they could not be relied upon to protect his precious baby.

So, he followed what was a common gopa custom – he placed the wheel of an old cart near the baby, to ward off any danger from evil sources. He left home, reassured that no harm would come to little Krishna.

Source: https://godivinity.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IMG-20190613-WA0020-231x300.jpg

Unknown to him, the demon Shakataasura sent by Kamsa, had entered that very same wheel. The plan was to fall on the baby and crush him, making the entire event appear like an accident.

Rakshasa proposes, God disposes!

Baby Krishna woke up, and like children all over the world do, He began to wail for His mother, flailing his tiny arms and legs about.

The next instant, one baby leg extended, and kicked the wheel with the hidden demon!

There was a loud crashing sound, and hearing that, Yashoda raced to her little one, scared for His safety.

As she clutched Him to her, and smothered Him with kisses while simultaneously examining Him for injuries, one of the gopa boys who had been playing nearby came to her.

Wide-eyed with wonder, he said to Yashoda, “Baby Krishna kicked the cart wheel and it shattered into pieces!”

Yashoda refused to believe him. “What nonsense! See my baby’s feet – so tiny and delicate! Do you think they can do what you say?”

Baby Krishna’s face split into a huge grin and the gopa boy could swear the baby actually winked at him!

All Srivaishnavas wear the Urdhva Pundra on their forehead (and the men, on 11 other spots on their body). This is called as the Tirumann Kaapu – literally translating into “The Sacred Clay that Protects.” The two vertical white lines of the Urdhva Pundra denote the Lord’s lotus feet, and the central red / yellow line denotes Mahalakshmi Devi.

Example for Tirumann😊

When devotees apply the Tirumann Kaapu on their forehead, they signal their eternal servitude (daasatva) to the Divya Dampati, and show that they only depend on Srimannarayana for their protection. (The word “Kaapu” means “protection”)

You must have seen pictures of Lord Venkateshwara of Tirumala. What do you first notice about His face? Of course, the same Tirumann Kaapu!

Source: https://indianfolkart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TNJ-PAINT-7-1.jpeg.webp

We wear that mark so that we get His protection. But then, why does He wear that mark on His own forehead?

Azhwar beautifully explains the reason using the Shakataasura episode we described before. He says, “I always knew that Your holy feet protect me. But now I realized that Your holy feet protect You also! With those tiny Feet only You protected Yourself from the evil asura!”

When Putana’s life had been sucked out by baby Krishna, she had reverted to her hideous rakshasa form.

But in case of Shakatasura, there is no mention of his form even being discovered. Why was that so?

The Acharyas explain that the divine feet of the Lord only purify and grant liberation; They never destroy. When He kicked Shakataasura with His foot, the demon’s body disintegrated, and he got moksha instantly, and therefore, there was no trace of his body.

Another explanation for why the Lord sports the Urdhva Pundra comes from the incident when the Lord once got Swami Ramanujacharya to apply the Tirumann on His forehead, and became his disciple! (Read this old post if you haven’t already)

But perhaps, can it be possible that just as the devotees declares his servitude to the Lord by wearing the Tirumann Kaapu, the Lord is proclaiming His servitude to His devotees by wearing the same Tirumann on His forehead ?

For, it was this very Lord Srimannarayana, who told Rishi Durvasa during the Ambarisha episode, 

Source: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/4/63/ 

“I am completely under the control of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all independent. Because My devotees are completely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me.”

The Eternal Friend

Mount Govardhan had been worshipped.

He had accepted all the prasad.

Indra had flown into a rage.

Torrential rain had flooded Vrindavan.

Instinctively, all had turned to Him for solace.

And that delicate son of Nanda had done the unimaginable.

He had lifted up Govardhan on the tip of His little finger.

Effortlessly.

And held it like that for 7 days and nights.

Sheltered from the storm, the brajavasis had been in ecstasy.

For they had been able to gaze, uninterrupted by mundane activities, on that radiant, smiling face.

No one had felt hungry or thirsty or tired or worried.

After 7 days, the clouds had been exhausted.

The sun had come out shining bright.

He had forced everyone to return home, and gently set down Govardhan.

As they turned to leave, one of the gopa boys had a sudden moment of realization.

He asked in wonder:

“How did You have the strength to hold up this great mountain for all this time? 

Who are You? Are You a God, or a Gandharva, or a Yaksha or a Danava?”

The smile vanished from Krishna’s face.

yadi vo’sti mayi prItih SlAghyo’ham bhavatAm yadi    |

            tad-Atam-buddhi sadRSI buddhir-vah kriyatAma mayi    || 

nAham devo na gandharvo na yaksho na ca dAnavah    |

            aham vo bAndhavo jAtah na vaS-cintyam ato’nyatA   ||   

-- (VishNu purANam 5.13.11 & 12)

“If you have real love for me and think that I am worthy of praise from you, then you must think of me as you think of yourselves (i.e., you must think of me as a gopa, as you all are).  I am neither a god, nor a gandharva, neither a yaksha (a demi-god), nor a dAnava (demon).  I am a born relative to you all.  You must not think of me any other way”!

He flashed that beautiful smile at the gopa boy.

And the veil fell firmly back in place.

The gopa boys ran home, and laughing aloud, He rushed along with them.

Those innocent boys that day composed a song that is still sung in Brajabhumi.

He wants us to think of Him as one amongst us.

He’s seated within, waiting silently, through all the births we have taken.

All we need to do is turn to Him, and He will lift the mountain of this samsara, sheltering us from all storms, and drown us in the ecstasy of His charming smile!

 

 

 

 

 

The Web

Twilight had given way to the darkness of the night. Stars had begun to twinkle and the moon had risen in the west, and begun making its way across the black sky.

Baby Krishna was playing in the courtyard while Mother Yashoda watched over Him.

Suddenly, her baby looked up, and seemed to be bewildered as He looked at the bright moon.

Pointing with His chubby fingers, He asked Mother Yashoda,

“What is that?”

“Oh that is the moon, Kanha! It is God’s toy!”

“I’m only God, I want My toy now! Give me the Moon, Ma!”

“Hush, you naughty boy! You shouldn’t say such things! God will be angry with you!” 

He, whom the Vedas proclaim to have the moon as one of His eyes,

He, of whom even all deities are afraid,

That same “baby” Krishna smiled, happy to see His Mother Yashoda held intact in the web of ignorance He had cast on her.

He decided to see how far it would hold.

The baby began stomping His feet and shaking His head, all the time wailing aloud, just like all children do when they turn adamant and want to have their way.

“I want the moon, I want it now, you have to have to give it to me now, Mother!!”

Hearing the childish roaring, gopis young and old began to gather in the courtyard to witness the spectacle.

One elderly gopi quietly brought out a mirror, and thrust it into the hands of the flustered Mother Yashoda.

Relieved at having found a way to pacify her uproarious baby, Yashoda took the mirror, and placed it on the ground.

She beckoned to her child, and said,

“Come here, Kanha, I will give the moon to you!”

He came close to her, even as those mock-tears of frustration were rolling down His eyes.

Unable to bear the sight of her baby crying, her eyes welled up too, with real tears of love and affection. She drew His hand towards the mirror.

“You can have the moon now! Put your hand here, Krishna! See, you can touch the moon! Isn’t he beautiful and so cool to the touch?”

Baby Krishna did just as He was told. He held on to Mother Yashoda with one hand, and with the other, He slowly reached out to touch the moon. Thrilled, He looked back at His mother, and gurgled with laughter like babies of this world do, when they are happy.

The One who thought He had caught Mother Yashoda in the web of His illusion did not realize when and how He Himself got caught in the labyrinth of her love!

An episode with the moon is also described by Periazhwar in his hymns called the Periazhwar Tirumozhi, where he imagines himself to be Mother Yashoda, and describes his enjoyment at the antics of the Lord as his child. The rasa in this composition however is vastly different, as here, the knowledge of the azhwar, who knows that baby Krishna is actually the Lord Himself, seeps into the consciousness of Mother Yashoda.

The moon is making his way across the night sky. Mother Yashoda has finished feeding baby Krishna, and now, she is walking with Him seated on her hip. She shows the Moon to her baby, and talks with the Moon.

“Come quickly, O Moon, my Kannan wants to play with you!”

“Oh, I’ve only just risen, I have a long way to go before I reach your place”

“No, no, you must come quickly. My Kannan has already eaten His food, and is feeling sleepy now. If He has to keep waiting for you, it will be late, and then, the food He has eaten will not get digested properly. So, come right now!”

He who swallows the whole world at the time of pralaya, is going to have indigestion now, by sleeping late, claims Mother Yashoda!

Angry at being taken to task by an ordinary cowherd woman, the Moon scorns Mother Yashoda.

“Oh, I’m busy, I have lots of distance to cover still, so it will be a long time. And besides, what’s so great about your baby? He’s just like any other small kid, hankering for the moon!”

Unable to bear this belittlement of her precious wonder, Mother Yashoda raises her voice.

“You’re ignoring my baby because you think He is “small”? Well, I have a little advice for you, O haughty moon! Go to Mahabali, and ask him about his experience with this “small” one, then you will know who is small, and who is big!”

This reference to how the child Vamana had morphed into the huge Trivikrama when taking boons from Mahabali, shows us how, yet again, although Periazhwar was singing this in the mood of Mother Yashoda, the azhwar frame of mind had slipped in to chastise anyone who failed to see the greatness of His Lord.

On today’s auspicious occasion of Ekadashi, let us thank the Lord for gifting us with these wonderful pastimes He performed, which we can enjoy time and again!

The Improbable Lie

Hearing some unusual sounds in her kitchen, she rushed inside.

“Hey, who are you?”

“Balaanujaa !” (The younger brother of Balarama)

The gopi smiled, realizing that it was a poor attempt to redeem himself in her eyes. For, Balarama was known to be the ‘good’ child of Nanda quite in contrast to this mischievous one!

“Why are you in my house?”

The lotus-like eyes grew wider, and those dark unruly curls danced as he glanced around, as if confused.

“It looked just like my house, so I entered!”

The gopi just about managed to not roll her eyes in disbelief.

“Ok, accepted, but please tell me, why is your hand in my butter pot?”

He threw the gopi a calculating look and loudly declared,

“Actually, one little calf is missing from the herd I took grazing today. So, I’m searching if he’s there inside this pot!”

The gopi struggled to suppress her mirth at the utter improbability of this scenario. 

Putting on an innocent face, she said, sotto voce,

“Well, did you find your calf in my butter pot?”

He blessed her with His famed mesmerizing smile.

The poor gopi melted faster than the butter in her pot!

And before she could recover from the effect of that bewitching smile, He had run away, shouting out with a backward glance, “No, my calf isn’t here! I was just waiting for you to come, so that I could tell you so. Now that I’ve done that, I’m going, ok, bye!”

As we read and bask in the glory of this leela described by Bilvamangala Thakur in his writing (called, I think, Krishna Karanaamrutham), may the playful butter-thief of Gokula steal from us all that stands in the way of us reaching His lotus feet!

Happy Krishna Jayanti!

The Swami Seeks Upadesam!

“Vadugaaa…., Vadugaaa….come here! Where are you?”

Swami Ramanujacharya was calling out to his dear shishya, Vaduga Nambi, to annoint him with the ‘thirumann’. (The Urdhva Pundra that a Srivaishnava adorns on his forehead)

Every day, after he had finished annointing himself with the 12 urdhva pundraas, Swami would do the honours for Vaduga.

The next moment, Vaduga rushed in breathlessly, as if he had been running, sat down, and let the Acharyar decorate him.

“Come, come, it’s time to take darshan of the Lord,” said Acharyar, and hurried into the precinct of the temple at Thirukurungudi, with Vaduga and other disciples following him.

The group reached the temple dhwajastambham, and again the Acharyar called out, “Vaduga!” to give some instruction.

But Vaduga had disappeared!

All the disciples looked around, but Vaduga was not to be found.

The group continued into the shrine to worship the Lord.

And what a glorious sight met their eyes!

The Lord of Thirukurungudi stood majestically in the sanctum sanctorum.

But what drew everyone’s attention was the still wet ‘thirumann’, glistening on His forehead, looking exactly like that which Acharyar had annointed on Vaduga Nambi’s forehead!

Can you guess what had happened?

Vaduga Nambi had been held up at the previous place the Acharyar’s group had visited.

So eager was the Lord to serve Ramanujaacharya, that He had Himself taken the place of Vaduga! The Swami had become the Dasa! The Owner had become the Servant!

Acharyar realized what had happened, and sought forgiveness of the Lord for his error. 

Image: https://guruparamparai.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/vaduga-nambi/ 

Worship completed, he turned to leave the sanctum sanctorum, when a voice boomed:

“I want you to initiate me into the Srivaishnava fold!”

Although flabbergasted at this request, Acharyar never lost his cool.

“Really? Then give me the sthaanam of the higher position as befits an Acharyar, and You take the lower position as befits a shishyan, only then will I do upadesam to You!”

The very next moment, there was a pedestal for the Acharyar to sit, and the Lord bent down, put His ears close to the Acharyar’s mouth, and obtained mantropadesam from him!

And it is in this very position that one can have darshan of “Vaishnava Nambi” even today at the Ramanujar Sannidhi at the place called Tiruparivattai Parai about one kilometre away from the main shrine of the temple in Thirukurungudi.

Following this ‘initiation,’ the Lord had a question for the Acharyar.

“I incarnated as Krishna, and imparted all knowledge of the shaastraas through the Bhagavad Geeta, and yet, there are very few who follow My instructions. Yet, you, O Ramanujacharya, have succeeded in drawing the entire society towards a spiritual life. What is the secret of your success?”

With all humility, the Swami smiled and explained.

“You see, people feel affronted when someone thumps his own chest and says, ‘I am the Lord, and you must follow Me.’ But, when I preach, I point towards You, and say, ‘Follow Him because He is the Lord!’ and that is palatable to them!”

Ramanujachaarya is often addressed with honour as Jagadaachaarya. Now we know why. 

Because He was Acharyar to not just people in this world, but to Jagannaathan Himself!

 

 

 

 

The Second Binding

The decision had been made.

Krishna would go as a messenger to the Kaurava court, to seek justice for the Pandavas who had completed the terms of the fateful wager.

Image

“Strive for peace, Krishna,” instructed Yudhisthira, “But if they do not relent, convey our intention to fight for our right!”

(Yudhisthira talking about rights is not just a petty sense of entitlement in a family feud. It comes from a deeper understanding of the true duty of a kshatriya, which is, to rule, in keeping with the principles of rajadharma.)

Krishna asked the other Pandavas for their opinion.

Bheema agreed with Yudhisthira. So did Arjuna and Nakula.

Only Sahadeva was silent, and looked at Krishna with undisguised amusement.

“Well, Sahadeva, what do you have to say?” asked Krishna.

“Whether WE want the war or not, dear Krishna, I’m sure that YOU certainly want it!”

A glint of mischief appeared in Krishna’s eyes.

“I don’t understand you, Sahadeva!”

“Why, it’s very simple, Krishna! If YOU want, You can certainly avoid this conflict. But I’m pretty sure that it is war that You want!”

“How do you think I can avert this war, Sahadeva?”

“Well, we could break Bheema’s gada, and destroy Arjuna’s Gandiva; and tonsure Draupadi’s head, and automatically, there would be no war. But You know what would be an even easier way to stop the war, Krishna? Capturing You and keeping You imprisoned so that You DO NOT go as our doota to the Kaurava court!”

Krishna gazed with appreciation on the youngest, and probably, the wisest Pandava.

But laughing, He said, “Certainly, Sahadeva, you can do the first three things, but not the last! Capture Me? Impossible!”

“I beg to differ, Krishna!”

“Really? Ok, challenge accepted! Come on, Sahadeva, bind Me right now!”

Sahadeva sat down and closed his eyes in meditation. In his mind’s eye, he visualized Krishna as a small baby, and prayed to Him.

“Allow me to bind You, O Damodara!”

(Remember how Krishna got the name Damodara?)

The next moment, Sahadeva had snatched a flower garland and playfully bound the hands of the Lord!

No matter what Krishna did, He could not free Himself!

“Please, Sahadeva, remove this shackle from my arms!” pleaded the Lord of the Universe.

Sahadeva had managed to bind the Boundless One!

What was the rope Sahadeva had used? His jnaana of the Lord's true nature! He had achieved the unachievable, just like Mother Yashoda, by using the rope of love!

Having proved his point, Sahadeva then proceeded to ‘free’ Krishna.

Image

This episode appears in the Tamil version of the Mahabharata titled Villi Bharatam, composed by Villiputhurar in the 14th centure CE.

It drives home a significant lesson for the bhakta – you cannot bind Krishna except by His will. And you cannot bind Him except by your love.

The Lord then went as “Pandavadoota” and the result – as Sahadeva had rightly predicted – was the success of His mission of “paritraanaaya saadhunaam, vinaashaaya cha dushkrutaam and dharma samsthaapanaa.”

The Temple Game

A group of young boys was playing on the hot streets of Srirangam.

“I’m tired of all the old games, let’s play something different today!”

“I know, let’s play Temple-Temple!”

“What’s that?”

“Let’s imitate all the actions we have seen our parents and elders do during the daily pooja to Lord Ranganatha!”

“Yes! Yes! Let’s do that!”

And so it came to be, that a group of little boys in the street around the Srirangam temple, began their make-believe game of worshipping the Lord.

What resources did they have in hand? None, except for their imagination.

One boy who was good at drawing etched out the form of the great Lord in the sand on the street. 

Another child officiated as the priest. He recited the mantras offering worship; he waved his hands around as if performing an arathi. 

A third kid made lumps of the sand to offer as prasadam.

The priest-child offered the sand-prasadam to the sand-Lord. Then, as is customary in the temple, he called out, “Jeeyo!” which was the call for Swami Ramanujacharya to come forward and accept the prasadam that had been offered to the Lord.

Purely by chance, at that very moment, Swami Ramanuja was passing that way. Hearing the familiar call, he rushed to the spot.

He noticed the ‘game’ the kids were playing and yet, heedless of the hot sand of the streets, the Swami rushed to prostrate to Lord Ranganatha’s form they had drawn.

Then he rose, and eagerly stretched out his hand to the priest-child in acceptance of the sand-prasadam.

Holding it with utmost reverence in his hand, he popped a pinch of the prasadam into his mouth, and gently moved away.

Swami Ramanujacharya’s disciples were aghast!

“You have soiled yourself, Swami! After all, it was just a game! Why did you have to prostrate on the street and accept that sand?” they cried out.

Calmly came the Swami’s reply, “To you, it was just a game. To you, it was just a drawing of the Lord in the sand. To you, it was just grains of sand as prasadam. But to the boys, it was real. They believed the Lord was there, and what they distributed was truly His prasadam. And where there is belief, the Lord IS definitely there! I did what I’m bound to do – I offered my obeisance to Him!”

Yet again, Swami Ramanujacharya proved how he is an icon of equality. His respect extended to all devotees – irrespective of not just gender, class and caste, but also age.

In this particular case, Swami was only explaining that which the compassionate Lord Srimannarayana has demonstrated innumerable times. 

Think Gajendra, think Prahlada, think Draupadi, why, even for the fallen-from-aachara Ajamila who only called out his son’s name as Narayana – the Lord has always rushed to the rescue of the devotee who remembers Him and calls out His name!

Do we remember this compassionate Lord during our ritualistic worship of Him?

Or do we only go through the actions mechanically? 

Do we remember Him in gratitude for all the things that go right for us throughout the day? 

Or do we only crib that He has forsaken us when we go through difficult times? 

Let us introspect, and learn to imbibe the spirit of devotion of Swami Ramanujacharya!

Let us call out to the Lord not merely in times of trouble, but also in joy, just as the young boys playing the Temple game!