KSHETRA for this month[May 2008]
Oppiliyappan[Thiruvinnagar]
Oppiliyappan[Thiruvinnagar]Lord Srinivasa incarnated at Thirumala Tirupathi along with Padmavathy. Padmavathy Thayar the daughter of Akasharajan was none other than SriDevi herself. Bhoodevi now felt the pangs of seperation from the lord. She too decided to incarnate in the Bhooloka and marry the lord. Thus she chose sage Markandeya as her father. She grew up to be a beautiful girl with all good virtues. Sage Markandeya showered all parental affection on her. Bhoodevi regularly listened to the Bhagavath Guna lectures of her father. Thus her innate desire to marry the lord was kindled. Her father too prayed everyday that her desire be fulfilled.
One day an aged Vaidhika Brahmin visited thier house. The sage welcomed the aged brahmin and promised to give him anything that the brahmin asked for. Immediately that old man unhesitatingly asked his daughter's hands. Alas! The sage was`shocked beyond words. He was caught in a trap indeed. He replied with a voice choked with emotion -"My daughter is hardly five years old. You are an old man. How on earth will this marriage fit in? Last but not the least my daughter hardly knows to cook. She in fact does not know to prepare even salted food". The brahmin replied "Oh sage, I too know Dharma. It is not out of lust that I asked for your daughter. I'am an Agnihotri and it is to protect my Agni that I ask of her. I now promise that from this day I will forsake salt in my food. But I will not forsake your daughter. But if you refuse to give your daughter I will fast to death".
The sage shivered in fear - The fear of Brahmin's death and the fear of his promise. Meanwhile Bhoodevi on seeing her father's sad plight spoke as thus, "Father I shall accept this old man as my husband. It is my duty to make you an honest man. I shall serve this old man. Be it an old man, or a sick man or an unintelligent man or a poor man the husband is reverential for a wife.He is god to her. I shall serve him hence as I serve Hari. The sage Markandeya finally decided to give her in marriage to the old man. At the time of Panigrahana, during the marriage ceremony, at the junture when the sage gave his daughter to the old man, the old man vanished and the Lord appeared in His benevolent form with an ever smiling face, efflugent and blue in complexion, adorned with Shanka and Chakra, with Varadhahastha and showering his grace on all devotees. He himself married Bhoodevi to the sage's surprise. The sage immediately prayed that in this Kshetra the lord`should be ever present in His KalyanaKola[Marital form]. Those devotees who have His Dharshan will be bestowed with all prosperity. The unmarried will soon get suitable proposals on having SriOppiliyappan's Darshan. Oppiliyapan himself is a KalpakaVruksha. It is to be noted that even now salt is not included in the pooja of Oppiliyappan. The Azhwar concludes Oppiliyappan is not only Uppu illa Appan[Forsaking salt] but he is Oppu illa Appan[An Unparalled person]
One day an aged Vaidhika Brahmin visited thier house. The sage welcomed the aged brahmin and promised to give him anything that the brahmin asked for. Immediately that old man unhesitatingly asked his daughter's hands. Alas! The sage was`shocked beyond words. He was caught in a trap indeed. He replied with a voice choked with emotion -"My daughter is hardly five years old. You are an old man. How on earth will this marriage fit in? Last but not the least my daughter hardly knows to cook. She in fact does not know to prepare even salted food". The brahmin replied "Oh sage, I too know Dharma. It is not out of lust that I asked for your daughter. I'am an Agnihotri and it is to protect my Agni that I ask of her. I now promise that from this day I will forsake salt in my food. But I will not forsake your daughter. But if you refuse to give your daughter I will fast to death".
The sage shivered in fear - The fear of Brahmin's death and the fear of his promise. Meanwhile Bhoodevi on seeing her father's sad plight spoke as thus, "Father I shall accept this old man as my husband. It is my duty to make you an honest man. I shall serve this old man. Be it an old man, or a sick man or an unintelligent man or a poor man the husband is reverential for a wife.He is god to her. I shall serve him hence as I serve Hari. The sage Markandeya finally decided to give her in marriage to the old man. At the time of Panigrahana, during the marriage ceremony, at the junture when the sage gave his daughter to the old man, the old man vanished and the Lord appeared in His benevolent form with an ever smiling face, efflugent and blue in complexion, adorned with Shanka and Chakra, with Varadhahastha and showering his grace on all devotees. He himself married Bhoodevi to the sage's surprise. The sage immediately prayed that in this Kshetra the lord`should be ever present in His KalyanaKola[Marital form]. Those devotees who have His Dharshan will be bestowed with all prosperity. The unmarried will soon get suitable proposals on having SriOppiliyappan's Darshan. Oppiliyapan himself is a KalpakaVruksha. It is to be noted that even now salt is not included in the pooja of Oppiliyappan. The Azhwar concludes Oppiliyappan is not only Uppu illa Appan[Forsaking salt] but he is Oppu illa Appan[An Unparalled person]
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