Image by Senthil Mentil via Flickr
In writing about Thirumazhisai Aazhwar’s “கிடந்தவாறு எழுந்திருந்து பேசு வாழி கேசனே” verse, I had stated that this is something that people instantly recall when they think of the SArangapANi / ArAvamudhan temple. But that is not the only verse that is intimately associated with the sacred temple town.
In the classic book, “Hindu Dharma” (Tamil original: தெய்வத்தின் குரல் / Deivaththin Kural), the Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Mutt, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, speaks eloquently about the exalted status of Kumbakonam as a sacred place. And he quotes:
அன்யக்ஷேத்ரே க்ருதம் பாபம் புன்யக்ஷேத்ரே வினஸ்யதி
புன்யக்ஷேத்ரே க்ருதம் பாபம் வாரணாஸ்யாம் வினஸ்யதி
வாரணாஸ்யாம் க்ருதம் பாபம் கும்பகோணே வினஸ்யதி
கும்பகோணே க்ருதம் பாபம் கும்பகோணே வினஸ்யதி
This verse is easy to understand. “If you commit a sin, you can atone for it in a holy place. But if you commit a sin in a holy place, it can be cleansed off only in Varanasi. If you commit a sin in Varanasi itself, you can expiate it in Kumbakonam. However, if you commit a sin in Kumbakonam, you can relinquish it only in Kumbakonam.”
In short, the verse claims that Kumbakonam is holier, more sacred than Varanasi, which is considered the holiest of places in the world.
P.S.: While translating the poem, I went from Sanskrit to Tamil to English. I couldn’t resist throwing in one other language.
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Tags: Kanchi, Kumbakonam, Shankaracharya
I infer this way: If you are in Kumbakonam, you can keep on committing sins, and you still will be atoned. No questions asked. Wow! It’s the place to be for wannabe criminals.
I wish the sages are more clearer in expressing themselves
lol.. i was about to say the same thing as Selva. Atonement is convenient religion at its best!
You guys are incredibly funny. Maybe you should teach me how when we meet next.