Srivaikuntam Temple Story: Where Bhagavan Vishnu Saved the Vedas
Srivaikuntanathan Perumal Temple is in Srivaikuntam town, in
Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. People also call it Srivaikuntam temple,
Vaikunta Perumal temple and Kallapiran temple. It is dedicated to Bhagavan
Vishnu. The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams and also one of the Nava
Tirupati temples on the banks of river Tamiraparani. Here Bhagavan is
worshipped as Vaikunthanathar, and Mahalakshmi as Vaikunthavalli Thayar.
The Story of Somukasura and the Vedas
As per the belief of the devotees, there was an asura named
Somukasura. He defeated Brahma Deva, the creator, and stole the four Vedas from
him. Without the Vedas, Brahma Deva could not do his work of creation, and he
became helpless. He then went to the banks of river Tamiraparani and did severe
penance to Bhagavan Vishnu in the form of Vaikuntanathan.
Bhagavan was pleased with the penance. He appeared before
Brahma Deva and promised to bring back the Vedas. He took the form of Matsya,
the divine fish, which is the first of the ten avatars. He killed Somukasura
and gave the Vedas back to Brahma Deva. Bhagavan also decided to stay at this
place as Vaikunthanathar.
The Story of the Cow and Pal Pandian
There is another story about this temple. Over many ages,
the murti of Vaikunthanathar had no devotees to take care of it, and it
remained buried under the earth. A king had a herd of cows that used to graze
near this place. One cow from the herd would go to the spot where the murti was
buried and pour its milk there. Because of this, that cow gave no milk at home.
The king became angry and thought the herdsman was cheating
him. He sent his men to watch the cow. They saw what was happening and told the
king. The king understood that the cow was leading him to something divine. He
dug the place and found the murti of Vaikunthanathar. He installed it again and
enlarged the temple. As the Bhagavan was revealed by a cow, He got the name Pal
Pandian, because "pal" means milk in Tamil.
The Story of Kaladushana and Kallapiran
Kaladushana was the leader of a group of robbers in this
region. The Pandya king tried many times to catch him but failed. Once, the
king's soldiers arrested all the robbers, but Kaladushana escaped. He prayed to
Vaikunthanathar to save him and his men.
Bhagavan appeared before Kaladushana and told him that he will surrender to the king in the form of Kaladushana. Then Bhagavan appeared in the king's dream and explained
everything. He also taught that wealth collected in a wrong way will not stay
with the person, and it will finally reach the right hands. The king understood
this and released Kaladushana and his men. Since Bhagavan came for the
"kalla", the thieves, He got the name Kallapiran.
Importance and Symbolism
The three stories show three sides of Bhagavan. In the first
story, He protects Dharma and knowledge. The Vedas are the base of Hindu
dharma, and Matsya avatar shows that Bhagavan will come in any form to protect
them. In the second story, the cow shows that Bhagavan can be found by pure and
simple devotion, even by an animal. In the third story, Bhagavan is merciful
even to a wrongdoer who surrenders. This is the idea of Saranagati, complete
surrender, which is a central teaching of Sri Vaishnavism. The teaching about
ill-gotten wealth also reminds us of the law of karma.
The temple is praised in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the
collection of Tamil hymns by the Alvars, who lived between the 6th and 9th
centuries CE. Nammalvar sang about the Nava Tirupati temples, and Srivaikuntam
is next in importance only to Alwarthirunagari among these nine.
Unique Aspects of the Temple
The temple is built in Tamil style of architecture. It is a Navagraha sthalam in Vaishnavism, and here the planet connected is Surya, the sun god. Devotees who have problems related to Surya in their horoscope come here for prayers. The temple also has three different names for the main deity, Vaikunthanathar, Pal Pandian and Kallapiran, and each name has its own story, which is not common in most temples.
Srivaikuntam temple teaches that Bhagavan protects the Vedas, accepts simple devotion and forgives those who surrender. Devotees visiting Nava Tirupati temples on Tamiraparani should include this temple in their journey.