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The observance of Ekadasi with fasting, worshipping Narayana and listening to the scriptures has been highly valued in India. The Padma Purana speaks in detail about the vrata undertaken on the Ekadasi day of each of the 12 months in the Indian calendar. On this day, one has to fast and spend time in thoughts of Vishnu. Indeed, the Sanskrit term, upa-vaasa for fast means “remaining beside the Lord”. As one spends the day listening to the story of Hari, meditates upon Hari, and recites the names of Hari, Ekadasi has also come to be known as Harivasara.

Our scriptures have recorded several legends. We have the story of King Rukmangada who was firm about observing the very important Uthana Ekadasithat marks the Lord’s rising from his yogic sleep. He was prepared to endure any privation, including the tortures of Hell but he would not give up the Kaisika Ekadasi that falls in the month of Kartika. This Ekadasi festival which is part of the Prabhodotsava is the important festival that precedes Vaikunta Ekadasi in Srirangam.

The Varaha Purana relates the legend of a chandala singer who happened to meet a Brahmarakshas in a garden adjacent to Mithila. This legend has acquired tremendous popularity among the devout in South India and the relevant cantos in Varaha Purana have been culled out and given with suitable modifications as the Kaisika Mahatmya for which Bhattar has written a pellucid commentary.

n the Kaisika Mahatmyam recited in the Vishnu temples of South India, the event is located in Tirukurungudi. The Puranam speaks of the Tirukurungudi temple and the Harijan singer, Nambaduvan. Sri Bhattar, son of Koorattalwar, has written a pellucid commentary to the Kaisika Mahatmyam . According to him, singing about the glory and good of Narayana at the Brahma muhurtam , especially on Kartika Ekadasi marking the Lord’s waking up, brings enormous punya. Such was his wonderful exposition of the tale as a sattvika purana hailing Vishnu that there was a spontaneous reaction of joy from the listeners and they accorded him the rare honour of being escorted home from the temple in Brahmaratha, a palanquin carried by Brahmins

Why did Bhattar choose the incident of the chandala singer in the Varaha Puranafor exposition in the Srirangam temple? If we meditate upon it, it becomes clear that Srirangam has shown the way to the rest of the land not only in religious living but in social camaraderie as well. The caste system may have been created by our ancients, but not caste-born arrogance. Bhattar, son of Sri Ramanuja’s disciple, Koorattazwar, had imbibed the message of Srivaishnavism very well indeed.

It was Sri Ramanuja who sought to break down the fences that isolated a section of humanity as “untouchables”. There is the incident of Maraner Nambi’s sickness and passing in the annals of Srirangam.

Maraner Nambi was a Dalit student of Alavandar, the predecessor of Sri Ramanuja as Acharya of the Srivaishnavas. He was gentle, a great soul, and was highly respected. When he fell ill, another student of Alavandar, Peria Nambi used to take him food. When he passed away Peria Nambi performed the final rites. When some people objected to this, Sri Ramanuja defended Peria Nambi and his divine humility that had rejected casteist conceit.

When Bhattar became the head of the Srivaishnava community and was in charge of the temple affairs, he chose this particular legend of the chandalasinger to do away with such divisive prejudices that still lurked in the community. The story points out how the world of bhakti ought not to be “broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls”.

This is the Kaisika Mahatmyam legend. There was once a devotee of Narayana born in the panchama caste who would go daily before dawn to the temple of Tirukurungudi, stand outside and sing soulfully, twanging his lute. One morning he lost his way in the darkness and was caught by a brahmarakshas who wanted to eat him up. The panchama, Nambaduvan, pleaded with the demon to let him go so that he could sing for the Lord. When his prayers failed, he promised to return to the same place after fulfilling his heart’s desire of singing for the Lord at the dawn of Kartika Ekadasi. The brahmarakshas relented and was surprised when Nambaduvan did return as promised. Now he pleaded for the punya of Nambaduvan to overcome the curse of being a demon. At first, Nambaduvan would not agree. He would rather die than give up his punya. Vijayanagar emperor Sri Krishnadeva Raya, in his Telugu epic Amukta Malyada, has dealt with this legend in a detailed and poetic manner. The demon gives a wonderful account of Ramanuja’s ministry brimming with compassion.

Nambaduvan replied that it was self-defeating to think that the fruits of serving the Lord could be divided. The Lord’s compassion was infinite. He exclaimed: “May the Lord save the unfortunate!” Immediately the demon got back his original form of a Brahmin. With self-pity, he relates how due to his grasping tendency, he had misused his Vedic learning. Now, attired as an orthodox devotee of the Lord and carrying a volume of the hymns of the Alwars, the Brahmin worshipped Nambaduvan with choice words and proceeded to Badarinath to end his days meditating upon the blissful form of Narayana.

Thus, Srirangam’s lead in promoting communal harmony down the centuries needs to be underlined in gold.

It may be pointed out here that Sri Ramanuja did not inspire only his immediate successor Bhattar. Even in our own times Swami Vivekananda received tremendous inspiration from Sri Ramanuja. When he initiated 50 non-Brahmins with Gayatri Mantra in the Sri Ramakrishna Math on February 22, 1898, he chose Sri Ramanuja’s Sribhashyam to be placed on the head of each initiate. For Sri Ramanuja had brought even the panchamas into the social fold, re-named them as Thirukulathar (caste of Mother Lakshmi) and had made their temple-entry possible.

All this information envelopes us as we attend the Kaisika Ekadasi festival in Srirangam. On the Ekadasi morning, Lord Ranganatha has thirumanjanam performed in the Santhanu Mandapam and returns to the sanctum. At around 8 p.m., the Lord moves out to the Arjuna Mandapam indicating the time when Nambaduvan left his dwelling, veena in hand, to go to Tirukurungudi. Going briskly up the steps to Arjuna Mandapam and the lilting swing of the palanquin are meant for the joy of Thulakka Nachiar in the Mandapam niche. When settled in his regal seat, He is offered 365 garments. Camphor light is waved repeatedly followed by the Arayar’s recitation of the Tirukurungudi decad by Tirumangai Alwar and a decad of Nammalwar.

Now Bhattar is led to the Lord in tune with time-honoured ceremonies. Bhattar would now submit the Kaisika Mahatmyam which extols Nambaduvan of Tirukurungudi. All these rituals go on through the night. At dawn on the following day, the Lord returns to the sanctum. As He moves up the steps, camphor powder is sprinkled on Him, transforming the atmosphere with an ethereal presence. Once the Lord reaches the top of the steps he issues a command: “Give Brahma-ratha honour to Bhattar who has pleased me by reciting the Kaisika Mahatmyam.” Bhattar is led out and taken to his residence in the special palanquin, reminding us of how his great ancestor had been honoured thus centuries ago.

Srirangam’s Kaisika Ekadasi account cannot be complete without a mention of the gracious Vijayaranga Chokkanatha Nayak, (18th century) son of the legendary Rani Mangammal. A pious ruler and devotee of Lord Ranganatha, he came once to watch the famous Karpoora Padiyetram (Going up the steps while camphor is sprinkled) seva but was late by a few minutes. The Lord had, by then, reached the sanctum. Though he was the ruler and had offered countless benefactions to the temple, he decided to remain in the pilgrim centre for one whole year, till the next Kaisika Ekadasi.

Reminding us of this utter humility of a person in power two life-size statues of ivory of Vijayaranga Chokkanatha and his queen Minakshi as also his adopted son Vijayakumara and his wife have been set up in the western promenade of the second enclosure of the Srirangam temple. The king was a connoisseur of art and author of Sriranga Mahatmya and Thulakaveri Mahatmya and the Harikambhoji kriti, Hecharika Sadanambu that serenades the deity going up the western steps to reach the sanctum in a shower of camphor scent.