Devotees visiting the Sriranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam never cease to be amazed by the lustrous, majestic gopuram that is visible miles before one actually reaches the destination. The light atop the gopuram shines brighter than any. When devotees stand in front of Lord Ranganatha, they are bedazzled by Him. However, they never tire at the sight of Ranganayaki Thayar when they enter her sanctum sanctorum. They are transfixed by the sight of Her, resplendent in silks and jewellery; however everything pales in comparison to Her benevolent smile, which lights up the entire temple and shines like a celestial light on the gopuram. In his work Sri Gunaratna Kosam, Parasara Bhattar hails Her as Sriranga harmyatala mangala Deeparekham. The very essence of Thayar is to bestow everything a devotee desires and more, when he stands in front of Her with folded hands, said Dhamal Perundevi in a lecture.
When a devotee prays to God, seeking His grace, Perumal might be hesitant to overlook the sinner’s deeds, but Thayar will recommend that He overlook human frailty. When Perumal took avatar as Rama, Thayar descended on earth as Sita to help the Lord dispel the darkness of adharma and illuminate the world with dharma. It is for this reason that She was in Ashoka Vana with great patience, to bring forth the light of dharma through Rama. But for this sinful deed of Her abduction and imprisonment, Rama would not have had a reason to wage war on Lanka. She rushes to help Perumal establish dharma. As Parasara Bhattar says, Thayar is deeparekha, or a brilliant streak of lightning that lights up the cloudy, dark sky on a stormy night. She is the light to the Lord’s dark hue. She is the giver of everything, including faith, in a human being.