Thiruparkadal (Ksheerabdhi)
Thiruparkadal
Photo: Manojkumar03 · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
A celestial (non-earthly) Divya Desam representing Vishnu's cosmic repose on the Ocean of Milk; praised by 10 of the 12 Alvars.
Sthala Purāṇam
Thiruparkadal, the Ksheera Sagara or Ocean of Milk, is one of only two celestial (non-earthly) Divya Desams among the 108 sung in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham. It is not a temple of earth but a cosmic abode, also called Vinnulaga Thirupathi. Here the Lord Ksheerabdhinathan reclines upon the thousand-hooded serpent Adisesha in the majestic posture of Yoga Nidra, the cosmic sleep, with Sri Mahalakshmi (Kadalmagal Nachiyar) at his side. The Lord's vimanam is the Ashtanga Vimanam, and the sacred waters are the Ksheerabdhi Theertham itself. Theologically, Thiruparkadal represents the vyuha state of Sriman Narayana, one of the five forms (para, vyuha, vibhava, antaryami, archa) in which the Lord manifests; the Alvar Thirumazhisai, in the Thiruchchanda Viruttham, sings of how the Lord rests upon Adisesha in Thiruparkadal, referring to this vyuha rupam. From this milk-ocean the devas approach Vishnu for refuge in times of distress, and it is the setting of the Ksheerabdhi Mathanam (Samudra Manthana), the churning that yielded amrita. It is the abode from which the Lord, lying in repose yet ever-watchful, descends in his vibhava avataras to protect dharma and his devotees. This celestial shrine received the mangalasasanam of several Alvars, including the three Mudhal Alvars (Poigai, Bhoothath, Pey), Thirumazhisai, Periyalvar, Nammalvar and Thirumangai Alvar, who praised the Lord reclining upon the Ocean of Milk as the source and refuge of all creation.
Mangalāśāsanam — the Āḻvār pāsurams
The Lord Ksheerabdhinathan (Thiruparkadal Nathan) with Kadalmagal Nachiyar of Thiruparkadal is glorified by:
Thiruparkadal (Ksheerabdhi), the celestial Ocean of Milk where Vishnu reclines on Adisesha with Mahalakshmi, is one of the two non-terrestrial Divya Desams. The tradition counts the Mangalasasanam of ten Alvars: Poigai Alvar, Bhoothathalvar, Peyalvar, Thirumalisai Alvar, Nammalvar, Kulasekhara Alvar, Periyalvar, Andal, Thirumangai Alvar and Thondaradippodi Alvar. The verses celebrate the Ksheerabdhinathan as the cosmic reservoir of the Lord's protective descent (e.g. the churning of the ocean, the rescue of Gajendra) and the source of all avataras. References are distributed across the Prabandham rather than concentrated in one localized decade.
Verses & references (1)
- The Alvars glorify Thiruparkadal as the Ksheera Sagara (Ocean of Milk) where Sriman Narayana reclines in Yoga-nidra upon Adisesha with Sri Mahalakshmi, the cosmic source from which the Lord descends to protect the world. Thirumangai Alvar's verse-theme notes that the Lord, leaving aside even the cool milk-ocean (Thiruparkadal) and the matchless Vaikuntha, chooses to dwell in the heart of His devotee. — Nammalvar / Thirumangai Alvar (among ten Alvars), Nalayira Divya Prabandham (multiple Alvars) · source ↗