मया सो अन्नमत्ति यो विपश्यति यः प्राणिति य ईं शृणोत्युक्तम्।
अमन्तवो मां त उप क्षियन्ति श्रुधि श्रुत श्रद्धिवं ते वदामि

“It is by my power that a being can eat, see and hear. Despite not being aware of this, the being dwells in me-Listen to this secret with attention!”

– Devi in the Devi Suktam or the Vaak Sutam of the Rig Veda

The central character of this true incident was a Pujari of a famous temple in Tirukadaiyur in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. In this temple, Shiva is worshipped as Amritaghateshwara or the “Pot of Amrita” and as Kalasamharamurthy, the one who conquered Kala or death of his devotee Markandeya. The name Tirukadaiyur refers to where Ganesha hid the pot of nectar or Amrita as he hadn’t been invoked before the churning (churning in Tamizh is “Kadaiyarthu”) of the ocean. His mother, the divine mother Shakti (the divine mother of all creation, also called Parvati or Durga) is called Abhirami (meaning she who is beautiful or charming in all aspects) in this temple. It is to be noted that in Sanatana Dharma, there are countless aspects, forms and names of Shiva and Shakti.

“Divine Mother, with the language of my soul I demand realization of Thy presence. Thou art the essence of everything. Make me see Thee in every fiber of my being, in every wisp of thought. Awaken my heart!”

-Paramahamsa Yogananda

As an Upasaka of the divine mother, a Pujari of the temple called Shri Subramania Bhattar (Bhattar means Pujari) was lost in her prayer when the Maratha emperor Sarobji visited. It was a time in history when the region was ruled by the Marathas. Subramania Bhattar was a well-known and well-loved devotee and priest of the Goddess Abhirami. However, a few people envied him for his pure and unparalleled Bhakti and spread malicious rumours about him saying that he was mad.

The emperor saw the Pujari sitting in front of the temple of the goddess, lost in the bliss of her worship. Seeing the glow and divinity on the priest’s face, the emperor doubted the rumours he had heard. However, as an emperor who had kingly duties and had received complaints about the Bhattar, he decided to check the sanity of Subramania Bhattar. As Bhattar was a priest, the emperor, to test him, asked him “Sir, what Tithi is it today?” (Tithi refers to the day of the lunar cycle – a simple example is the full moon day). Tithi is one of the five aspects of a day called Pancha Anga or Panchanga. As a priest, Shri Subramania Bhattar would read the Panchanga everyday.

Shri Subramania Bhattar, at that time, was meditating on the glow of compassion of the divine mother and said, “Our Mother is always radiant like the moon making every day a full moon day or Poornima!”. However, that day was actually the new moon day or Amavasya. The king flew into a temper and believed the rumours about Bhattar being mad to be true. He ordered the priest to be suspended over a fire and lowered slowly.

Bhattar called out to the divine mother just like a child would call his or her mother. He composed an exquisite set of poems on the goddess which is called “Abhirami Andadi”. As he called out to the goddess, she appeared before his eyes in all her glory! She dazzled as Lalita devi! Lalita is one of the forms of Shakti and means she who plays with the universe. This was one of her Leelas or plays to bring out the Bhakti of Shri Subramania Bhattar. He wept with joy on seeing the mother of countless universes right in front of his eyes! The goddess threw her bejeweled earring called Tatanka across the sky. This dazzling earring shined in the pitch dark new moon (Amavasya) sky as a moon! And lo and behold, the new moon day became a full moon day! The king and all those assembled there were astonished! They realised the immense grace bestowed by the divine mother on Shri Subramania Bhattar. They begged the forgiveness of Bhattar!

These beautiful verses (100 in number) are sung even today as “Abhirami Andadi” and the temple is still in Tirukadaiyur near the famous Chidambaram temple. Shri Subramania Bhattar became known after Devi herself as Abhirami Bhattar. This is the power of unconditional and pure Bhakti with Samarpan (surrender) where a seeker becomes one with their Upasana Murti!

This incident is reenacted every year on the new moon of the Tamizh calendar of the Thai month, when the sun is in Makara Rashi or Capricorn according to the Suryamana calendar followed there. The Utsava Murthi of Shri Subramania Bhattar is surrounded by ropes. As Pujaris and devotees chant each verse of the Abhirami Andadi, the ropes are removed one by one. He faces the Utsava Murthi of Abhirami Devi and a mirror in front lit with lamps reminds us of the divine mother who converted a new moon day into a full moon day, where her Tatanka was the full moon.

Shloka 69 beautifully summarizes the blessings received by offering prayers to the divine mother -“One gets wealth; one gets learning; one gets a mind that doesn’t give up or quit despite obstacles; one gets a divine appearance; one gets a heart devoid of malice or evil intentions; in fact, a devotee of Abhirami gets all that is good and noble – when her sidelong glance falls on such a devotee or seeker!”

What a splendid example of Bhakti and poetry composed by Abhirami Bhattar, who lived a life of surrender and experienced the Kataksha or glance of the mother of all universes!

In life we often face malice, criticism, struggles, and pain like Subramania Bhattar, but let us remember, if we stay in surrender and faith, the divine mother will make our dark times into the full moon!
The present trends of unhealthy lifestyles (physical/mental/spiritual) and the pursuit of instant gratification in everything have led to an alarming increase in stress, anxiety and depression. Let such stories from our Itihasas and Puranas serve as a guiding light in conducting our lives in today’s challenging times. Visiting ancient temples and taking darshan of such powerful deities can help reinforce our faith in the divine.

The last Shlokam of Abhirami Andadi summarizes that when a seeker offers puja to Abhirami, the one who has three eyes (Shakti is often considered to be Shiva himself and the other way around), who creates and sustains the countless universes, who is the color of a pomegranate flower (Lalita devi is described to be of red hue according to several Dhayana Shlokas, including the Lalita Sahasranaamam), one who holds the Pasha (rope to curtail our desires), Ankusha (goad to check our anger), sugarcane bow (to extract the sweetness of the mind) and arrows of flowers (representing the senses) – no harm can ever come to such a person!