In this episode of “5 Minutes”, Dr. Robert Svoboda explores Srirangam, the largest temple in India.

Srirangam is the largest temple in India, I believe, if I’m correct, that it’s approximately one square mile. Now, the temple itself is not one square mile, but there’s seven different layers to it. And the outer wall, I believe is one one mile square. It’s a square thing. It’s on an island in the middle of the Kaveri River, just a few kilometers outside the city of Tiruchirappalli, which is better known as Trichy in tamil nadu. I’ve been very fortunate in my life to have had Darshan at many temples, but I have to say that one of the ones that’s closest to my heart and that I almost get teary-eyed even remembering is Srirangam.

The image in Srirangam Is said was given by Lord Rama to vibhishana. Vibhishana was ravana’s brother. He was Ahaa, but he was a devotee of Rama and it is said that he is immortal and that he is the ruler of the Rakshasas. Now, that after was killed and Rama gave vibhishana this image and vibhishana was heading back down to Lanka and for some reason Put the image down on, in the, this island and the Kaveri, and that’s where it’s been ever since.

He couldn’t get it out. So it is said also that vibhishana still comes in a subtle form and worships the image. It’s for me a very beautiful image. Vishnu is lying down. On his, on shesha on the thousand headed serpent, though shesha and the image has less than a thousand heads, you can tell that it is an important serpent. And he’s lying down there thinking cosmic thoughts, looking up into the cosmic reality. And I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate to have had Darshan of Srirangam Once or twice a year for a period of about 10 years, and then I had not had for 30 years.

And then last year again I had, and I was very fortunate to have the Darshan that happens in the morning and the morning Darshan, if you’re ever fortunate enough to be able to be admitted there. The morning darshana And, and this is what Lord Ranta wakes up to in the morning. So there’s beautiful sound of instruments playing and mantras being recited. And then an elephant comes in, and then a cow comes in, and then a horse comes in so the first thing that Lord ranganatha sees in the morning is the face of an elephant, the face of a horse, and the backside of a cow.
You’ll say, well, not the face of a cow, but it’s because the backside of the cow provides the cows urine in the cow dung, the cow’s milk, and the gi and the yogurt, and so on so the backside of the cow is the most auspicious, as is the face of the horse and the face of the elephant. And only after Lord ranganatha has seen these three animals, then is he willing to actually see human beings. Another wonderful thing at Srirangam is the preserved body.

Now, it’s not mummified, it was just, it was covered over, so we dunno what’s on the inside of it, but it’s the preserved body of ramanujacharya. So there are five great Acharyas of a Vedanta. Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Nimbarkacharya, Madhvacharya and Vallabhacharya. So number two was Ramanujacharya. And he was a very, very acharya. Advaita was the type of advaita that he espoused. And he was, after he passed on, his body was covered with sand and all kinds of other things.

And it has remained there. It’s a great privilege after having darshan of Lord ranganatha to be able to have daran of this great devotee of Lord ranganatha, who was also a great philosopher, a great saint, and the entire experience is just great. Salutations to Lord ranganatha.