Hariharaputra Jananim

Suddenly today early morning as soon as I got up, a Dikshitar Krithi flashed in my mind for no reason. Especially the words ... "Hariharaputra Jananim" (Mother of harihara putra)... 

A strange combination of words indeed... mother of son of Hari & Hara

I always have a fascination towards Muthuswamy Dikshitar and at one point of time, I had almost all krithis of Dikshitar and was enjoying exploring its meaning.

Dikshitar’s kritis are a treasure house of Agama, tantra, vedAnta, shilpa, itihAsa, purANa, kShetra and tattva-bodha. He was a much-travelled man and that is reflected in his compositions. Most of them contain descriptions about famous temples and their chief deities. It is a great privilege to sing and listen to those glorious kritis 

I was attracted mainly because of the the unique, informative and brilliantly crafted lyrics of the Krithis. His Sanskrit lyrics are in praise of the temple deity, and the songs also contain much information about the history of the temple, and its background, thus preserving many customs followed in these old shrines.

Now I started pondering over the small Kamboji Krithi 

marakatavallIm manasA smarAmi 

madanajanakAdi dEvapAlinIm

harahRdayA vEshinIm mOhinIm 

harihara putra jananIm naLinIm 

krUra daityAdi bRnda marddinIm 

guruguhAdi nuta vahnivAsinIm

This ‘marakatavallIm manasA smaraami’ was composed by Dikshitar at a place called ‘virinchi puram’, a small town near kanchipuram. The Lord here is ‘maargasahaayeshvara swami’ and his consort is ‘marakatavalli’.

It was to Virinchipuram that Dikshitar's ancestors belonged and it was from this village that his grandfather and father had migrated to Tanjavur 

Now coming to our interesting fact of "Hariharaputra Jananim"... 

Puranas exclaim about the Mohini Avataara of Vishnu... and I always hold a view that this Mohini Avatara of Vishnu is none other than Devi Parashakthi Herself. Devi and viShNu are one and the same - two sides of the same coin.

Now, Devi in the form of vishNu is "harahRdayA vEshinIm mOhinIm" who, took the form of Mohini and enchanted Hara's heart and She is ‘hari hara putra janani’- the mother of Hariharaputra

(Some people erroneously sing this as ‘hari hRdayA veshni’ which does not make any sense. It literally means 

‘viShNu took the form of a lady and enchanted viShNu himself.)

In this temple maragatavalli is the mohini rUpam of viShNu. To enforce their identity, the devi sannidhi here in this temple is ‘marakatavalli’ the mohini form of vishNu - who is the consort of Shiva.

vandeham Shakthi Nandanam