My
fond memories from my childhood go back to the time when we were in Sri Rangam.
I remember as if it was only yesterday when I went running through the halls of
the Ranganatha Swami temple. To me, visiting the temple was like visiting my parents’
house. My mom raised me by imbibing in me that Lord Ranganathan and
Ranganayaki Thayar were our parents. To this day, when I enter the temple I
have the feeling of “coming home” to my parents. On our way back from the
sanctum, I would stop near every bannister designed in the shape of an elephant
because I had to ride on them. My dad would help me to climb on top of the
stone elephants. When I was on the lookout for stone elephants, I was really
searching for Andal the temple elephant. 'There she is,' my parents would tell
me. ‘she is standing in the Garuda Mandapam. Would you like to say hello to
her?' my dad would take me near her and only at that moment I would realize
that she is much bigger than the stone elephants. Overcome by awe, I would try
to hide behind my father, but she would gently touch my head with her trunk
transporting me to seventh heaven!
Like
every citizen of SriRangam, we visit the temple not to seek blessings, but, to
say 'hello' to our beloved Lord Ranganathan. We go there to feast our eyes on
his "beauty". When someone meets their friend returning from the
temple, they never ask whether they had a good darshan but, ask for a
description of the Lord's attire; "Is He wearing the Pandyan kondai today?
What is the colour of His garment?" The love we feel for Him can't be
described in words. He is truly our Lord and hence the name Namperumal".
He is the King of not just SriRangam but, the entire Universe. Maharajas in
general have elephants in their palaces. When even ordinary Maharajas have
elephants, shouldn’t the Lord of the Universe be entitled to having elephants
in His temple? Everything associated with Him is cherished by the people
of SriRangam and that includes Andal. The name given to her itself will show
the love and respect people have for her as how can anyone think about “Andal”
without contemplating on “Namperumal”?
I have fond memories of Andal, walking through the streets of SriRangam. We used to rush outside to welcome her when we heard her bell ringing (யானை வரும் பின்னே மணி ஓசை வரும் முன்னே ) and fed her large chunks of jaggery, bananas and water. It was especially fun to watch her take her pick from the coconut palm trees in our garden. She would pull down the leaves with ease, remove just the blades with her trunk, and roll it all up before putting it in her mouth.
People
of other religious beliefs ponder over the fate of an animal's soul. They
wonder if animals too go to heaven, and if they do, is there a separate
heaven for them or will they go to the same place as a human soul. In Sanatana
Dharma, we do not have such doubts because we are taught that all souls
(jeevatmans) are equal to one another. A jeevatman according to its past karma
may take on the form of an animal, bird, human or celestial being. The form
taken i.e., the body is just like a dress. The Shape or color of the body may
vary, but, there are no differences amongst the atmans. Only the people who do
not understand the identical nature of the souls, give in to discrimination
based on gender, colour, caste, etc which are but bodily differences. The
equal status given to the souls in which they are equal to one another in every
way is termed as “prakara advaitam” in Sanskrit. Hence, animals too are
eligible for salvation. Even great sages could take birth as an animal like
Jata Bharata who took birth as a deer. The story of Gajendran the elephant
shows us without any doubt that the Lord grants moksham to all living beings.
As a Hindu we are trained to treat all living beings, including plants with
compassion. From snakes to elephants, all living forms are respected. Hence,
when we visit Andal to get her blessings, we are not abusing her, but we are
showing our respect to the Lord's devotee and we are seeking the blessings of a
devotee. When we see her, we are reminded about Gajendran and other elephant
devotees of this Yuga like Guruvayur Kesavan. It is a bonus when she recognizes
us and nods her head in the most charming manner!
Contrary
to popular beliefs, temple elephants are well cared for. The average lifespan
of the Asian elephant is only 48 years and that of the African elephant is
60-70 years. The average life span of elephants in zoos is only 17. Guruvayur
Kesavan lived to the ripe old age of 72 years – quite long for an Asian
elephant! His devotion to Lord Krishna is legendary and it is a well-known fact
that he enjoyed serving Lord Krishna of Guruvayur. Even on the day when he
ascended to Sri Vaikuntam, he wouldn’t allow any other elephant to take over
his duties. It is said that he even had an elephant guru called Padmanaban. It
is evident from history that elephants too enjoy performing devotional service.
There are many temple elephants in India who live well beyond their life span. The
State Governments take good care of the temple elephants. There are even
initiatives in place to start old-age homes for aged elephants http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thiruvananthapuram/Old-age-home-for-elephants-in-Kerala-soon/articleshow/45173263.cms
Andal has caught the attention of many animal welfare societies. These groups can rest assured that the citizens of SriRangam will not allow Andal to face any harm. She is well beloved and is a VIP. She is the princess of SriRangam. She even enjoys well organized vacations with other elephants from Tamil Nadu. She has every right to perform devotional service to the Lord just like people. The focus should be shifted to other animals facing abuse like animals in rodeos and experimental animals like lab rats. If the organizations really care for animal rights, then they should stop the slaughter of cows and other animals for their meat. If training animals is abusive, isn’t it also applicable to training dogs and putting them on a lead or seeing eye dogs?
