Dola means Cradle/OOnjal. Dolothsavam, literally means keeping God in the Cradle/Oonjal and swinging it. If we consider Sri Raama as a child, then Dola has the meaning of Cradle. We imagine putting Sri Raama (in the form of a child) in the Cradle and make him sleep. Sri Thyaagaraja Swamigal has rendered a set of songs for this Uthsavam wherein he used to invite Sri Raama to come to his house with Seetha, Lakshmana, Bharatha, Sathrugna and Hanumaan and stay in the Mani Mandapam placed in his house so that he can have His darshan and perform pooja to Him. Through his songs he imagined that Raama has thus come and he did Paada Prushtaalanam and made him seat on the peettam and offered Milk, Fruits, various Madhura Palahaarams etc. etc. and Betal Leaves and Nut. He did haarathi to Him and requested sri Raama to go to Sayanam with Seetha Piraatti. While They thus were in Sayana Gruham, Thyaagaraja Swaamigal rendered songs to please them and to make them comfortable. Next day he used to wake up early and sing Prabhodhana Song in Bhoopaalam to wake up the couple in the Pooja room. This was his daily practice. That shows his nearness to God and the depth of his Bhakthi.

In Dhakshina Sampradaaya Bhajan, The Dolothsavam got little widened with more songs added by Sri Appa (Pudukkottai Gopalakrishna Bhagavatha Swami), who added important and befitting songs from Pawwalimbu. While the theme is same as in Sri Thyaagaraja Swamigal's Dollotsavam, here there are more opportunities to involve oneself more deeply and by enacting the entire episode according to one's own understanding. As in Pooja Paddhathi, here also, through the set songs, we receive God, do Pooja and pray to him for our upliftment. Normally, this is interpreted as making newly wed dampathis (God with Goddess) enter Sayana Gruha in seclusion and enjoy themselves. This is the worldly way of seeing it and is the materialistic way of perception. Let us look at it with a philosophical bent of mind:

It has been stated earlier hereinabove that Jeevaathma, having realised the origin remains in Adwaitha Bhaava. To remain permanently in Sachidhaananda, we must practice Nidhidhyaasanam. Even in the Dhyaana state, there is coming back into the world periodically, since with the body we have to perform certain natural duties and till we caste away the body, we have to live in the world. To go into Dhyaanam we have to purify our mind, arrest the activities of the Dasendriyaas, and never entertain Ego and be always in the smarana of the Lord. This requires Bhakthi & total Surrender to the Lord within. Then we can receive the Lord within our pure Mind in the lotus shaped Peettam, offer Him Milk, Fruits, Madhura Palahaarams, Thaamboolam (Betal Leaves wand betal nut) etc. This indicates that we pour all our material possessions, pleasures and pains unto the Lord (Casting away our materialistic pursuits and making ourselves Saathwic like the colour of the Milk). The meaning of offering Thaamboolam is that we surrender to the one to whom it is offered. Then we do Mangala Haarathi to indicate our readiness to be one with Him.

The first song,: "HECCHAREEKA RAA RAA RAA", is the invocation song praying to Lord to come into ourselves. This is the preparatory stage for our evolution.

The next song "AARAKIMBAVE PAAL" is offering our purified mind (Saatwic state indicated by the whiteness of the milk) as a Peettam for Him to be seated. as also all our materialistic pursuits, pleasure and pains in the form of Maddhura Palahaarams and request Him to accept them as though they are offered by Seetha Devi.

By the song "VIDAMU SAAYAVE", we offer Thaamboolam along with Jaathikkai, Elakkai, Jaapathri etc. to make the thaamboolam more digestive. Here I would like to state an interesting explanation given by Sri Embaar Vijayaraghavchariyar in his Harikatha. Through this song, he explained: fearing that Lord may leave early before blessing him, he rushed into the sampradaya of Nischithaamboolam - exchanging fruits, flowers, Betal leaves and nuts, Kismiss, Kalkandu etc. - as a mark of mutual agreement (not to leave one another). This gives us the importance of this song and the manobhaava we should possess at this time. In our Hindu sampradayam there is a customs where the bride gives thamboolam to the groom, whereby the groom is said to be attracted by the bride and he becomes hers totally. Whatever be the bhaava, the Bhaktha here shows his wish to possess God with him always.

The song :

SADAA YENNA HRUDAYADALLI VAASAMAADO SRIHARE

NINNA NAANU BIDUVANALLA YENNA NEENU BIDALUBALLI

indicates the steadfastness of Bhaktha and total surrender state. The Bhaktha affirms that he will not leave him at all and He should also not think of leaving the Bhaktha. One has to experience this state and cannot be explained in words.

The following songs:

     
           SEETHA KALYAANA VAIBHAVAME

           SREERAAMA JAYARAAMA

           NAGUMOMU GALAVAANI

           RAA RAA RAAJAKUMAARA

are the Nalangu songs, showing the Bhaava of the Bhaktha (Seetha) doing everything the beloved would do to Her partner. This is the state where Jeevaathma enjoys through beautification of Lord and serving Him in many ways. The pathyam:

SARANAMBU KARIRAAJA PARIRAKSHNODDHARA

praising about the Lord's daya to His Bhakthaas like the Elephant caught by the Crocodile, Prahlaada, Akroora etc. etc. and seeking similar Daya towards the Bhaktha, is to offer Betal Leaves with Betal Nut, meaning total surrender.

Then comes the Poopandu Vilayaattu(a bundle of flowers):

POOLA CHENDLADENE SRI RAAMUDU PUSHPA CHENDLADENE

One Bhaktha puts the bundle on each audience who should immediately put back the bundle to the Bhaktha. Literally, It is indicating the Pooppandu Vilayaattu of Lord and Devi. This reiterates the importance of madhura bhava (sneha) during this time. Looking at it with a philosophical view, this indicates that the Jeevaathma (Flower Bundle) is sent back by the Lord to Bhooloka again and again and the Jeevaathma bounces back to God again and again saying, "whatever number of births and deaths I have, I must always be in your company and come back to you after every Jeeva Kaala." The Bhaktha has to be so stead-fast that every time he takes birth, his aim will be to reach God ultimately and he should always work for this aim. This attitude should be maintained while playhing Poochendu. and not throw it with force on others. Hence, the Pooppandu sent from one Bhaktha to another should reach the first Bhaktha only and not thrown into the crowd.

Then the Oonchal: "GODDHOOLI DHOOSARITHA" etc. and Laali song : "LAALI LAALI YENI" depict the upachaaram to God by the Bhaktha keeping Him in the Oonchal.

The next "NEELA GHANA NEELA JO JO" and "JO JO JO RAAMA" etc. are Thaalaattu songs describing the Dasa Avathaaram of the Lord, exclaiming the deeds done by Him during each of the Ten Avathaarams.  

The songs "ENTHALETHU VAIBHAVAMBU", pleading to the Lord to go for Sayanam and "KAASU KONNAADATHU GO", requesting Devi to do Panividai to the Lord in sayanagruha, and "POOLA PANPU MAINI BHAGA" detailing sayanopachaaram to be sung.

Then the song : SHOBHANE and JAYA MANGALAM with Haarathi to the Lord and Devi in Sayana Gruha. Then, the Praarthana Slokams :'VANDE SHOWNAKA", "MAJJENMA", "SANKARASYA" etc. prayaing for His Paadaaravinda Bhakthi in all Jenmaas and to become the Daasaanu Daasan of the Lord (Adiyaarkku Adiyaarkku Adiyaan), to serve the Bhaktas' Bhaktas' Bhakta of the Lord.  

A Pattu or Koti Vasthram is held as therai in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum by singing the song : "DHRISHTI THAAKU MAAYAYYAKU", to show that the Sayanagruha door is closed. This is followed by the song MANJUTHARA KUNJATALA KELI SADANEpleading to Raadha Devi to enter the sayana Griha. The song: "ANTHA KOYAM NEELA KALEBARA" depicts the anthapura Raadha Madhava sallapam, imagined by the Bhaktha. 

Then Sayanarasam slokaas like: "SACHITHA SAAYEE", "DWARAKAA NAGARAVARE", "ANGANAA MANIBHARANA", "SANAKAADHI MUNIDHEYA", "BHUJAGESA THALPAVARA", "VITHURUNDINIKI POYI" etc. are sung pleading to Lord to take rest.

Then by the song: SAMAYAME ME SWAMI SAMAYAME, the Bhaktha is trying to enquire and make sure from those paricharakaas who are nearer the sayana gruha than him, about how the Lord is taking rest and whether everything is OK.

Now comes the Praakaara Rakshanam, where literally speaking we are trying to close the four Gopura Doors with the four songs, requesting the guards, in the four doorsteps, to ensure that Lord's Ekaanthatha in his YOGA NIDRA is not hindered and no one enters to disturb him. We request the people in praakaara to observe full silence. The wrong interpretation that Lord and Devi are sleeping should be avoided. They never sleep, if so the word will come to an end. They go into YOGA NIDRA, meaning they are in MEDITATION. That is the Bhava one should have.

    
          KAAVERI THEERE  KAMANEEYA GEHE

          INDU BIMBATHARA SUNDARA VADANA

          SANAKAATI YOGEENDRA THUMBURU NAARADA

          KUMKUMA CHANDANA PANKILA HRUDAYA

If we view this philosophically, it is nothing but our preparation for Nidhidhyaasanam. i.e. We should dwell deep in Bhakthi (Raadha), in total faith and surrender, so that Lord will accept us. For this, first of all we should purify our Mind with Saathwic Bhaavanaas by blocking the four doors called Manas, Chittam, Budhi and Ahamkaara, through which we receive and respond to the stimuli from the world outside. This is a stupendous task for which we have to have strong & experienced guards. We are praying to Bhakthaas like Jaya, Vijaya, Chanda, Prachanda, Sanaka, Sananthana, Kumuda, Kumudekshana, Prahlaada, Dhruva, Bhala Prbhalaadya to help us in guarding against these Vishaaspathis by giving their grace to safeguard against these vishayaaspathi, so that we can dwell in the Sachithaananda state for ever. As stated earlier, it is easy to reach Lord through the grace & help of experienced Gurus/Bhakthaas and hence this request to those Bhakthaas who are always remaining at the abode of the Lord. Philosophically speaking, we go in the One-ness with the Lord. This is called athmanivedhanam. Once we have lost our worldly knowledge, we dwell in Satchidaananda state.

One Bhaktha, ringing the handbell, goes round the Mandapam to warn everybody that the Lord is in YOGA NIDRA with Devi and all should keep silence and pray for the well being and do Raama Japa/sing Prarthana Abhang.

Through the songs :
                
                                                   KOUSALYA SUPRAJA RAAMA     and

                                                  RANGA NAYAKA RAJEEVA LOCHANA

etc. we are literally waking up the Lord with Piraatti. Then conclusion with Mangala Haarathi with the praarthana song: "POORAYA MAMA KAAMAM".

Conclusion:

This can be equatted to remaining in the awakened state of Sachidaananda. To sum-up, JEEVAATHMA PARAMAATHMA AIYKYAM is the ultimate aim of all of us and we should follow the path of Pure Bhakthi in total surrender to the Paramaatma by grooming ourselves like Gopis (embodiment of Pure Bhakthi).

Attavanai:

Though the songs to be taken up in this padhathi are not given in full, an attavanai, containing the title of the songs to be taken up and the order of performance has been given in  separate attavanais in downloadable PDF formats, so that it may be handy for those who would like to use the same.  Click here to go to the Attavanai section.

 SARVE BHANVANTHU SUKHINA:

 SARVE SANTHU NIRAAMAYAA:
 SARVE BHADHRANI PASYANTHU:
 MAA KASCHIT DHUKHAMAAPNUYAATHU

 OM SANTHI: SANTHI: SANTHI: