Story of SriRangam Svayamvakta Vimana - Part 4

Brahma was amazed to see this form of Para Vasudeva whith four arms (with a Shanku, Chakra, Padma and Gada) in his hands. Brahma stood up chanting the four vedas through his four mouths. Lord Sriman Narayana also referred as Para Vasudeva or Maha Vishnu described about the four types of idols and vimanas to Brahma. The first type of idol is the 'Swayamvyakta', meaning God himself choosing to show up as an idol. Hence, SriRanga vimana is a Swayamvyakta vimana and is one of the earliest of all other eight vimanas of the first class, viz Swayamvyakta. 

Lord Sriman Narayana and Sri Ranga Vimana at SriRangam, Tamilnadu

In Garuda Purana, in a conversation between Garuda and Chaturmukha (four faced) Brahma, it is stated that SriRangam in Tamilnadu, is one of the eight swayam vyakta kshetras - others being Srimushnam in Tamilnadu, Venkatadri in Andhra Pradesh, Saaligramam in Nepal, Naimisharanya in Uttar Pradesh, Totadri in Guntur District (Andhra Pradesh), Pushkara near Ajmer and Badri Narayanashrama. 

ಶ್ರೀರಂಗಂ ವೇಂಕಟಾದ್ರಿಶ್ಚ ಶ್ರೀಮುಷ್ಣಮ್ ತೋತಪರ್ವತಂ ಸಾಲಗ್ರಾಮಂ ಪುಷ್ಕರಂಚ ನರನಾರಯಣಾಶ್ರಮಂ

ನೈಮಿಶಮ್ ಚೇತಿ ಮೇ ಸ್ಥನನ್ಯಸೌ ಮುಕ್ತಿ ಪ್ರಧಾನಿವೈ ಯೇತುಸ್ವಷ್ಟಾಕ್ಷರೈಕಾಕ: ವರ್ಣಮೂರ್ಥಿರ್ ವಸಾಮ್ಯಹಂ

ತಿಷ್ತಾಮಿ ಕ್ರಿಶ್ಣ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರೇ ಪುಣ್ಯ ಸಪ್ಥಕೋಗಥ: ಆಷ್ಟಾಕ್ಷರಸ್ಯ ಮಂತ್ರಸ್ಯ ಸರ್ವಾಕ್ಷರ ಮಯ ಸದಾ 

श्रीरंगं वेंकटाद्रिश्च श्रीमुष्णम् तोतपर्वतं सालग्रामं पुष्करंच नरनारयणाश्रमं

नैमिशम् चेति मे स्थनन्यसौ मुक्ति प्रधानिवै येतुस्वष्टाक्षरैकाक: वर्णमूर्थिर् वसाम्यहं

तिष्तामि क्रिश्ण क्षेत्रे पुण्य सप्थकोगथ: आष्टाक्षरस्य मंत्रस्य सर्वाक्षर मय सदा |

Brahma installed this vimana in satyaloka at the banks of River Viraja and started to worship Lord Narayana. He worshiped the Lord for many years, appointed Vivaswan, the sun God to offer pooja (prayers) for the Lord. And this is how Lord Narayana in this form appeared all by himself in this vimana to Brahma in the very beginning. Brahma himself at first knew Lord Sriman Narayana only in this form, that form of Lord Sriman Narayana who is the Supreme, who existed in Karana Ocean (causal ocean). Sriman Narayana, Para Vasudeva in this form is still visible to the eyes of human beings, in this Kshetra SriRangam which is also called as 'Bhuloka Vaikunta' (Heaven on Earth), even today.