maardhavam

[Guest guest]

In this continuing series of twelve posts, twelve of the

many guNaas that are innate to Brahman is discussed

with illustrations from aazhvaar paasurams. These

twelve guNaas demonstrate God's eternal love for us

jeevaathmaas. They are sowseelyam, vaathsalyam,

maardhavam, aarjavam, sowhaartham, saamyam,

kaaruNyam, maadhuryam, gaambeeryam, owdhaaryam,

chaathuryam, and sthairyam. The subject of this post is

maardhavam. There are two interpretations for this

kalyaaNa guNam.

 

Maardhavam: (1) dislike for separation from devotees

(bakttharkaLin pirivai poRukkaamai)

(2) compassion even while meting out

punishments

 

(1) dislike for separation from devotees

---------------

Sri raamaan's maardhavam is most apparent right after

raavaNa vadham. His mind immediately turned to

Baradhaazvhaar. Declining vibeeshNan's request to stay

a little longer in Lanka, Ramaa rushed back to ayOdhyaa

to reunite with his dear devotee. (Question: In what way

can Bharathan be equated with madhurakavi aazhvaar?

Answer: In thiruvaay mozhi 6.10.10, Nammaazhvaar

says, "adiyEn un adikkeezh amarndhu pugundhEnE,"

"adikkezh amarndhu" (seated at the bottom of your feet)

is widely interpreted to mean paadhugai. Madhurakavi

in his kaNNi nuNsiRutthaambu declares that besides

nammaazhvaar he knows of no other Lord, "dEvu

maRRariyEn." In this sense madhurakavi, like Barathan,

is a devotee of our Lord's paadhugai.)

 

Back to maardhavam; thirumangai aazhvaar gives us a

glimpse of our Lord's maardhavam in periya thiru mozhi

7.3.6:

 

\bt

ettanaip pozhudhaagilum enRum

en manath agalaathirukkkum pugazh

thattalartthaponnE yalar kOngin

thaazh pozhil thirumaaliruncOlaiyaNG

kattiyai karumbeenRa insaaRRaik

kaadhalaal maRainaan_gum munnOthiya

pattanai paravaitthuyilERRaiyen

paNpanaiyanRip paadalseyyEnE

\et

 

ettanaip pozhudhaagilum = even for a fraction of a second

enRumen manath agalaa = (you) will not separate from my mind,

thirumaaliruncOlai = the Lord of thirumaaliruncOlai (that is)

thaazh pozhil kongu = filled with trees that have

pon Ey alar = golden flowers

thattalarttha = like plates, big and wide;

mun = earler in Krishnaavadhaaram

Othiya = (you) learnt from rishi saantheebini

maRai nanngum = the four vEdhaas;

pattanai = you are omniscient;

karumbeebnRa insaaRRaik = you are my sweet nectar of sugar cane;

paravai thuyilERRai

en paNpanai = my Lord, slumbering in paarkadal;

 

yanRi paadal seyyEnE = I will sing only of you and not any others

kaathalaal = with love.

 

"The sweet Lord of the large and golden flowers filled

thirumaaliruncOlai; the Lord who was schooled in the

four vEdhaas by Saantheebini during

Krishnaavadhaaram; the Lord slumbering in thirup

paarkadal; is in my mind and He will not leave me even

for a fraction of a second; and I will sing in His praise

and not any other."

 

Azhvaar is not claiming any credit for the fact that the

Lord is firmly secured in his mind. He says, "en

manatthagalaa;" which shows that the Lord has chosen to

stay in aazhvaar's mind and not be separated from him.

This is maardhavam.

 

 

(2) compassion even while meting out punishments

-----------------------------

While Raamaa waited out the monsoon in the forest,

sugreevan was enjoying the princely life style to which

he was restored. The rains stopped, but sugreevan forgot

all about his promise to search for seethai. Even though

sugreevan deserved the wrath of LaskhmaNan, our Lord

instructs iLaiya perumaaL to "gently" remind sugreevan

about his promise. This gentleness is maardhavam.

 

Another example of maardhavam is the well-known

"inRu pOy naaLai vaa" to vaNNangalil arakkan, (periya

thiru mozhi 9.8.5). [vaNangalil = impious, arakkan =

demon, i.e. raavaNan]. Sri Raamaa's maardhavam is good

even towards vaNNangalil arakkan!

 

AndaaL appeals to this maardhavam with,

"aRiyaadha piLLaigalOm anbinaal unRannaich

siRu pErazhaitthanavum, seeRi aruLaathE"

-- thiruppaavai (28)

 

The "siRu pEr azhaitthana" refers to the gOkulam days,

when, without the true knowledge of who Krishnan

really is, gopi and gopakaas may have been irreverent to

our Lord, albeit out of love. In the 28th paasuram of

thiruppaavai, ANdaaL appeals to our Lord's maardhavam

for forgiveness (seeRi aruLaathE = "don't be angry with

us").

 

 

..... to be continued

 

----------

This and other posts to follow in this subject are based

on the aruL mozhigaL of the 45th azhagiya singar of sri

aHObila madam, sri vaN satakOpa sri naaraayaNa

yatheendhra mahaa dEsikan, published in sri nrusimhap

priyaa starting with bava varusham, chitthirai maasam,

(April 1994), and commentaries of aazhvaar

prabhandams published by The Visishtadvaita Pracharini

Sabha, 27, Venkatesa Agraharam, Mylapore, Madras,

600 004.