TVK Part 2

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatti Group:

 

The deep meanings of the TVK of Thirumangai has been

covered by Uttamur Swamigal in his Commentaries.

Sri K.C.Varadachari'sBook on Alwars has few pages of translation

of the lines of TVK. Dr.V.K.S.N.Raghavan has a lengthy article on TVK

in the Volume 18 of the Indian Philosophical Annual of the years 1985-86.

 

Hence I will focus on the poetry aspects and very few references to the

Tattvas of Visishtadvaita here .

 

The lines 22to 28 and the lines from 29to 36 are useful to illustrate these

points.

 

Part of line 22: Ezhulahai Eyirrinil Kondanai (reference to the SEVEN ;

O Lord ! you have lifted the 7 worlds on your tusks during your Varaha Avatara!

)

 

Part of line 23: Kooriya Arusuvai Payanumaaiyanai : (Reference here is to the

SIX; As the scriptures declare, You are immanent in all objects and make them

all enjoyable like ARUSUVAI, the sixtet of tastes: Salty, Sour, Sweet, Bitter,

Astringent and Hot ; alternatively, your SIXFOLD noble attributes ,Viz., Wisdom,

Power, Strength, Lordship, Valour and Splendour are indeed Parama Bhogyam or

most enjoyable).Upanishads declare the Lord as Annam to be enjoyed. His

Sakthi, Balam, Iswaryam, Veeryam, Tejas and Jnanam are the Six tasty

aspects as Annam .

 

Part of line 23/24 : Sudarvidum aimpadai angaiyul Amarndanai (Reference in this

line in the descending order from 7 to 6 are Number 5.. The FIVE blazing

weapons of the Lord on his Subasrayam (Auspicious Body), Viz., Sudarsanam,

Panchajanyam, Mace , Nandakam /sword, and Sarangam/bow are saluted here.

For your devotees, you become Annam with 6 types of Tastes.For the others, who

do not appreciate your enjoyment and malign you, You wear and use

the Panchaayudams to corrrect them .

 

Lines 24/25 : Sundara NArroL Munneer Vanna! --- Here the salutation centers

on aspects of the Lord using FOUR as the Number. Reference is to the four

beautiful arms of the Lord representing the aspect of giving as a boon the 4

Purushaarthaas (ChaturNAm PurusharthAnaam Dhata Deva: Chaturbhuja: according to

Appaya Dikshita ) ; He is also of the hue of the deep Blue Ocean . Here,

the Number 3 is incorporated with the salutation Munneer Vanna . Munneer

stands for Ocean made up of 3 Kinds of waters.

 

Lines 25to 28: Ninneer adi Onriya ManatthAl (here the reference to the numbers 2

and 1;

Lord's TWO feet are being pressed with ONE/Single- pointed mind by the TWO Devis

at the

THREE divisions of Time , Sandhyas. You are resting thus in Yoga Nidra. Lines 26

to 28

refer to ONE, TWO and THREE this way: Oru Madi Mukattu , Mangairuvarum

Malarana

Angaiyil Muppozhuthum Varuda Arituyil amarnthanai.

 

Lines 29 to 36 ascend from FOUR to SVEN in the following manner:

 

Neri murai Naal Vahai Varunamumayinai,

Metakum Aim perum bhutamum niye!

Arupadam muralum koondal kaaranam

Ezhvidhai Adanaga ccherranai, Aruvahai

Samayumum Arivaru Nilayinai, Aimpaal

Odhiyai akattu irruttinai. Aram Mudal

Naankavai-ay ,Moorthy Munrai

iru vahai payan-ai , onru-ai virindu

Ninranai.

 

Here the the ascent is from 4 to 7 followed by the

descent from 7 to 1 in six steps.

 

The 4 in the first line refers to the 4 Varnas outlined in

Purusha Suktam(Naal Vahai Varnamumayinai).

Pancha Bhoothas are referred to next : Aimperum Bhothamum

Niyeh .

Six and Seven are incorporated in the lines Arupadam Muralum---

Ezh Vidai Adanga Ccherranai. For the sake of Nappinnai, whose

natural fragrance of her tresses are coveted by the SIX footed bees,

you destroyed the SEVEN powerful bulls in a contest and married her.

 

Hereafter, the lines of the TVK descend from 7 to 6 to 5 to 4 to 3 to 2

and end with one.

Thirumangai starts with SIX by referring to the Six alien schools of thought

(Sankhya, Yoga,Nyaaya, Bauddha, Jaina et al ) not being able to comprehend

the glory of Sriman Narayana. Veda Bahya Schools or those that can

not go beyond Kaivalya are included here as imperfect here.

 

Azhwar refers next to Five , when he states that the Lord has the Consort

on his chest and that Maha Lakshmi has tresses with FIVE qualities:

Black, Length, Coolness ,Fragrance and softness. FOUR kinds of

Purusharthas (Dharma, Kama, Artha, Moksha ) follow next. THREE is

included thereafter in terms of the Lord being the Antharyami of Indra, Brahma

and Rudra. TWO fold fruit (Aihika an dAamushmika ) Giving appears next.

In the beginning , You were the Only ONE (Sat) says the Aazhwar.

 

After completing the Ratha Bhandham , the Azhwar moves on to a direct prayer

to Aaraavamudhan in the following lines of TVK and concludes

it with a description of Thirukkudanthai

and states that the Holy feet of the Lord are resting in his mind always.

 

Thus ends the great poem of the Azhwar, which is a testimony to

his sharp poetic skills and deep Bhakthi of Sriman Narayana.

 

Para Kaalan Thiruvadigale sharanam,

 

Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan .