Tirumazhisai Azhwar

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Dear Members of the List,

 

Smt. Nagu Satyan posted an excellent article on the episode between Shiva and

Tirumazhisai Azhwar. This caused me to reflect on some related aspects about

this great Mahan. The Taniyan for this Azhwar is

 

MakhAyAm Makare MAsE Chakramsham Bhargavodbhavam I

MahisAra PuradEsham Bhaktisaram Aham Bhaje II

 

(I salute Bhaktisara, the son of Bhargava, who was born under the asterism of

Makha in the month of Makara (Jan 14-Feb 14), as an Amsham of the

Sudarshana Chakram of Lord Vishnu in Tirumazhisai.)

 

Born as the son of Rishi Bhargava, the child was a lifeless mass of flesh

at birth and consequently was abandoned. However, the child was brought back

to life through the grace of Lord Narayana and was raised by foster parents

belonging to the fourth caste. The Azhwar never cared for material comforts

or riches. Instead his sole occupation was to string garland after garland

of flowers for Govinda. A group of Brahmins were engaged in reciting the Vedas

when the Azhwar happened to pass by. Dazzled by the brilliance of the

Azhwar, the Brahmins stopped reciting the Vedams. As the Azhwar was about to

depart, the Brahmins attempted to resume their chanting but had forgotten

where they stopped. The Azhwar recognized this and broke into two a grain of

paddy to remind the Brahmins, where they had stopped in their recitation.

 

A common misconception of this incident is that since the Azhwar belonged

to the fourth caste, he was not privy to the Vedas. Therefore, the Brahmins

stopped their recitation upon his arrival. However, Sri Anbil Ramaswamy

provided a brilliant explanation for this incident in light of the

Azhwar being an Amsham of the Sudarshana Chakram. I shall touch upon this

aspect very briefly.

 

The Sudarshana Chakram is the Maha Jyothi which forms the center of the

Maha Jwala known as Kalanala (fire at the end of time). References to the

Jwala can be seen from Swami Desikan's Sudarshana Ashtakam (Prututara

Jwala Panjara), and the fact that one of the six corners of the Sudarshana

Yantram is the Jwala Chakram. It is also well known that the Jwala connotes

the Jwala Narasimhar aspect, which was responsible for the destruction of

Hiranyakashipu. Further connections between Narasimhar and Sudarshana Chakram

can be seen from the prescriptions of the Pancharatra and Vaikhanasa Agamams

for the worship of Narasimhar in four places (i.e., below the earth, in

pillars, on hills and in the Sudarshana Yantram). Padma Samhita (a

Pacharatra Agama text) specifically refers to the presence of Narasimhar in

the Chakram. Furthermore, the three worlds were trembling with fear

to see the fit of rage of Ugra Narasimha. Additional evidence in support of

the back-to-back forms of Sudarshana and Narasimhar can be found in the form

of the Sudarshana-Narasimhar Saligramam. Also, the Sudarshana Chakram

has the radiance of a thousand Bhaskaras as is seen from Ambarisha's Prapatti

Stotram in the Bhagavatam (Sahasraditya Sankasham, Sahasra Vadanam Param I

Sahasradam Sahasraram Prapadyeham Sudarshanam). Further testimony to the

radiance of the Chakram is found in the Panchayudha Stotram (Sudarshanam

Bhaskara Koti Tulyam).

 

Since the Azhwar was an Amsham of the Chakram, he personified the radiance of

the Chakram, which left the stupified Brahmins in stunned silence. However,

the Azhwar upheld Varnashrama Dharma by not uttering the Veda Aksharams

(although he was well versed in them) but instead used a gesture to provide

the Brahmins a clue as to where they had stopped in their chanting.

 

Another interesting episode is the incident with YathOktaKAri Perumal of

Kanchipuram. Srimans Sadagopan, Ramaswamy, Srinivasan Iyengar and

Lakshminarasimha Srinivasa have referred to this incident in

considerable detail in their articles in the past. Hence, I shall not touch

upon it here.

 

Sudarshana NarasimhAya Namaha,

 

Muralidhar Rangaswamy