Guest guest Posted January 7, 1997 Report Share Posted January 7, 1997 Sri Murali Rangaswamy wrote: > 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. There was some disagreement about this famous episode in Tirumazhisai Alvar's life earlier as well. In all the accounts that I had read, the brahmins had stopped chanting because they saw a sudra in their midst. To settle the confusion, I did some research in an attempt to find the original story, as best as can be reconstructed. Luckily, I have in my personal library Garuda Vahana Pandita's ``Divya Suri Charita,'' one of the oldest and best respected hagiographies of the Alvars and early Acharyas. The DSC mentions this episode in the following verse: tam Apatantam prativIdhi yoginam vicintya SUdram kRtaSUrpavikrayam vihAya vedAdhyayanakriyAdaram dvijAtibAlA dadhati sma maunitAm (3.50) Roughly translated, the sloka says that the brahmins at Kumbakonam, thinking there was a sudra in their midst (the yogi Tirumazhisai Alvar), stopped their Veda adhyayanam and fell silent. And if I am reading the verse correctly, it also says that the brahmins were ``atibAlA:'', very childish in behavior. On the authority of this work, it is demonstrably clear that the brahmins discriminated against Tirumazhisai Alvar purely because they saw him as a sudra. There is no mention in the Divya Suri Charita about being startled by a dazzling brilliance, the Alvar's sudarsana amsatva notwithstanding. It is unlikely that this particular set of brahmins would ever see past the mere body and external appearance of the Alvar anyhow. There appears to be reluctance on the part of some of us to accept the fact that some brahmins in the past have committed grave bhAgavata apacArams and have generally been unadmirable people. There is no need to deny the obvious facts of history by explaining or rationalizing them away. At any rate, this story serves to illustrate that spiritual greatness is in no way determined by jAti. We, the Sri Vaishnavas community, no matter how many stories and how much proof our own tradition has offered, fail to practice and perceive this truth to this day. adiyEn, Mani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 1997 Report Share Posted January 7, 1997 With the posts on Mazhisai vandha sOthi I am reminded of a stroy I heard long ago. It seems the aazhvaar arrived at Kumbakonam periya kOvil after a long journey. Thirmancanam was just starting. Azhvaar was quite tired and hungry due to the long journey. So, it seems, the aazhvaar thought to himself, "O! Lord, I have come to see you from far; I am hungry, how long do I have to wait?". Immediately, the Lord instructed the Bhattar to stop the aradhanai and serve prasadam to the Azhvaar. To commemorate this, I believe thaLigai is offered to the Azhvaar first, and then only to amudhan. I am not sure whether this is so or not. Today being Thondaradippodi Azhvaar's thirunakshathram, I would like to quote the last paasuram from Thirup paLLiyezhuchchi: kadimalark kamalankaL malarnthana ivaiyO? kathiravan kanaikadal muLaiththanan ivanO? thudiyidai yaarsuri kuzhalpizhin^ thuthaRith thukiluduth thERinar soozhpuna larangaa, thodaiyoththa thuLavamum koodaiyum polinthu thOnRiya thOLthoNda radippodiyennum adiyanai, aLiyanen RaruLiyun Nnadiyaark- kaatpaduth thaay!paLLi ezhuntharu LaayE! After trying to wake the Lord up from His yoganidhra by singing 10 exquisite paasurams, in the last paasuram - at the very end, the aazhvaar reveals the reason why he wants the Lord to wake up, i.e. "adiyanai, aLiyan enRu aruLi un adiyaarku aatpaduththaay paLLi ezhuntharuLaayE" (please wake up and make me a servant of Your devotees). Now, Sri Uththamoor swami was one of the "un-adiyaar" the aazhvaar was singing about. Contributing to this scholar's centenary celebrations is indeed a rare opportunity to fulfill for ourselves what the Azhvaar was pleading to the Lord. An acknowledgement of the contributing individuals will be sent to India in the next few days. Therefore, if you are interested in making a contribution, please let Sri Sadagopan know immediately. -- Thanks, Dileepan -- Dileepan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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