"Concept of Prapatthi as expressed by AndAL" ; 26th day of Marghazhi

[Guest guest]

Dear Members of the Prapatthi group :

 

This is the day connected with the 26th Paasuram of

Thiruppavai starting with an appeal to " maalE maNivaNNA "

and concludes with the prayer for the boon of Parai (Bhagavdh

Samslesham ) this way : " aalinilaiyaai aruLElOlOrempaavaai ".

AndAL appeals to Vatapathra Sayee of the temple

at Srivilliputthur here.

 

We will enjoy together "the concept of Parapatthi as expressed

in Thiruppavai " along the lines of presentation by Professor

A.S. Raghavan . AndAL , the bridal mystic offers SaraNAgathi

along the classical manner prescribed by the Upanishads and

PaancharAtra SamhithAs and makes thus Her Thiruppavai become

one of the sacred Upanishads (GodhOpanishad ) .

 

Verses 1--5

**************

 

The consort of the Lord that She is , AndAL does not elaborate

upon the angAs of Prapatthi , but plunges right into the act of

Prapatthi in Her AruLiccheyal. In this context , She declares right

away in the very FIRST PAASURAM of Thiruppavai with profound certainity ,

" NaarayaNanE namakkE parai TharuvAn " . Here She states unambigously

that NarAyaNA is the paramAthMa and his Daya and AnukampA alone

will give us the sought after boon : Nitya Kaimkaryam to Him and Him only .

This approach is taken by Her since she is driven by the conviction that

His DayA is the central means (Upaayam ) and our prayer to this

Parama KaaruNikan is a subsidary anushtAnam

to " induce " His DayA .

 

The second verse ( Vyatthu VaazhveergAL ) covers the mental attitude that

a Prapanna should have as he or she approaches Sriman NaarAyaNA

for the boon of Kaimkaryam to Him . Aanukoolya sankalpam and

Praathikoolya Varjanam are covered here . In the third verse

(ONgi UlahaLandha Uttaman pEr paadi ) , AndAL describes

as to what the aim of the person should be in observing

the Paavai nonbhu ( Viz )., Universal Prosperity . In the fifth verse

( Maayanai Mannu Vada Mathurai Maindhanai ) , She points out that

this right mental attitude in approaching the Lord will result in

KrishNa -premai / KrishNaThirst (KrishNa thrishNA ) , which in turn

will annihilate totally the accumulated sins of the past and present .

 

Verses 6 to 17 of Thiruppavai

********************************

 

The God-minded BhagavathA always seek the company of other

BhagavathAs with whom they can experience Bhagavadh Vishayam and

enjoy the divine bliss of Bhagavadh anubhavam through sath sangam just

as the recently concluded one in Bufffalo , New York . In this context , AndAL

goes about the streets of Srivilliputthur (Gokulam ) to wake up Her

friends (Gopis ) so that all of them can approach the mansion of NandagOpA ,

where the Lord is engaged in Yoga nidrA (Pasurams 6-15 ) . In the sixteenth

verse , AndAL and friends make an appeal to the gatekeepers of

NandagOpA's mansion to open the front door and let them in

( Nayakanaai Ninra NandagOpanudaya ) . This step is symbolic of

the guidance of our AcharyAs , who help us approach the domain of the Lord.

In the 17 th verse , AndAL and Her friends pray to NandagOpA , YasOdhA

and Bala RamA , since they are "dear and near " to their object of desire .

 

The Verses 18-20

********************

 

The triad of verses 18, 19 and 20 are central to the understanding

of Prapatthi as practised by AndAL . These three verses deal with the

divine couple and their relationship to us as Seshi Dampathi and

the SaraNya Dampathi (Nappinai and KrishNa in Thiruppaavai ) .

 

Verse 18

**********

 

Our supremely compassionate Mother, Maha Lakshmi , overlooks

our trespasses as erring children and pleads for us as mediatrix

with Her Lord to forgive us and protect us . This is the PurushakAram

aspect of Her celebrated by Yamuna Muni , RamAnuja Muni and all

the achAryAs that followed them . Displaying Her Vaatsalyam and

PurushakAram , She points out to Her Lord that we as prodigal children

will come around and ask for His mercy and forgivenness . In verse 18

( Undhu MadakALiRRin ) , the appeal is made by GodhA

to the PurushakAram of Nappinai , who is MahA Lakshmi Herself .

 

Verses 19 and 20 ( Kutthu vilakku and Mupatthu moovar )

*************************************************************

 

These are the ONLY verses in the entire Thiruppaavai ,

where the Divya Dampathis are addressed jointly in the

prayer of AndAL and her friends . Recognizing the Divya Dampathis

as their Upeyam and Upaayam , the assembled BhagavathAs

headed by AndAL pray to them in their roles as Seshi Dampathi

and SaraNya Dampathi .

 

The first of the twin verses (Kutthu Vilakku yeriya ) describes

the UPEYATHVAA approach to the Ekaseshi Dampathis . As Seshi

Dampathis , AndAL reminds us that loving kimkaryam to Them

is our supreme purushArtham and they are the targets (Upeyam ) .

 

The second verse ( Muppatthu moovar amararkku mun senru )

addresses Them as SaraNya Dampathis . Here UPAYATHVAA

aspect is emphasized . We are reminded that the highet means

for attaining the supreme goal of our lives is their INNATE GRACE

as SaraNya Dampathis . Besides Them being the Upaaya and Upeyaa ,

our most compassionate Mother , Maha Lakshmi , demonstrates

Her unique PurushakArA attribute and comes to our rescue .

 

These three aspects of UpAyathvam and Upeyam of the Divya Dampathis

and the PurushakAram aspect of MahA Lakshmi are the central tenets

of Sri VaishNavism and the divine AndAL weaves all these strands

into a harmonious whole prior to the performance of HER act of Prapatthi .

 

 

The UPEYATHVAM doctrine is clearly stated in the following portion

of the 19th verse :

 

" YetthanaiEnum pirivARRhillAyAl

Tattuvam , anru tahavu yElOrempaavAi "

 

(Meaning) : Thou can not be away from the Lord even for

the smallest fraction of time. That is the philosophical doctrine! )

This Tattuvam is also declared by AndAL's fellow Azhwaar

(NammaazhwAr ) in His paasuram passage offering SaraNAgathi

at the Lotus feet of ThiruvenkatamudayAn : " AhalahillEn Iraiyum

yenru AlarmEl mangai Urai maarbhA " . That the SaraNya dampathis are

the targets , Lakshyam , Upeyam for us is brought out here .

 

The UPAAYAM aspect comes through strong and clear in the 20th

verse passage this way :

 

" Nappinnai Nangaai ! ThiruvE ! ----

unn MaNALanai ippothE Yemmai neerAttu "

 

(Meaning ) : " The grace of Thyself and Thy groom is the ONLY MEANS

of redemption for us. O Nappinnai ! O Maha Lakshmi ! "

 

Thus far , the preparation for the observanc eof Prapatthi as well as

the anushtanams to qualify them for that Prapatthi in the traditional

manner prescribed by the Upanishads and PaancharAtra SamhitAs

were covered by the group of BhagavathAs led by AndAL .

In the remining Paasurams , She refers to the AngAs (accessories )

of Prapatthi and performs the Prapatthi itself.

 

AndAL ThiruvadigaLE SaraNam .

 

Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan