Vaarttaamaalai

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"Vaarttaamaalai" is a maNipravaaLa work by Pinbazhagiya PerumaaL Jeeyar, who

was a disciple of NambiLLai, and perhaps better known as the author of the

6000-padi Guruparampara Prabhaavam. As the name indicates, Vaarttaamaalai is a

collection of tidings or messages.

 

Puttur Sri. S. Krishnaswami Ayyangar Swami has published the original with his

explanations. Sri. U. V. Velukkudi Varadacharya Swami has given a preface to

the Puttur edition. Even though my understanding is poor, I am very moved by

the style and content many of the `vaarttais`. Out of a desire to share the

good feeling that comes out of reading and meditating upon such works, I would

like to translate and publish here selected `vaarttais' occasionally. I have

absolutely no qualifications for attempting this. My hope is that this attempt

might kindle in the readers a desire to read the original itself. My

translation is based on the Tamil explanations given Sri. Puttur Swami. Since

it is impossible for me to preserve the style of the original, I will attempt

to get the sense of the content to the best of my imperfect understanding. Any

errors are mine, of course, and I will be grateful if the learned readers

would correct any errors they may find in my translation.

 

My selections will be random, with no particular significance as to the order.

 

 

Dasan Srinivasan

 

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Vaarttai 366 of Vaarttaamaalai

 

VeerasikhaamaNi Pallavaraayar was a chieftain. He sought the feet of Bhattar

(Paraasara Bhattar, the illustrious son of Koorattaazhvaan and disciple of

Embaar) and prayed, "As I am busy doing things for the king, I do not find the

time to serve Sri VaishNavaas and hear their good advice. Please grace me with

a message in which I could take refuge."

Bhattar replied, "Keep in your thoughts the sea shore." Pallavaraayar stood

their wringing his hands as he did not get the point. Bhattar explained, "With

the monkey army, Lord Sri Rama was staying on the sea shore like an ocean of

nectar. On the opposite shore was the carrion-eating rascal RavaNa with his

Rakshasa forces ready for battle. During the wakeful hours of the day, the

seventy-veLLam-strong (veLLam is an enormous number, perhaps millions of

trillions) monkey army was watching over and protecting PerumaaL, out of

overflowing sympathy (pongum parivu) and concern that nothing untoward should

befall Him. But during the night, overcome by the nature of the physical body,

the monkeys all got tired of hands and feet and fell asleep. At that time,

with the quiver tied to their back, and with a few carefully-selected sharp

arrows held in their hands, PerumaaL and iLaiya PerumaaL (Rama and LakshmaNa)

kept going around this seventy-veLLam-strong monkey army, protecting them like

a moving fortress wall and like some birds that guard the eggs they lay by

constantly going around them. Think of that hand of Lord Rama (Chakravati

Tirumagan) and the bow in His hand as the refuge and give up all worry."

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